About 430,000 military households that are missing Social Security numbers in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System could be forced to pay fines to the Internal Revenue Service if they don’t update their information by January.
Troops were notified about the missing information through letters sent by DEERS starting Aug. 13. Social Security numbers are either missing or unverified for about 484,000 military dependents, Defense Department officials said.
The Pentagon is required to report healthcare coverage given to service members and their dependents as part of the Affordable Care Act beginning this year. Fees for not holding the required minimum health care coverage depend on income and household size.
TRICARE beneficiaries who had minimum essential coverage for any part of 2015 will be sent IRS Form 1095-C or 1095-B by Jan. 31, 2016, which will be needed to complete their 2015 tax returns, officials said.
Troops mailing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and the name and birth dates of dependents can be confirmed online. Social Security numbers must be added or verified in person at a military ID office. Military spouses can update the information in DEERS on their service members’ behalf if they have a valid special Power of Attorney.
More collaboration needed
Investing in research and treatment of traumatic brain injury can ward off future problems for veterans, including unemployment, homelessness and suicide, Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald said Aug. 24 during opening remarks of a two-day conference on head injury in Washington, D.C.
Drawing more than 300 of the country’s top TBI researchers, the VA’s State of the Art Conference on traumatic brain injury aims to share cutting-edge approaches to detecting head injuries, treating them and solving related problems. Since 2001, more than 327,000 troops have been diagnosed with mild, moderate and serious head injuries, according to the Congressional Research Service.
But that number is likely much higher since service members often don’t report mild concussions or exposure to circumstances such as blasts that cause head injury, health officials believe.
A 2008 RAND Corp. study estimated that up to that time, about 725,000 troops may have received a TBI or met the criteria for PTSD or combat-related depression.
Often diagnosed side-by-side with traumatic brain injuries are mental health conditions such as depression, substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the CRS, 138,197 post-9/11 veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD alone.
To ward off a future crisis similar to the scandals that rocked the VA in 2014, McDonald said, the department must solve the puzzle to help veterans now and as they age.
VA spent $36,222,000 on research in 2014. McDonald said science is as important to VA health care as education and clinical care, the three pillars of the Veterans Health Administration.
The conference addressed multiple aspects of TBI research and care, including concurrent mental health issues, head injury imaging and diagnosis, reintegration into society, pain management, best care practices, and more.
The conference was held Aug, 24 and Aug. 25 in Washington, D.C., near Capitol Hill.
Reapply for denied PTSD claims
Military veterans receive multiple benefits following their service, but officials say some don’t realize they can reapply for benefits that were previously denied.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is spreading the word throughout their offices around the country that veterans who have had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder claims denied, particularly military sexual trauma, can and should reapply for disability.
The VA health system reports one in 100 men and one in five women have experienced sexual abuse while serving in the military. In the past, if a veteran wanted to file for PTSD disability for sexual abuse, a report or evidence had to be on record of the abuse.
If not, the VA had to legally throw out the disability claim. Now the VA is reminding veterans that changes in the law say a new sexual abuse investigation can be made, even if sexual assault was not reported during their active duty.
It’s an attempt to get more veterans the benefits they deserve from serving our country. Veteran services can also help grant veterans counseling alone, if they did not want to file for disability. (Source: Toledo News Now | Jon Monk | August 14, 2015)