WASHINGTON — Congress approved a bill Wednesday that increases resources for homeless veterans, creates a Department of Veterans Affairs advisory committee for Native American veterans and mandates that every VA hospital hire a dedicated women’s health provider, among dozens of other measures.

The legislative package, which lawmakers described as an end-of-year omnibus bill for veterans, is over 340 pages long and includes numerous provisions for female veterans, Native American veterans, homeless veterans, student veterans, veterans experiencing the effects of toxic exposures and those affected by the coronavirus.

Following the Senate’s approval last week, the House passed the bill Wednesday afternoon by voice vote without any objections. It now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature. The vote comes as Congress is wrapping up its 116th legislative session.

“This is the culmination of two years of bipartisan work,” Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., said on the House floor Wednesday. “There is something in this bill for just about every one of our nation’s veterans and their loved ones.”

The bill is named for Roe, who didn’t seek reelection this year, and Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., who resigned from the Senate at the end of 2019. Both men were leaders on the Senate and House veterans’ affairs committees.

“I’m proud that one of my last votes of Congress will be in support of this bill, and I’m also humbled it bears my name and that of my friend,” Roe said. “Helping to serve my fellow veterans in Congress these past 12 years has been the honor of a lifetime.”

In an effort to improve services for women veterans, the bill creates a dedicated Office of Women’s Health at VA, provides $20 million to retrofit VA hospitals with women’s health spaces and makes permanent a program to provide childcare at VA facilities, among other measures.

Women are the fastest-growing demographic in the military, with the number using VA health care almost tripling since 2000, from 160,000 to 475,000, according to VA data. Veterans’ advocates have criticized the department for being slow to adapt to treating more women.

One piece of the bill aims to prevent sexual harassment and assault at VA facilities. It would require the department to create an anti-harassment and anti-sexual assault policy and designate someone at each VA facility to receive reports of harassment. A working group will be created to help implement the policy.

Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said the measure was timely. He noted a VA Office of the Inspector General report last week that found VA Secretary Robert Wilkie and other senior VA officials ignored problems of sexual harassment at the Washington DC VA Medical Center and attempted to discredit the credibility of the woman who reported an assault. Takano, as well as many other Democrats and national veterans’ organizations, have since called for Wilkie’s resignation.

“Women are the fastest growing demographic in the veteran community, and the VA must be prepared to welcome them,” Takano said on the House floor Wednesday. “[The report] emphasized the need to address a toxic culture.”

The bill also aims to help veterans suffering from military sexual trauma. In 2018, the VA Office of Inspector General reported that the department wrongfully denied benefits to thousands of veterans who filed claims for military sexual trauma – rejection that potentially caused stress and psychological harm, the IG said.

The legislative package would require teams who specialize in military sexual trauma to process those benefits claims. It would also allow veterans who must be examined during the claims process to choose the sex of the medical provider examining them.

House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the measures for female veterans were the “crown jewel” of the omnibus bill, which she described as the “most comprehensive bill for women veterans in over a decade.”

In addition to women, the package contains dozens of measures to aid student veterans, including more protections against for-profit colleges and a restoration of education benefits to students whose colleges closed or were disapproved by the VA. The bill also works to ensure veterans’ education benefits aren’t negatively affected by fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

A few provisions offer help for veterans affected by the coronavirus. The bill would ease the process for organizations that aid homeless veterans to receive grant money from the VA. The money would be used to help renovate shelters and help veterans get into housing.

The bill also requires state-run veterans’ homes to regularly report to the VA about their coronavirus cases and deaths. The homes, which are operated by states but overseen by the VA, currently do not report information about their coronavirus cases to the department, and it’s uncertain how many residents of those homes have died. Many of the homes have experienced deadly coronavirus outbreaks.

Additionally, the bill gives eligibility to VA benefits for service members who have contracted the coronavirus on military duty.

The package also made strides for Native American veterans by prohibiting the VA from charging them copayments and by creating an advisory committee that will advise the VA secretary about the unique challenges facing tribal veterans.

