Relief Information for Military Members and Family

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Military.com | By Military OneSource | September 01, 2005

Editor's Note: This information was provided courtesy of Military OneSource. Any military members or families in need of information and or counseling may call the Military OneSource.

Evacuation and Emergency Leave

Evacuation
Local (installation) commanders, or other competent authority, determine the need to evacuate and provide a distance parameter (e.g., "150 to 750 miles"). Member / family are then authorized relocation, at "TDY rate" to a site of their choice for at least 30 days (situation reviewed pre-expiration) within that radius.

USD(P&R) likely to declare "alternate safe haven" NLT September 1 (following DoD-internal reviews), which authorizes compensable relocation ("TDY rate") anywhere in CONUS that the member/family chooses (e.g., anywhere in CONUS whether within the originally-specified distance limit, or not).

Reimbursement rates are at: https://secureapp2.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/
Actual reimbursement is made upon filing of a travel claim by the member/family. Up to two months of advance pay may be authorized.

Emergency Leave
When competent authority that is objective and reliable (e.g., Commands upon notice from Family Support Groups; or Military Services upon notice from sources such as MILITARY ONESOURCE; or American Red Cross) advises a military organization (e.g., a deployed unit) that a severe hardship would be created if the member does not return to the location of a family member, that military organization normally would authorize emergency leave (consistent with current operational requirements). Emergency Leave is chargeable as leave, but allows transportation expenses to be absorbed by the military. Such leave would stipulate areas or conditions wherein travel is not authorized (e.g., within a geographical area during a particular period).

Travel to the areas directly affected by Hurricane Katrina is strongly discouraged. Many factors presently inhibit travel, including transportation infrastructures. Moreover, local law enforcement often must deny access owing to safety or security concerns. Travelers must plan accordingly.

American Red Cross communication services keep military personnel in touch with their families in emergency situations. If you want your Service Member notified that your are OK or other situation, you can call the Red Cross at 1-877-272-7337.

How to Contact the Red Cross to Send an Emergency Message
* Active duty service members stationed in the United States and their immediate family members may call the Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Service Centers for help 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The toll-free telephone number is 1-877-272-7337.

* Other family members who do not reside in the service members' household, members of the National Guard and Reserves, retirees and civilians may access Red Cross services through their local Red Cross chapter, which is listed in local telephone books and at http://www.redcross.org/where/where.html.

* Overseas personnel stationed on military installations should call base or installation operators or the on-base Red Cross offices.

* At overseas deployment sites, contact the American Red Cross deployed staff.
When calling the Red Cross to send an emergency message to a family member, it is helpful to have the following information:

Service members:
* Full Name
* Rank/Rating
* Branch of Service
* Social Security Number
* Military Address
* Information about the deployed unit and the home base unit (for deployed service members only)
- Other Military Service assistance numbers where you may ask about Military Emergency Leave, related Personnel Questions or other Service specific issues:

Army: 1-800-833-6622
Marines: 1- 800-847-1597
Navy: 1- 877-414-5358
Air Force: 1-800-435-9941
National Guard: 1-888-777-7731

Identification Card Support to Those Affected by Hurricane Katrina

Many Service members and other eligible Common Access Card (CAC) recipients have been effected by Hurricane Katrina and find themselves without identification and no way to provide required documentation for the reissuance of credentials. To support those affected by the hurricane, the following guidance for the issuance of replacement cards is in place until further notice.

A card will be issued to a member or eligible recipient without identification under the following guidelines:
* A member or eligible recipient will provide his/her Social Security Number and two other identifying pieces of information that can be verified in his/her Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting system (DEERS) record (address, name of spouse, dependents birth dates, etc.)

* The fingerprint will be verified and if possible, the photo will be pulled to verify biometrics.
* If the fingerprint cannot be verified, a temporary card will be issued, not to exceed 90 days.
* The member or eligible recipient must have an address that matches the affected areas (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida) or some other reasonable explanation as to why Katrina left the member without his or her identifying documents.

TRICARE Ensures Beneficiaries Affected By Hurricane Katrina Can Access Their Pharmacy Benefit

Beginning Sept 1 through Sept 14, 2005, the Department of Defense has waived the pharmacy co-pay for beneficiaries unable to pay it. Express Scripts, Inc., (ESI) the TRICARE pharmacy contractor, is notifying the 50,000 plus pharmacies in the retail network to contact the TRICARE pharmacy operations center in San Antonio to process these requests. Beneficiaries may contact ESI with questions about this waiver.

These beneficiaries will be able to obtain early prescription refills if needed. The TRICARE operation center is being staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is working with retail pharmacies to authorize these requests. Beneficiaries with questions about getting prescriptions filled or claims paid for the retail pharmacy program may contact ESI at 1-866-363-8667 (1-866-DOD-TRRX).

Also, beneficiaries previously using the mail order pharmacy can request their prescriptions from retail pharmacies if they are unable to receive their prescriptions by mail. ESI will not ship any medications to zip codes that the US Postal Service has blocked. For those relocating to areas where postal service is still available, the mail order pharmacy contractor is updating patient information to include temporary mailing addresses so prescriptions will reach the beneficiaries at their new location. For questions about their mail order pharmacy benefit, beneficiaries may contact the ESI at 1-866-363-8667 (1-866-DOD-TMOP).

For more on Hurricane Katrina, visit our special section covering the disaster.

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