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[SEATJERKER]

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 22:54:04 -0500
GWOT Medals: The President has authorized the Department of Defense to
create two new military medals for service in the Global War on Terrorism.
The GWOT Expeditionary Medal will recognize service members who participate
in an expedition to combat terrorism on or after Sept. 11, 2001. This is
currently limited to those who deploy as part of Operation Enduring
Freedom. The GWOT Service Medal will recognize service in military
operations to combat terrorism on or after Sept. 11, 2001. This is
currently limited to Operation Noble Eagle and to members who provide
support to Operation Enduring Freedom from outside the area of eligibility
designated for the GWOT Expeditionary Medal. Members of the U.S. armed
forces and Coast Guard will be eligible for the medals to include Reserve
and National Guard activated to support approved operations. The awards do
not take the place of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, established

Dec. 4, 1961, or the Armed Forces Service Medal, established Jan. 11, 1996.
No one may be awarded more than one of the four medals for service in the
same approved expedition or operation to combat terrorism. No one is
entitled to more than one award of the Global War on Terrorism
Expeditionary Medal or the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. The
medals may be awarded posthumously. DoD and military service officials,
including the Coast Guard, are working on provisions to award the medals.
Expected availability time is twelve months. [Source: Source: Armed Forces
News 21 March 2003 &
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...0030312-6.html]

Troop Support DoD Mail Policy: To bolster force protection, the general
public is urged not to send unsolicited mail, care packages or donations to
service members forward deployed unless you are a family member, loved one
or personal friend. On Oct. 30, 2002, the Department of Defense (DoD)

suspended the "Operation Dear Abby" and "Any Servicemember" mail programs
due to force protection concerns. Although these programs provide an
excellent means of support to friends and loved ones stationed overseas,
they also provide an avenue to introduce hazardous substances or materials
into the mail system from unknown sources. Unsolicited mail, packages and
donations from organizations and individuals also compete for limited
airlift space used to transport supplies, war-fighting materiel and mail
from family and loved ones. [Source: DoD News Release No. 139-03 dtd 22 MAR 03]

VA Telemedicine: The term "telehealth" applies to technology used to
provide clinical care, patient education, professional education and
hospital administration when those providing services and those receiving
them are separated by distance. "Telemedicine" generally refers to
physicians providing services at a distance. VA considers telemedicine part

of the wider spectrum of "telehealth" services given by many types of care
givers. Telehealth helps VA meet the growing need to give care in
non-institutional settings to elderly veterans who have chronic conditions
and transportation problems getting to treatment. Telehealth technologies
make it possible not only to move care to primary and ambulatory treatment
sites but to extend it into the home, helping patients maintain independent
lives and avoid unnecessary hospitalization and long-term care. Because
telehealth moves information, rather than people, it can be more efficient
and less expensive than traditional care and provide expert advice when a
patient needs it.
Telehealth electronic information and communications sometimes
involve high-resolution images and sound through live video. An example of
this is providing veterans in remote, rural areas prompt access to expert
advice from a cardiologist. Sometimes it involves simply transmitting text

records and digital images, as can happen in remotely assessing patients
with diabetes for possible diabetes-related eye disease. It improves access
to care and permits more frequent monitoring of patients and their health
status. As a veteran ages, the need for services is frequently determined
by expert advice on appropriate treatment of chronic conditions. Making
this advice available in the home is convenient and can expedite or defer
hospital admission. Telehealth makes it possible to exchange routine
clinical data and visual assessments among medical facilities locally,
regionally and nationally. There are parts of the country where distance
and weather are a barrier to care. Telehealth brings care to the patient
and avoids the cost and inconvenience of travel. Telepharmacy, a component
of telehealth, makes medications authorized at hospitals rapidly available
to veterans in VA community clinics. Telehealth permits a northern

"snowbird" veteran receiving care at home through telehealth to continue a
care regimen in Florida in the winter.
Home telehealth technologies used in VA locations range from the most
expensive - a telemonitor to examine a wound, for example - to the least
costly - a telephone. In between are personal computers and videophones.
Some patients receive a Polaroid camera, take photos of their wound and
mail them to the hospital every week. Patients can use hand held messaging
devices to report their vital signs and other medical information to
hospital staff monitoring the reports daily. Staff sends patients
reminders, tips and feedback on their progress. Many VA medical centers use
an interactive voice-response system to take questions from patients and
leave phone messages for them automatically about appointment scheduling
and prescriptions. The system permits clinicians to pose questions to
patients and have their responses recorded, becoming progress notes.