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., the leader of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said the bill would “impact every corner of the veteran community.” Sen Jon Tester, D-Mont., the ranking Democrat on the committee, said it “sends a clear message that Congress is willing to come together to do what’s necessary and follow through on our responsibility to support all veterans.”

The bipartisan bill was backed by several national veterans’ organizations. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for America pushed Congress to approve the measures for women veterans for nearly four years.

Jeremy Butler, CEO of IAVA, said Wednesday said the bill was “groundbreaking” and would help close many gaps in care for female veterans.

We need something like this in Az. Anyone want to volunteer to work on this?

PHILADELPHIA (Tribune News Service) — David Pinder was replacing a worn-out American flag outside his Comcast office in April 2017 when he thought of a new way to honor Old Glory.

Pinder, an eight-year retired Navy veteran, had been working at Comcast since 2005. He's a network maintenance supervisor, overseeing the team that keeps the outside network and pole lines working.

Being on the road so frequently, Pinder, 46, had seen many American flags in need of replacement.

"It's something that I think a lot of people notice, especially if you served or are just passionate about the flag," said Pinder, a Bear, Del., native who now lives in North Wilmington.

As he replaced his own flag that day, he thought of those tattered and worn ones scattered across the community. "I thought, 'Man, it would be really nice if we could do this for everybody,'" he said.

So Pinder came up with an idea. If Comcast would supply the flags, he'd distribute them to homes whose outdoor flags needed replacement. He submitted his proposal to the company via an employee resource group called the Veterans Network (Vet Net for short), which helps military vets transition from active duty to civilian life while putting the skills they gained in the military to use as Comcast employees.

"Within two days, I had 75 flags sitting in my office, and it was kind of time to put up or shut up," Pinder said.

Thus was born the Vet Net Flag Replacement Program, whose strategy would be simple. Pinder, while out on the road, would knock on the door of any home that was flying a tattered flag and volunteer to replace it at no cost and to retire the old flag in accordance with the U.S. Flag Code.

To date, about 400 flags have been replaced, not just by Pinder but by some of the 15 Comcast employees who have since become his fellow "ambassadors" in the program. The service is offered regardless of whether or not a flag owner is a Comcast customer.

"We've had tremendous feedback" from the public, said Dale Elifrits, Comcast vice president of plants and construction, who is the executive sponsor of Comcast's Veterans Network. Recipients often go from an initial, suspicious response of "What do you want from me?" to an appreciation that Comcast workers just saw a need to "make a difference."

"It's pretty neat to be a part of," said Elifrits.

Janet Stutzman was one of the program's first recipients. She was approached three years ago at her New Castle home by flag ambassador Jeff Tontarski, a Comcast network maintenance technician.

"I was a little apprehensive, wondering where this was going," Stutzman recalled. "He started explaining his program and said he would like to replace my flag — if it would be OK. He said he had a flag in his truck, and I didn't have to be a Comcast customer."

It was an offer she couldn't refuse, said Stutzman, whose late husband, Charles, was a Navy veteran.

"I said, 'That would be nice. This is a nice thing you are doing,'" she said.

Recently, the flag — now worn — was replaced. This time, Pinder did the honor.

"It's so heartwarming that people would do something like this," she said.

In the beginning, the program was limited to New Castle County. Since then, it has expanded into Delaware and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania, Camden County in New Jersey, and the town of Port Murray in Warren County, N.J.

Comcast workers can use an app to report the location of a tattered flag to Pinder, who can then send an ambassador to replace it.

Pinder purchases the flags, which cost $18 to $30, almost exclusively through the Amazon Smile 501©3, which donates a portion of the purchase to the buyer's designated charity. Pinder's designated recipient is the Wounded Warrior Project, which supports veterans who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound while serving in the military on or after Sept. 11, 2001.

"So we try to kind of bring [the flag program] full circle," said Pinder.

The COVID-19 pandemic hasn't slowed the flag operation, he said. When ambassadors knock on doors, they're wearing masks and gloves, and then "We step back 10 feet or more."

Ambassadors had anticipated that homeowners would be wary of interacting with them during the pandemic, he added. But what "we found was the opposite of what we anticipated. Many people who were shut-ins [due to the pandemic] not only were happy to see us, but really wanted to talk — and keep talking."

