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Destroying Records?
By Capt. Bud Schneeweis, USCG-Ret., Director; Lt. Col. William A. Pierce, USA-Ret.; Cmdr. Katherine O’Neill Tracy, USNR; and former Army Capt. Phil Dyer, CFP, Benefits Information
Is the National Personnel Records Center scanning military records and destroying the originals?
No. There is a false rumor circulating among veterans’ organizations that official military personnel files (OMPFS) at the National Personnel Records Center will be digitized and then destroyed. The National Archives and Records Administration preserves and protects
OMPFS because they are permanently valuable records documenting the military service of our veterans. The purpose of any electronic scanning would be to reduce the handling of fragile records during the reference process or to reduce the time necessary to locate and answer an
OMPF inquiry.
Ex-POW Benefits
Have benefits for former POWs expanded?
Yes, the VA increased benefits for former POWs who have had strokes or common heart diseases. These ailments will be added to the list of 16 medical problems the
VA presumes to be linked to former POWs’ military service. Former
POWs automatically will be eligible for disability compensation for these ailments, and their spouses and dependents will be eligible for service-connected survivors’ benefits if these diseases contribute to a former
POW’s death.
TRICARE Questions
Can I pay my TRICARE Prime premiums by allotment?
Yes, retirees enrolled in TRICARE Prime can choose to have premiums deducted from their retired pay via an allotment. The three
TRICARE regional representatives will handle these transactions. The allotment option began in August for the Western region, September for the Northern region, and October for the Southern region, with the first pay deductions starting a month after each region began using this option. Visit
www.tricare.osd.mil for more information and the phone number for your regional contact.
What is the TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) benefit for survivors?
When a military sponsor dies on active duty or on active Guard or Reserve orders of more than 30 days, surviving family members enrolled in the
TDP continue to receive these benefits for three years beginning the month following the
servicemember’s death.
This TDP survivor benefit also applies to enrolled family members of Selected Reserve and Individual Ready Reserve (early mobilization only) sponsors who die while called up, regardless of whether the sponsor was on active duty orders or enrolled in the
TDP at the time of his or her death. Under this survivor program, the government will pay 100 percent of the premium.
The requirement to be enrolled in the TDP at the time of the sponsor’s death is waived in limited circumstances. If the surviving family was enrolled previously but canceled because of a transfer to a duty station where dental care was provided under a program other than the
TDP, the requirement is waived.
At the time of death, the sponsor and the enrolled family members will be disenrolled, and the
TDP contractor will notify the survivors of the TDP survivor benefit terms. The contractor will reenroll the family members under these terms and will bill the government for 100 percent of the
TDP premium. Prior to disenrollment, the contractor will notify the family members of coverage termination.
Family members might be eligible for the TRICARE Retiree Dental Program, administered by Delta Dental, once the three-year
TDP survivor benefit ends. For more information about this dental program, visit the
TRICARE Retiree Dental Program’s Web site,
www.ddpdelta.org, or call the customer service center at (888) 838-8737.
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