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Health care for reservists highlights defense bill

  • Published
WASHINGTON --  In addition to a 2.2 percent across-the-board pay raise, Air Force reservists can look forward to better health care options in 2007.

Starting Oct. 1, drilling reservists can enroll in the new Tricare Standard for Selected Reserve health plan. They pay 28 percent of the premiums. The federal government picks up the rest of the tab.

People covered by the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program are not eligible for the new plan.

The plan replaces the current three-tier Tricare Reserve Select system. The first tier starts with $81 monthly premiums for reservists without dependents who recently participated in a contingency operation. Cost of the plan jumps to $767 a month for non-deployed reservists and their families who are eligible to sign up for employer-provided health care.

Another new benefit of the fiscal 2007 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law by the president Oct. 17, helps reservists without dependents who were mobilized for 139 or more days in support of a contingency operation. It permits a second housing allowance in lieu of per diem if reservists are ordered to serve at a location too far from home to commute.

This allowance is retroactive to Oct. 1, 2006. However, payment of this allowance is up to service secretaries and does not automatically apply to everyone who is eligible.

Reservists in the Selected Reserve who think they may be eligible for a second BAH payment must check with their particular service for the current policy.

Another provision of the authorization bill extends the maximum number of days reservists can be called to active duty under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, Section 12304. The revised Presidential Reserve Call-up changed from a maximum of 270 days to 365 days.

The age before mandatory separation from service due to non-promotion changed to age 64 for major generals and to age 62 for brigadier generals and below.

The authorization act also extended or expanded other allowances for reservists. Air Force Reserve Command may or may not fund these allowances.

More information about the authorization act is available on the Office of Air Force Reserve Web site under the Policy Integration Directorate's information page. (AFRC News Service)