As the program heads into its fourth year, Pinder's dreams for it are growing.

"It can be done nationwide," he said, "and that's something we were actually ramping up before COVID hit," he said. "My goal is to grow it across the rest of the region, and then eventually the country."

If anyone can make it happen, said Comcast's Elifrits, it's Pinder, who brings his natural passion to the program.

"He is very, very engaged in whatever he does," said Elifrits, "and he's a lot of fun. He's got that energy that you can't help but feel when you're around him, no matter what you do."

©2020 The Philadelphia Inquirer

There's good news and bad news. First, the good news is that the surcharge is definitely not going up. And
in case you don't believe me, here's a quote straight from the commissary headquarters: Kevin Robinson,
a commissary spokesperson, told us, "It would take a change in law to raise the commissary surcharge
and, to date, no legislation has been proposed to do so." The commissary surcharge has long been set at
5%. You'll find it noted at the end of your commissary receipt, and it is calculated on your total purchase
amount before coupons are deducted. Revenue from the surcharge pays for commissary construction and
infrastructure updates.
There is, however a relatively recent additional fee for some shoppers using debit or credit cards.
Service connected disabled veterans rated below 100%, Purple Heart recipients and their caregivers
registered with the VA's caregiver program are authorized access to the commissary starting Jan.1, 2020.
But when adding those users to the system, DeCA also added a credit and debit card fees for those users.
For credit cards the fee is 1.9% and for debit card use a 0.5% fee. These don’t come into play if you pay
with cash, check or the Military Star card.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced 16 DEC, the formal launch of 1-800-MyVA411
(1-800-698-2411), a single access point to all VA contact centers. The number is available 24 hours-a-day,
365 days-a-year to serve Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors. Responding to Veteran feedback
on the challenges of knowing the right number for VA assistance, 1-800-MyVA411, serves all members of
the Veteran community seeking information or help.
Veterans and their families can stil reach the Veterans Crisis Line directly at 1-800-273-8255 and
pressing 1, by Chat or by texting 838255. The White House VA Hotline is also still available at 1-855-948-
2311 for Veterans and their families to share compliments and concerns. “1-800-MyVA411 is always the
right number to reach VA and is a great example of the department’s customer service strategy in action,”
said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “1-800-MyVA411 provides easy access to specialized contact centers as
well as an option to immediately talk to a live agent.” When dialing 1-800-MyVA411, callers have the
option of pressing 0 to be immediately connected with a customer service agent to answer questions or
provide a warm-handoff to the appropriate VA expert.
During the pilot phase from Oct. 1, 2019–Sep. 31, 1-800-MyVA411 connected more than 1.3 million
callers with VA contact centers and experts. 1-800-MyVA411 provides information on:
 COVID-19 updates.
 Health care eligibility and enrollment.
 VA benefits, such as disability, compensation and pension, education programs, caregiver support,
insurance, home loans, and and burial headstones and markers among others.
 The nearest VA medical centers, benefits offices or cemeteries to Veterans, VA Medical Center
operational updates and connection to VA Medical Center operators.
 Directory assistance and technical support for www.VA.gov.
 Debt and payment options.

For more information contact the Veterans Experience Office at Vets-Experience@VA.gov.

