Quote From: hedhurley1Hello Dr. Phil
I want to thank you for your concern for people like USA veterans and the treatment that we live through or just give up our fight with the system. My name is Senior Master Sergeant Edward Hurley (E-8) retired, I really need some help if you can. I know that this is a little of the tract but it deals with the government not doing the job they promised. As you read through this document remember I am not a scholar, I am an old retired Aircraft Mechanic, Viet Nam veteran from the USAF for 39 years and you may have to read some of this a couple of times to understand what I am trying to say but I have done my best! I am a veteran of Viet Nam war 1968 to 1969 and I can say that our government does not act like they are happy about the fact we do not die in combat. That seems do be the way we are treated when we return from wars they send us to, when we do not return in a body bag. I have had my go around with the VA, I am 30% disabled, which took a lot of work, time, and energy. This was a walk in the park compared to the situation I am in now with DODs armed forces insurance system called TRICARE. The government of the USA that I served honorably for 39 years is trying to do me a very serious injustice buy letting TRICARE beat the crap out of me for @ $9000. out of pocket money, tax free $$$$$$. It seems to me that Tricare is another word for a system to deny any claim that we make to them. Just about every person I have dealt with in this system must have attended classes to give old people a hard time, hope they die soon and stop bothering them. Every where I turn I hit road blocks with the DODs armed forces insurance system called TRICARE.
My story is I joined the 107 Tactical Fighter Group of New York Air National Guard in Niagara Falls NY in September 1961 as a Aircraft Mechanic and retired from this unit with a lot of honorable discharge in December of 2000 39 years. The civilian job that I had was also an aircraft mechanic with the same unit from June 1965 to December 2000, a total of 35 years. We were federal civil service employees who wore the USAF uniform every day with all uniform regulations to be CW, and worked on the same aircraft assigned. Being a federal civil service employee our health insurance was federal civil service like Blue Cross and Blue Shield that we paid a monthly premium. When I retired I had Independent Health family plan as my Insurer. In which I still have and pay $ 350. a month for.
We in the ANG can not draw our retirement pay for the service to this country until the age of 60 years old. I turned 60 in August 2004 and started to draw my retirement. I did know of this out of pocket expenses benefit through Tricare that I am a member of, since I retired at 60 in 2004. My wife and I did not even know we were a participant of the many Tricare insurance companies, we were never informed. I would like to say the information available about the many Tricare programs, to us that retire from the US services is at best horrible. I could not understand why something as important as tricare was not told to me when I was authorized, in August 2004 when I retired from the New York Air National Guard. I asked myself something as important as tricare @ $ 9000 tax free out of my pocket expenses for my wife and myself over the four years, whose job could it be, I was completely puzzled. In the many, many hours I have spent researching I have come across a lot of data that pertains to these problems I am having with the tricare system, not informing me as they should have. I have a lot of time to do this because since this whole roller costar ride in the tricare arena I have not been able to sleep much. I used to use my daughters computer at her house @ 7 miles from my house, about every 2 weeks for 15 minutes to read email. But on this tricare rollercoaster I have been on I was spending nights and days at her house, her kids needed to use the computer at her house for home work. so I had to purchase a $ 2000. complete computer and the internet. I guess that a computer is required when you retire, Uncle Sam should have bought me one when I retired HA HA HA Yea. You now I hate to think about all of the poor retired souls that do not have or ever will have a computer or know how to use it, may be you have parents or grandparents, that are retired, picture them on a computer trying to get what is coming to them.
I did find who out whose job it was to inform us we were authorized to use tricare from the tricare charter at, back in August 8, 2004 when I turned 60, it is DIRECTOR OF TRICARE that dropped the ball big time by not informing me at 60 years old when I retired see: http://www.tricare.mil/charters/tmacharter.html. a couple of paragraphs. This is from the charter the director of TMA must follow by this DOD direction.
6.2. The Director. TMA, under the authority, direction, and control of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs ASD(HA), shall:
6.2.1. Organize, direct, and manage the TMA and all assigned resources.
6.2.11. Provide beneficiary and customer support and information services. .
Do you think as I do that the system set up does this purposely so people retired, go to their graves not knowing about these benefits, remember we are old. In August 2008 I learned from a person I met that I was authorized to use the many tricare systems for assistance in paying out of pocket expenses for doctors, hospitals, and perspiration co pays buy tricare since August 2004, a total of 4 years. So me and my wife got all of the paperwork for Dr., hospitals, insurance plain, the VA copayments for perspiration for me and all drug store copayments for my wife for the last 4 years and sent this to the many tricare offices to get some of the money back that the Director Of Tricare stole from us. We have been writing letters and grievances with no satisfaction for the last 4 months.
