DIC Deadline
By Capt. Bud Schneeweis, USCG-Ret., Director; Lt. Col. William A. Pierce, USA-Ret.; Cmdr. Katherine O’Neill Tracy, USNR-Ret.; and Phil Dyer, CFP Benefits Information

What is the deadline for those who remarried after age 57 to apply for restoration of DIC?

The Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 restored Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) and related home loan and education benefits for surviving spouses who remarry on or after their 57th birthday. Surviving spouses who remarried after age 57 and before Dec. 16, 2003, have one year—until Dec. 15, 2004—to reinstate DIC benefits. The VA will stop accepting forms after that date.
 
The one-year application period does not apply to surviving spouses whose remarriage on or after attaining age 57 occurred after enactment of the law. For more information, call the VA’s toll free number, (800) 827-1000; visit the VA’s Web site, www.va.gov; or visit your nearest VA regional office.

Chiropractic Care

Does the VA offer chiropractic care?

Beginning this fall, chiropractic care will be available at 26 selected va facilities. In conjunction with va primary care providers, chiropractors will offer evaluations and care for “neuromusculoskeletal” conditions.

Participating locations include VA facilities in Togus, Maine; West Haven and Newington, Conn.; Buffalo and the Bronx, N.Y.; Butler, Pa.; Martinsburg, W.Va.; Columbia, S.C.; Augusta, Ga.; Tampa and Miami, Fla.; Mountain Home, Tenn.; Columbus, Ohio; Danville, Ill.; Iron Mountain, Mich.; Kansas City, Kan.; Jackson, Miss.; San Antonio, Temple, and Dallas, Texas; Albuquerque, N.M.; Fort Harrison, Mont.; Seattle; Sacramento and Los Angeles, Calif.; and Sioux Falls, S.D.

Eligible veterans who do not live near these locations will have access to chiropractic care through the VA’s outpatient fee-basis program. However, they first must obtain a referral from their primary care provider and authorization from the VA.

Eye Exams

Are eye exams covered under TRICARE Prime?

Yes. Eye examinations are authorized every two years as a clinical preventive service for servicemembers and every year for their families. Also, TRICARE Prime enrollees who are diabetic are allowed an annual comprehensive eye examination.

The exam could include an assessment of the internal and external structures of the eye, a check for signs of other disease, and an evaluation of the patient’s vision and other health. An ophthalmologist or an optometrist can perform the exam.

If the provider is a non-network provider, point-of-service fees will not apply, and the beneficiary will be responsible for the entire bill. Contact your regional TRICARE contractor for more specific information
or visit the TRICARE Web site at www.tricare.osd.mil.

Overseas Commissaries

As a military retiree traveling overseas, can I shop in military commissaries in foreign countries?

The rules for access to commissaries in foreign overseas areas are different than for commissaries in the United States. Status of Forces Agreements or other pacts between a host nation and the United States control access to commissaries—and to the duty-free goods sold in commissaries— in foreign overseas areas. Based on the terms of these agreements, overseas military commands publish regulations that specify who can utilize the commissaries located in foreign overseas areas.

In determining who is permitted to shop in a commissary located in a foreign overseas area, commissary personnel are required to follow the command regulations. For more information on these regulations or to find contact information for a specific commissary, visit the Defense Commissary Agency’s Web site at www.commissaries.com.