Disability Pay for Troops with Debilitating Cases, or Their Survivors

Under sweeping veterans legislation approved 16 DEC by Congress, service members who contract
COVID-19 while on duty and suffer disability or death as a result will be eligible for Department of
Veterans Affairs benefits. A provision in the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care
and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 designates COVID-19 as a presumptive illness – a descriptor that
paves the way for affected service members or veterans who suffer long-term consequences of the virus to
receive compensation and benefits.
To be eligible for disability, the individual must have served on active duty for more than 48 hours at
one time and developed the illness during service or within 14 days after the qualifying period of duty. The
department has the ability to decide whether a veteran qualifies should they develop COVID-19 after the
14-day time frame. The benefit would apply to active-duty service members and Reserve members, as well
as National Guardsmen on training duty under Title 10; activated Guard members serving on or after 13
MAR; or those working full time during the national emergency as declared by the president.
It is unclear how many service members would be affected by the change, expected to be signed by
President Donald Trump in the coming days. Of the 14 service members who have died from COVID-19,
two were on active duty – Navy Aviation Ordnanceman Chief Petty Officer Charles Thacker and Army
Staff Sgt. Setariki Korovakaturaga – and their families will rate benefits, according to the legislation. Of
the five members of the National Guard who have died, two were not activated at the time of their deaths
or before. The duty status of the remaining three has not been made public. Seven Reserve members have
died, including six soldiers and one Navy sailor. Of those, two were confirmed not to have been on active
duty at the time of their deaths or prior; the status of the remaining five has not been disclosed.
Of the 94,644 service members who have contracted COVID-19 since the beginning of the outbreak,
57,590 have recovered, according to Defense Department data published 16 DEC. Nearly 880 have been
hospitalized for the illness, an indication of a serious case of COVID-19 with the potential for long-term
effects and, possibly, VA benefits. In addition to the COVID-19 provisions, the legislation creates an Office
of Women's Health within the VA and mandates that every VA hospital have a dedicated women's health
provider. It includes a number of provisions to address sexual assault and harassment within the department,
expands services for Native American and homeless veterans, and contains a number of education benefits
measures.

Caregivers play an important role in the health and well-being of Veterans. The U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) offers a number of services to support Family Caregivers including a monthly
stipend to Primary Family Caregivers of Veterans with moderate and severe needs. A stipend is defined as
a monthly financial payment provided to a Primary Family Caregiver of an eligible Veteran.
VA bases stipend payments on the definition of “monthly stipend rate,” which means the Office of
Personnel Management (OPM) General Schedule (GS) Annual Rate for Grade 4, Step 1, based on the
locality pay area in which the eligible Veteran resides, divided by 12. VA will apply a specific percentage
of the monthly stipend rate based on the amount and degree of personal care services provided to the eligible
Veteran by the Primary Family Caregiver. The amount and degree of personal care services is divided into
two levels. The distinction between the two levels is based on if the Veteran is determined to be unable to
self-sustain in the community.
 Level 1: For an eligible Veteran who is determined not to be "unable to self-sustain" in the
community, the Primary Family Caregiver’s stipend amount will be 62.5% of the monthly stipend
rate. For example the GS rate at Grade 4, Step 1, in Dallas, Texas, for 2020 is $33,638 annually.
Thus the monthly stipend amount for a Primary Family Caregiver of an eligible Veteran in Dallas,
Texas, at this rate (62.5%) of $33,638 will be approximately$1,751.98.
 Level 2: For an eligible Veteran who is determined to be unable to self-sustain in the community,
the Primary Family Caregiver’s stipend amount will be 100% of the monthly stipend rate. For
example the GS rate at Grade 4, Step 1, in Dallas, Texas, for 2020 is $33,638 annually. The 2020
monthly stipend amount for a Primary Family Caregiver of an eligible Veteran in Dallas, Texas, at
this rate (100%) of $33,638 will be approximately $2,803.17.
The VHA Office of Community Care (VHA OCC) issues the recurring monthly payments and processes
all updates related to the stipend. You may contact VHA OCC for information on the processing activities
for the stipend benefit via the Office of Community Care toll free at 1-877-733-7927 M-F 8:00 am - 8:00
pm EST or Web: https://www.va.gov/communitycare
Eligibility. You may be eligible to participate in the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family
Caregivers if you and the Veteran you’re caring for meet all of the requirements listed below.
1. Eligibility requirements for the family caregiver
o You must be at least 18 years old and at least one of these must be true for you.
o You must be either a spouse, son, daughter, parent, stepfamily member, or extended family
member of the Veteran, or Someone who lives full-time with the Veteran, or is willing to
do so if designated as a family caregiver

