Dear Sgt. Shaft:

My wife has just turned 65. She was a stay-at-home mom who raised our seven children. The problem is that I am only 60 and so am not entitled to Medicare coverage at this time.So, because of her not having made 40 credits in the Social Security system, the cost of her having medical insurance that includes hospital coverage comes to $519.40. Is there any way to continue her Tricare coverage until I am able to have her Medicare coverage come from my account?

Walter C

via the Internet

Dear Walter:

According to my sources, you must get a Notice of Disallowance of Benefits from Medicare for your wife. She will remain in Tricare Standard (or Prime, if she is already enrolled in Prime) until you become eligible for Social Security benefits at age 62. After that, your spouse will be permitted to enroll in Medicare and must enroll to retain her Tricare eligibility.

Shaft notes

Kudos to Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, Hawaii Democrat and chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs, and his bipartisan co-sponsors in the Senate for introducing legislation to secure timely funding of veterans health care through a process known as advance funding.

Under the bill, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) would be funded one year in advance. Currently, VHA is funded one year at a time and too often is the victim of delays and short-term budgets.

Mr. Akaka said: "The Department of Veterans Affairs operates the largest health care system in the nation, but its funding is untimely and unpredictable. Advance funding for veteransī health care is better for veterans, taxpayers and VA. Funding would be set two years in advance, enabling VA to make strategic long-term decisions. I am proud to join bipartisan congressional leaders and many of Americaīs veterans service organizations in seeking to provide a more secure and predictable funding system for veterans health care."

Advance funding has been used to fund programs such as Section 8 housing vouchers and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Under the proposed legislation, veterans health care would go through the same process as these entities, thus securing timely funding without making VA health care an entitlement. The advance funding bill also would increase transparency in the VA funding process by requiring an annual Government Accountability Office audit and public report on VAīs funding forecasts.

On the House side, cheers for Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner, California Democrat, and his bipartisan co-sponsors for introducing the companion bill, H.R. 6939, the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform Act, to ensure that VA health care funding is sufficient, timely and predictable.

Mr. Filner called the legislation "a historic new approach to guarantee that our veterans have access to comprehensive, quality health care that they deserve and have earned. There is no greater priority facing our nation than providing health care to our veterans, and we must be willing to pay the cost, whatever that cost may be. For too many years, VA has had to make do with insufficient budgets resulting in restricted access for many veterans. When funding is short, it is our veterans who pay the price."

H.R. 6939 would authorize Congress to approve VA medical care appropriations one year in advance of the start of each fiscal year. Unlike proposals to convert VA health care to a mandatory funding program, an advance appropriation does not create pay-as-you-go concerns because VA health care funding would remain discretionary.

A new initiative that responds to the needs of the military men and women who serve our country was announced recently and addresses the needs of families of deployed military personnel who live far from a military installation and require access to family programming and support services. Spearheaded by the Armed Services YMCA, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, YMCA of the USA and Department of Defense Outreach Initiative, the effort will provide $31 million in government funding for families to receive memberships (single-parent family membership with dependents or equivalent category) at full-facility YMCAs in their communities lasting up to 12 or 18 months.

The YMCA movement has long championed the needs of military service members and their families. The Armed Services YMCA and YMCA of the USA have worked with the Department of Defense to write the next chapter in this story with the outreach initiative. It carries forward the YMCA's tradition of support by providing your YMCA with an opportunity to further engage deserving military families whose energy and passion for service will only enrich the YMCA community. We can take immense pride in the work of the staff of the Armed Services YMCA and YMCA of the USA in forging this effort.

The Outreach Initiative leverages the YMCA movementīs national scale and mission to engage families facing the hardship and uncertainty of military deployment. The nationīs 2,686 YMCAs have the unique capacity to respond to the needs of this widely dispersed population through supportive, community-based programs that foster child development, family strengthening and health and well-being.

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax 301/622-3330; call 202/257-5446; or e-mail sgtshaft@bavf.org.