I have a theory that I think has some subsistence about this matter of people and there are many not being told by The Director. TMA, is this a cover up by tricare ? The DOD knows exactly how many people are retired and all of there dependents, this information is in the Defense Enrolment Eligibility System (DEERS) If you are a service member, retiree, or dependent, DEERS registration is the key to getting your TRICARE benefits eligibility established. DEERS is a computerized database of military sponsors, families and others worldwide who are entitled under the law to TRICARE benefits. As is said no matter where you read this material to make absolutely sure this information in DEERS stays up to date, ours has always been up to date. Does the DOD and DEERS system pay a flat rate to Tricare for all personnel authorized and then get more money from the DOD, to pay for individual claims. If Tricare, was as I understand them to be, a large independent insurance company working for the DOD under the charter I mention above. Youd think that Tricare would bend over backswords to make sure every person authorized would be fully informed about Tricare benefits, even before they retire and for surely after. The more beneficiaries the more Tricare grows This is not occurring like in my case and I know a lot more cases. Has tricare been receiving money for me and my wife since I retired in August 2004 and if they kept it ? If I wasnt told I was authorized Tricare by word of mouth, from a friend I properly would have gone to my grave not knowing about my benefits I have, @&1200. a year, tax free in co pay benefits. There has to be a reason why tricare does not inform us and I think its a very large one, a cover up. As I see it there no other reason, How do you see it is certainly happening As a closing statement I would like to say that I helped defend this great country we live in, both in peace and war and I do not think that the government is right to let this happen to veterans.
Thank You from a very wounded Veteran
Edward J. Hurley
I too am a disabled veteran with 80% service connection who recently applied for 100% unemployability due to being unable to work because of service connection illnesses. I am also a current federal employee on LWOP due to exhaustion of all leave. Now I am in Priority Group 1 and all my medical needs are covered by the VA. I was also an Aviation Aircraft Mechanic in the Navy and worked in AIMD at the highest level which I miss. But due to injuries incurred on active duty I changed my job to Ships serviceman. After 10 years I became a civilian employee of the government for 20 years and one of the jobs I loved to do was assisting claimants with their Medicare issues. Now Tricare was at fault for giving incorrect information and people who where age 65 and older who had Tricare did not apply for Medicare because of that fault and where being terminated by Tricare leaving them with no health care. Now I can say that they did do allot of trying to repair the damage by waiving all surcharges for late enrollment to Medicare Part B because of this and some have still slipped through the cracks. If you are like myself you do not need Tricare or Medicare Part B in Priority Group 1 - but in you must have Tricare and you are age 65, you must apply for your Medicare Part B because as a retiree who does not receive Social Security benefits you will not be notified of your entitlement. Medicare and Tricare are suppose to work together, meaning that Medicare at age 65 is primary insurance and Tricare becomes secondary. Usually what Medicare does not cover Tricare picks up. I am not knowledgeable on the deductibles and so forth, but Medicare has a monthly premium of $98.40 for 2008 and will remain the same for 2009. No increase. If you receive all your medication from the VA then you are also not subject to the Part D (RX drug plan) because it is considered equal to the VA RX plan and co-pays. Part-C is also not required as it is a supplementary insurance to Part B of Medicare medical insurance and is not necessarily needed but I do advice consulting the Tricare and VA health insurance programs. If you would like to find more information, go the ssa.gov and medicare.gov websites. I hope this helps. Feel free to reply.
Just another disabled vet trying to help!
Christy
Military men and women are true American heroes who spill their blood fighting for our freedoms. But are we doing all we can as a nation to honor our contract with these warriors? When a soldier survives war, oftentimes he/she comes home and to face a different battle. Dr. Phil's guests are vets who say they've returned from the front lines only to fight a medical system bureaucracy that is failing them. Randy was severely injured during an ambush while deployed in Iraq. His mother, Tammy, says the military lied to him, and used him, and that Randy was eventually lost in the system. She says getting any help from Veterans Affairs is a struggle with minimal results. Dr. Phil introduces this wounded warrior to two special people who want to make his life better. Next, Jerry says he got a "raw deal" when he returned from Iraq, and he's struggling with what he believes to be Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). His wife says Jerry is angry and violent, and she's afraid of him. You won't believe what they say Veterans Affairs advised Jerry to do to cope with his suicidal thoughts. Chairman of the House Committee on Veteran's Affairs, Congressman Bob Filner, and FOX News military analyst Colonel David Hunt passionately share their opinions about health care for veterans. Then, Kevin and Joyce say their son came home from Iraq a changed man. They say they tried to get him help for what they believed was severe PTSD, but it didn't come in time. And, Tammy Duckworth, Director of the Illinois Department of Veteran Affairs and Paul Rieckhoff, Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, weigh in on the cases. If you're an American, this is your call to arms to step up and help turn things around for the men and women in uniform. Join the discussion.