2. Eligibility requirements for the Veteran --All of these must be true for the Veteran you’re caring
for:
o The Veteran must have a VA disability rating (individual or combined) of 70% or higher.
The Veteran’s service-connected disabilities must have been caused or made worse by their
active-duty service during one of these periods of time:
 On or after September 11, 2001, or
 On or before May 7, 1975
o And the Veteran must have been discharged from the U.S. military or have a date of
medical discharge, and need at least 6 months of continuous, in-person personal care
services

Caregiver Responsibilities & Benefits
To provide services the eligible Veteran needs from another person. They include care or assistance to
support the Veteran's:
 Health and well-being
 Everyday personal needs (like feeding, bathing, and dressing)
 Safety, protection, or instruction in their daily living environment
The Veteran can appoint one Primary Family Caregiver (the main caregiver), and up to two Secondary
Family Caregivers (people who serve as backup support to the primary caregiver when needed). Eligible
Primary and Secondary Family Caregivers can receive:
 Caregiver education and training
 Mental health counseling
 Travel, lodging, and financial assistance when traveling with the Veteran to receive care
Eligible Primary Family Caregivers may also receive:
 A monthly stipend (payment)
 Access to health care benefits through the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department
of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA)—if you don’t already qualify for care or services under another
health care plan
 At least 30 days per year of respite care for the Veteran
Application. You and the Veteran will need to apply together and participate in an application process to
determine if you’re eligible for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. You'll
both need to sign and date the application, and answer all questions for your role. You can apply online at
https://www.va.gov/family-member-benefit...10-10cg,by mail. Or in
person. If by mail download and fill out a joint Application for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance
for Family Caregivers (VA Form 10-10CG) at https://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/10-10CG.pdf and
mail the form and any supporting documents to:

Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers
Health Eligibility Center
2957 Clairmont Road NE, Suite 200
Atlanta, GA 30329-1647

If applying in person bring your completed VA Form 10-10CG to your local VA medical center's
Caregiver Support Coordinator. To find the name of your local coordinator, you can contact the Caregiver
Support Line at 855-260-3274 or go to https://www.caregiver.va.gov/support/New_CSC_Page.asp , the VA
Caregiver Support Coordinator directory. Do not send medical records along with the application. VA will
follow up after the application is received. If you need assistance with completing the application or would
like to check the status of your 1010CG application call 1-855-488-8440, option 3. Be sure to check back
for updates or subscribe to receive email updates and information about VA Caregiver Support Program
services.

President Donald Trump is considering an executive order to help veterans who became ill after they
deployed to a toxic base in Uzbekistan after the 9/11 attacks. Thousands of service members deployed to
Karshi-Khanabad, Uzbekistan, or K2, living in tents above ground that was saturated with solvents and
fuels that formed a “black goo” under their feet. A year ago, McClatchy exclusively reported on the illnesses
now facing K2 veterans, who have had difficulty getting the Department of Veterans Affairs to recognize
and cover their medical costs.
The executive order would help those veterans by adding Uzbekistan to the VA’s registry of locations
with known burn pit exposure, according to two sources familiar with the order. It would also allow K2
veterans to get access to depleted uranium screenings as they seek medical care from the VA for a variety
of illnesses they now face, the sources said. The executive order is a priority for Acting Defense Secretary
Christopher Miller, who deployed to K2 in 2001 with the 5th Special Forces Group to conduct operations
against al Qaeda and Taliban targets in Afghanistan. “I know this is viscerally personal to the secretary,” a
defense official told McClatchy. “This is the kind of issue he took this job to do.”
Miller has spoken to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie about the order and has presented it to the president,
the sources said, who spoke to McClatchy on the condition of anonymity. “Since taking office, President
Trump has never shied away from using his lawful executive authority to advance bold policies and fulfill
the promises he made to the American people, but I won’t speculate or comment on potential executive
action,” said White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere.

Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, shown here in Afghanistan in late 2001 or early 2002, deployed to Karshi-Khanabad,
Uzbekistan, or “K2” with the 5th Special Forces Group in 2001 as part of America’s early response to the 9/11 attacks.
“It looks like it’s going to happen, and the VA secretary and defense secretary agree on it,” one person
familiar with the order said. “It puts K2 veterans on par with veterans of Afghanistan. With a stroke of a
pen this president can do something that previous administrations have been unwilling and unable to do,
and begin the process of providing relief for K2 veterans.” A spokeswoman for the VA secretary said Wilkie
had not discussed the issue with Miller, and she did not immediately respond to a question about whether
Wilkie, who has previously asked K2 veterans to come forward to get help, would support the order.
“Secretary Wilkie has never discussed this issue with Acting Secretary Miller,” said VA spokeswoman
Christina Noel.
Remnants of chemical weapons and low-level processed uranium from the site’s former use as a Soviet
military base turned the nearby ponds bright green and other colors, spurring the men and women who
served there to nickname them the “Skittles.” Hundreds of those veterans now have cancer or have already
died from cancer. Over the last year, those veterans have pressed their case to Congress to investigate what
they were exposed to in Uzbekistan and get their illnesses included as “presumptive conditions,” which
makes it easier for them to receive medical care at the VA.
Last week, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act that contains a provision for the
government to conduct a study of the illnesses among K2 veterans and similar provisions for other veterans
groups, including military pilots, who are now facing illnesses they say are connected to toxic exposure.
Trump has said he intends to veto the NDAA on unrelated issues. “He still does plan to veto the NDAA –
don’t have a timeline for you on that, but he does plan to veto it,” White House spokeswoman Kayleigh
McEnany told reporters at the White House 15 DEC. “He wants to make every effort to protect our military
men and women, and will prioritize military funding in the big omnibus bill.”

On December 16, 2020, the United States House of Representatives passed the Johnny Isakson and David
P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act (H.R. 7105). This omnibus bill contains
several provisions that have been long-standing legislative priorities for DAV. The legislation includes key
provisions from the Deborah Sampson Act (S. 514/H.R. 3224), which will improve health care programs
and services for women veterans and require VA to improve its policies to end harassment and sexual
assault in VA facilities.
Other key provisions in the bill will: eliminate the 12-year delimiting date for disabled veterans
(discharged after January 1, 2013) to receive counseling, training, and benefits under the VA’s Veteran
Readiness and Employment—VR&E program; require the VA to provide disability benefits questionnaires
(DBQs) online; and lower the age a surviving spouse may remarry and still receive dependency indemnity
compensation (DIC) benefits. Altogether, this bill is drawn from over two dozen veteran-related bills that
were introduced during the 116th Congress. The bill has been sent to the President and is expected to be
signed it into law.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and go to the doctor to get tested, will TRICARE cover your visit
and your test? Will TRICARE cover your COVID-19 test if you don’t have symptoms but want to get a
test for peace of mind? If you’re confused about COVID-19 tests and what TRICARE covers, be sure you
check out the latest information on the TRICARE website https://www.tricare.mil/covid19testing.
“As COVID-19 cases rise, we know that more and more of our TRICARE beneficiaries may want to
get tested,” said Elan Green, chief of the Medial Benefits and Reimbursement Section for the TRICARE
Health Plan with the Defense Health Agency. “If you have questions about what’s covered and how to
access care you can review TRICARE COVID-19 information at https://www.tricare.mil/coronavirus or
reach out to your TRICARE contractor or medical provider.”
When it comes to COVID-19 testing, you should first know that TRICARE covers COVID-19 tests
when they’re medically necessary. To be medically necessary means it is appropriate, reasonable, and
adequate for your condition. A TRICARE-authorized provider must order the Test. And the provider must
perform the test at a TRICARE-authorized lab or facility. If you got an approved COVID-19 test done and
paid a copayment for the test or related office visit, you can file a claim for reimbursement.
An authorized provider is any individual, institution/organization, or supplier that is licensed by a state,
accredited by national organization, or meets other standards of the medical community, and is certified
to provide benefits under TRICARE. There are two types of TRICARE-authorized providers: Network
and Non-Network. DS must order the test. And the provider must perform the test at a TRICARE-
authorized lab or facility. To further help you understand your benefits, here are answers to some of the
most popular questions about COVID-19 testing and TRICARE. Make note of them before you or a family
member gets tested.
Q: Does TRICARE cover COVID-19 testing for active duty service members who have symptoms of
COVID-19?
A: Yes. You should get a COVID-19 test at a military hospital or clinic when it’s possible. Report your
results through your unit and medical channels. If you’re a National Guard or Reserve member called or
order to active duty for more than 30 days, you must show as TRICARE-eligible in the Defense Enrollment
Eligibility Reporting System, also known as DEERS. Your provider should reflect COVID-19 coding on
the claim. Your provider will process the claim under the Supplemental Health Care Program.
Q: Does TRICARE cover COVID-19 testing for active duty service members who don’t have symptoms
of COVID-19?
A: It depends. TRICARE will cover your test if it’s required to support your unit’s readiness mission or
your deployment status. Report your results through your unit and your medical channels. You should get
your test done through your service channels or at military hospital or clinic when possible.
Q: If you have TRICARE For Life, will TRICARE cover your COVID-19 testing?
A: It depends. You must follow the Medicare coverage rules. TRICARE will process your claim as
secondary payer for services covered by both Medicare and TRICARE, including testing, treatment, and
hospitalization.
Q: If you’re an active duty family member with COVID-19 symptoms, will TRICARE cover your test?
A: Yes. Your coverage is based on your health care provider’s clinical judgement and if the test is
medically necessary and appropriate.
Q: You’re an active duty family member with no symptoms, and you’ve been exposed to a person with
COVID-19 for a long period of time. Will TRICARE cover your test?
A: Yes, but not in all cases. Your coverage is based on your provider’s clinical judgement. The test must
also be medically necessary and appropriate.
Q: Will TRICARE cover your test if you’re returning to work and you don’t have COVID-19 symptoms?
A: No. TRICARE, won’t cover your test unless you’re an active duty service member and it’s required
for mission readiness or deployment.
You can find these scenarios and others, as well as more detail, on the TRICARE COVID-19 testing
page https://www.tricare.mil/covid19testing . If you have a question about COVID-19 and your benefits
that isn’t answered, you can contact your TRICARE contractor via https://www.tricare.mil/regions or
health care provider. You can also visit the TRICARE FAQs at https://www.tricare.mil/covid19FAQs and
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-
nCoV/index.html to learn more. If you get tested, make sure the results are documented in your medical
records.

