From Naval Hospital Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (NNS) -- Changes are coming to your TRICARE benefits beginning Jan. 1, 2018. These changes will give you more benefit choices, improves your access to care, simplifies cost shares, and allows you to take command of your health.

"Taking command of your health means empowering you to make the right health care and coverage choices for you and your family," said Lt. Cmdr. William Bennett, Naval Hospital Jacksonville director for healthcare business. "Leading up to Jan. 1, 2018, we will connect you with TRICARE resources to navigate your benefit questions."

By Devon L. Suits October 24, 2017

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. -- Soldiers who receive a basic allowance for housing and have dependents are reminded to keep their records up to date to prevent any disruptions in their Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH, entitlements, according to experts within the Army's Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1.

To help ensure the overall readiness of the force, the Army G-1 has notified 65,000 Soldiers that they needed to provide proof of dependency to justify their housing rates, according to J.D. Riley, deputy chief of the compensation and entitlements division, G-1.

By C. Todd Lopez, Army News Service October 24, 2017

WASHINGTON -- The current Army Combat Uniform top weighs in at about 650 grams, or about 1.4 pounds. It's got a lot of pockets and multiple layers of fabric. When it gets wet, it tends to stay wet. And when it's hot out, it tends to keep Soldiers hot.

The Army has a solution for that: the Improved Hot Weather Army Combat Uniform that has a whole lot fewer pockets, layers of fabric and Velcro, as well as a new fabric that is actually lighter than the current ACU.

By Don WagnerOctober 27, 2017

WASHINGTON -- Research shows that when Families are connected to their unit, each other, and the community, Soldiers and Families are better able to meet the challenges of military life, according to Heather Leiby, school liaison transition specialist, U.S. Army Installation Management Command.

In the Military Family Forum II at the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, Leiby gave participants an overview of the new Readiness Essentials for Army Leaders, or R.E.A.L. training.

From an Army and Air Force Exchange Service News Release

DALLAS, Oct. 23, 2017 — With less than a month until the much-anticipated official launch of the veterans online shopping benefit, more than 225,000 honorably discharged veterans have already been verified to shop at online military exchange websites when the sites open to veterans Nov. 11.

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service online shopping benefit is the first military exchange benefits expansion in nearly 30 years. Beginning on Veterans Day, America’s 18.5 million veterans will be able to shop online at the military exchange websites: ShopMyExchange.com, shopcgx.com, mymcx.com, and mynavyexchange.com.

By Kat Bailey, Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs / Published October 13, 2017

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) -- The Defense Department will implement the new Blended Retirement System next year. While no one needs to make a decision until Jan. 1, 2018, all Airmen should take advantage of training and informational resources to research their options during the remainder of 2017.

Airmen eligible for the new Blended Retirement System began receiving email notifications in February from myPers to ensure they receive correct information regarding their benefits to make the decision best suited for their individual needs.

By Devon L. Suits October 12, 2017

WASHINGTON -- During this period of fiscal uncertainty, senior Army leaders remain committed to providing a high level of care and support to Soldiers and their Families -- making them an Army top priority.

Taking care of Soldiers and Families ensures readiness, said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley, during a forum focused on military families. About 60 percent of today's Army is married and on average has a family of four. This is a fundamentally different demographic than Soldiers serving during World War II, when only 10 percent of the Army population was married.

WASHINGTON — Today, the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the formation of the Joint Ginnie Mae – VA Refinance Loan Task Force.

The task force will focus on examining critical issues, important data and lender behaviors related to refinancing loans, and will determine what program and policy changes should be made by the agencies to ensure these loans do not pose an undue risk or burden to Veterans or the American taxpayer.
More specifically, the task force will examine aggressive and misleading refinancing propositions, as described by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and will address loan churning and repeated refinancing.

By Brad Nelson, Public Affairs Officer, Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center Iron Mountain, Michigan
Tuesday, October 3, 2017

The fastest growing population group in the military today is women who currently comprise 14.5 percent of active duty personnel and 18 percent of National Guard and Reserves.

The face of VA healthcare is changing. Younger female Veterans are using VA services more frequently, including for maternity care, and having service connected disabilities, while older Veterans are using VA services for menopausal needs, geriatric care, and extended inpatient stays.

By Ms. Erinn Burgess October 9, 2017

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- The internet is part of everyday life. Whether you are sending an email, ordering something from a website, communicating with friends via social media or looking up the directions to your next destination, you are accessing a world-spanning digital media highway where information is stored, processed and distributed.

It doesn't take much for that information to end up in the wrong hands. This month, U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz, and Army garrisons around the globe, recognize National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and empower community members to be safer and more secure online.