Readers of Tom Philpott’s Military Update column sound off.

Survivor Benefits: Never-Ending Premiums

My husband, retired Marine Corps Maj. George E. Shepherd, is now 84 years old. We have been married for 62 years. He served in World War II for 27 months in the South Pacific. He also served in the Korean War for 13 months where he was wounded and received a Bronze Star. He joined the Marines as a private and rose to major. Quite an achievement, I believe.

He retired in 1961 after 20 years because he felt our four children and I needed him. He was right. He took out survivor benefit coverage for our protection and has been paying on it ever since he retired.

He has just been diagnosed as having lung cancer. I am now 84 and of course the children are grown. The premium payments have gone on too long. Over 30 years is more than enough. I even believe a rebate should go into effect. Any civilian insurance policy would have been paid off long ago.

CONSTANCE B. SHEPHERD
Via e-mail

Current law would end SBP premiums in October 2008 for retirees who have attained age 70 and paid premiums at least 30 years. The Senate version of the defense authorization bill would move the effective date of the “premium paid-up” rule up to Oct. 1, 2006. The House bill contains no such change. A House-Senate conference committee will decide whether to include the Senate provision in the final bill.

The Military Coalition, an umbrella group for dozens of service associations, are urging conferees to back the Senate provision, arguing that “ ‘Greatest Generation’ retirees already have paid 25 percent more in SBP premiums than post-1978 retirees every will. They shouldn’t have to wait two more years for relief.”– Tom Philpott

I would like to see legislation that would allow individuals who are both military retirees and federal civilian retirees to combine the years they paid premiums into the military SBP and the civil service SBP.

For example, I paid 20 years of premiums for military SBP. I cancelled it to join the Civil Service Retirement System SBP. I have paid five years of premiums for civil service SBP, giving me 25 years of SBP premiums. I am now 66.

A paid-up rule for combined federal SBP coverage, to take effect at age 70 for persons who have had covered a combined 30 years, would be most helpful in my remaining years of life after age 70.

ROYCE GURLEY
Master Sergeant, USAF-Ret.
Mount Olive, Ala.

COST OF FREE DRUGS

Maybe a lot of retirees are using the TRICARE retail pharmacy network because of their experiences with on-base pharmacies.

Here in Dover, at the Air Force Base Pharmacy, for prescription refills you call in and are told the medicine will be ready in 3 days after 10 a.m. When you go there to pick the drug up, it hasn't even been filled yet

I drive 17 miles to get there and than have to go home to return at a later time. Two round trips is 68 miles. My Ford explorer gets 17 mile per gallon. That’s four gallons of gas at $ 3.09 a gallon. Total cost to me is $12.36 and loss of two hours of my time.

Therefore I can save by using the uptown pharmacy.

LEONARD O.
Via e-mail

ASTONISHING

In a single recent paragraph about the Senate’s proposed changes to the Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act, Mr. Philpott made two rather astonishing statements:

"The House and Senate continue to approach the USFSPA with caution, avoiding changes perceived as tipping the law in favor of either retirees or of ex-spouses. The rationale for the Senate bill’s changes is taken from a comprehensive review of USFSPA that Defense officials completed in 2001."

In the first place, the USFSPA was heavily tipped to favor ex-spouses since its inception, so any changes that "favor" retirees can only bring justice and balance to give some sort credibility to an act that rewards stay-at-home spouses for "service" that in no way compares to the "service" past, present future, and the potential for recall after retirement, of a military person.

And after a "comprehensive study" completed five years ago, these pitiful changes are all that our elected and Defense officials could find wrong with USFSPA?

It seems that there is no OFFICIAL concern for "wrong" or "injustice" as long as the career military member is the victim.

But to add insult to injury, USFSPA even allows military retired pay to be viewed either as "property" or "income", thus permitting a judge to tap that pay for "alimony", even if marriage didn't take place until after the member had retired.

Yes, our "government" and military leaders really have shown just how concerned they are for those who put on the military uniform.

MAYNARD T. MCKEE
USAF-Ret.

DISABILITES DON’T ADD

My husband has been looking for the Department of Veterans Affairs table showing how they add up veterans’ disability percentages. Could you help me find this table? When adding up percentages, he gets one number and the VA tells him another.

SUSAN LADD
Via e-mail

The disparity between your husband’s math and VA’s relates is tied to the fact that he wants to add his various disability ratings and VA’s requirement, under law, is to combine them using a more complex formula.

VA doesn’t, for example, add a 10-percent disability with a 60-percent disability and conclude that a veteran has a combined rating of 70 percent. Instead, VA calculates the impact of multiple conditions on what remains of a veteran’s "efficiency" after each disabling condition is considered, starting with the most severe.

For example, let’s assume that a veteran’s most severe disability is rated 60 percent. From the VA’s perspective that veteran is left 40 percent efficient. The same veteran also has a 10 percent disabling condition. When considered alone, the second condition leaves the veteran 90 percent efficient.

To calculate the combined effect of the two disabilities, VA multiplies 40 percent (.4) efficiency by 90 percent (.9) efficiency and finds the veteran 36 percent (.36) efficient. Stated another way, that veteran is 64 percent disabled.

The law requires that combined disability ratings then be rounded to the nearest percent divisible by 10. In this example, that would be 60 percent, and not the 70 percent result that your husband would calculate by adding disability ratings.

VA claim adjudicators don’t actually have to make such calculations. They merely refer to the Combined Ratings Table, which has done the math for them. You can find more information on VA disability ratings and a link to the Combined Ratings Table at: www.warms.vba.va.gov/bookc.html. - T.P.

Letters may be edited for clarity or length.  Write to Military Forum, P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA  20120-1111,...

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