For active service members and military veterans, VA loans provide a valuable perk. But borrower beware
— federal regulators say some lenders bombard current and former soldiers with breathless come-ons, too-
good-to-be-true rates and phony deadlines. The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau this year
cracked down on nine VA lenders for making misleading claims to potential customers. The alleged ploys
included understating interest rates, touting fictional escrow rebates and mislabeling variable rates as fixed.
The CFPB’s enforcement sweep came as the volume of mortgages backed by the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs has exploded. No longer a niche product, VA loans have entered the mainstream of the
mortgage market. VA loans once accounted for just 2 percent of mortgages. Now, they make up 10 percent
of mortgage volume, says Chris Birk, director of education at Veterans United Home Loans. For active
service members and military veterans, VA loans boast a number of advantages — the mortgages require
no down payment and impose loose requirements around credit scores, allowing veterans to accelerate their
homebuying schedules. However, fees can be steep.
The surge in popularity comes with a downside: Some private companies that originate VA loans engage
in unsavory marketing practices. As part of its enforcement action, the CFPB sanctioned nine VA lenders.
Sovereign Lending Group, Prime Choice Funding, Go Direct Lenders, PHLoans, Hypotec, Service 1st
Mortgage, Accelerate Mortgage, ClearPath Lending and Low VA Rates entered into consent orders.vAs
part of the regulatory process, the lenders neither admitted nor denied the CFPB’s allegations. Eight of the
lenders paid six-figure penalties. The ninth, Low VA Rates, agreed to pay $1.8 million. Low VA Rates, the
largest of the nine lenders sanctioned by the CFPB, declined to comment. It issued 7,150 loans in 2020,
ranking 31st among VA lenders for the fiscal year. Based on Bankrate’s review of court papers filed in
those cases, here are five tricky tactics to watch out for:

1. That low rate? It might be too good to be true.
In one example, Accelerate Mortgage in 2018 advertised a VA cash-out refinance loan with a fixed rate of
3.75 percent. In fact, the CFPB said, the lowest available rate at the time for a VA cash-out refinance loan
offered by Accelerate was 4.875 percent. In another example, Sovereign claimed in 2018 that borrowers
would pay an annual percentage rate (APR) of 3.5 percent. The actual figure was 3.75 percent, the CFPB
said. Similarly, Prime Choice touted APRs of 2.99 percent, when the true number was north of 3.26 percent,
the CFPB said. Service 1st advertised an APR of 2.61 percent; the correct figure was 3.39 percent. Another
common ploy involved marketing low rates available only to borrowers with pristine credit scores as if the
rate were available to everyone, the CFPB said.

2. That promise of ‘no closing costs’? Probably bogus.
Accelerate sent advertisements to more than 7,000 consumers dangling the possibility of “No Closing
Costs.” In fact, the CFPB said, such an offer didn’t exist. “All VA loans have closing costs, and Accelerate
has never closed a VA loan without closing costs,” the CFPB said in a court filing. No marketing claim can
wave away such expenses as the appraisal fee, the credit check, title insurance, origination fees or, where
applicable, state taxes.

3. That letter that looks like it’s from the IRS? It’s not.
VA loans are backed by Uncle Sam, and the mortgages are made available to borrowers who have served
in the military. However, no one at the Pentagon or the Treasury directly markets VA loans. That task falls
to the private sector. VA lenders are private companies and independent of the federal government.
However, the CFPB says, many of the companies cited in its crackdown used wording and imagery to make
it seem as if they had close ties to the VA, the IRS or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Accelerate, for instance, made it seem as if its promotions were coming directly from the IRS, the CFPB
says. The lender copied the IRS’s distinctive format for the tax year by using a typeface with block letters
showing the first two digits in outlined white and the last two digits in black, regulators said. (An executive
of Accelerate Mortgage told Bankrate the company had no intention of impersonating the IRS, and that its
logo clearly appeared on the mailing.) Accelerate also claimed to be “member FDIC,” something the CFPB
said was not true. (Accelerate Mortgage said the claim was a mistake that it corrected as soon as it spotted
the error.)

4. That limited-time offer? VA benefits don’t expire.
Once a veteran, always a veteran — so be skeptical of claims that your eligibility for a VA loan program is
up against an imminent deadline. For example, an Accelerate ad in 2019 claimed: “This VA Cash-Out
program is available to Veterans like you! This offer is available to you through July 15, 2019.” The
deadline conveyed a sense of urgency, but the timetable was meaningless. “In fact, that representation was
false because a veteran’s eligibility for and access to the benefits of a VA loan never expire,” the CFPB
said.

5. No, you’re not really delinquent on your loan.
Only a tiny share of VA borrowers fell behind on their payments in 2019. Even so, Sovereign sent 237,000
mailers that year with all-caps warnings about “LATE PAYMENTS.” The misleading marketing materials
had nothing to do with the actual status of recipients’ accounts. The language was designed to startle
recipients into reading the sales pitches, the CFPB said. Two of the lenders sanctioned by the CFPB told
Bankrate they settled their cases because they couldn’t afford protracted battles with the federal
government.
Most of the lenders did not respond to Bankrate’s requests for comment, or declined to comment. “We
vigorously denied their assertions,” said Jeff Brohawn, chief operating officer of Accelerate Mortgage. “We
continue to deny that we violated any applicable laws or regulations.” He said Accelerate Mortgage had no
intent to mislead consumers but did make “some unintentional errors” in its marketing materials. The
company settled “to avoid the considerable cost” of fighting the CFPB’s charges, Brohawn said. The
company has adjusted its marketing materials to comply with the consent order, he said. Service 1st
President Robert Cole similarly said in a written statement that his company settled with regulators “to
avoid the considerable cost of defending its position in court.” “Service 1st continues to maintain that they
violated no applicable laws or regulations,” Cole wrote.