Results of the calls are forwarded to a telemedicine computer so local
clinicians can follow up.
New initiatives in telehealth planned by the VA are:
? To distribute "tool kits" to its medical facilities for home
telehealth and mental health to connect those who are considering
introducing telehealth with a network of practitioners.
? Establishment of two centers to give veteran patients nationwide
access to advice from experts in the care of multiple sclerosis.
? Working with experts in diabetes care to create a telehealth
network to detect retinopathy, a disease of the retina of the eye prevalent
in diabetic patients. Preventing diabetes-related blindness ranks as a
major VA priority.
? Working to give patients access to an electronic patient-held
record. That achievement will be an important part of the partnership will
help coordinate better access and the best possible care of veterans who

increasingly accept telecommunications in their lives. [Source: VA Fact
Sheet on Telemedicine MAR 03]

Agent Orange Compensation Update: Three US Supreme Court justices suggested
Dow Chemical Co.'s and Monsanto Co.'s 1984 settlement of claims that the
defoliant Agent Orange caused cancer does not bar Vietnam War veterans who
later developed the disease from suing. During the oral argument of the
case Justices O'Connor, Ginsburg and Souter hammered the defense counsel
who argued for Dow Chemical Company and Monsanto Company on the justice of
a class action settlement that bars late blooming claims of veterans
injured by exposure to Agent Orange. The high court's ruling may determine
whether individual lawsuits can be brought years after mass settlements in
cases involving defective products or disease-causing chemicals.
The Agent Orange settlement was intended to settle all claims for the
2.5 million veterans who served in Vietnam from 1961 to 1972. The trial

judge who approved the settlement accepted the 1995 cutoff of direct
payments because he stated that "as time passes it becomes less and less
clear whether you could prove" Agent Orange caused a particular illness.
When the original lawsuits were filed in the late 1970's, the manufacturers
contended there was no proof the chemical caused health problems. They also
argued they could not be sued because defense contractors cannot be held
liable for harm inflicted by the military. But Dow, Monsanto, and other
Agent Orange makers settled the claims to end the litigation. [Source:
EANGUS Newsletter 3 MAR 03 & Boston Globe article by Janes Rowley 27 FEB 03]

Agent Orange Lawsuit [New]: The VVA Missouri State Council President is in
the process of collecting names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses
for an upcoming law suit related to Agent Orange against Monsanto Chemical
Co. in Missouri. His message concerning the lawsuit identifies the lead

attorney as Gerson Smoger. He is asking for widows or widowers with
spouse's who have died due to Agent Orange or chemical contact to call or
send their information to:
1. President, VVA Missouri State Council, Alan Gibson, 5599 Pinehurst
Lane, Columbia MO 65202 Tel: (573) 474-2486 Fax: (573) 814-0348 Cell:
573-489-2486 E-mail: Vvamo1@aol.com or agibson@vva.org.
2. Attorney Gerson Smoger in Cali9fornia Tel: (501) 531-4525 E-mail:
GersonSmoger@compuserve.com or gerson@texasinjurylaw.com
[Source: NAUS Update for 21 March 2003]

Tricare Reserve Eligibility Policy Change: Effective 10 MAR 2003, Guard and
Reserve family members, if their sponsor is on active duty (federal) orders
for more than 30 days, will be eligible to enroll in Tricare Prime and have
the access standards and cost shares associated with the Prime
benefit. Previously, sponsors had to be eligible in the Defense Enrollment
Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) and activated for 179 days or more

before family members were eligible to enroll in Tricare Prime. Guard and
Reserve family members who reside with their sponsors in a Tricare Prime
Remote location at the time of the sponsor's activation can now enroll in
the Tricare Prime Remote for Active Duty Family Members (TPRADFM) program.
This program has no co-payments, deductibles or claim forms to file, and
offers providers who meet rigorous standards for providing quality health
care. For family members to be eligible to enroll in the TPRADFM program,
sponsors and their family members must reside at a location that is at
least 50 miles or more in distance, or approximately a one-hour drive from
the nearest military treatment facility (MTF). Sponsors and family members
also must be identified as eligible in DEERS. Guard and Reserve family
members who choose not to enroll in either the Tricare Prime or TPRADFM
program may still use the Tricare Standard and Extra benefits, with
applicable cost shares and deductibles.

Guard and Reserve sponsors need to verify that DEERS information for
themselves and their family members is accurate and up-to-date. They are
encouraged to contact DEERS at the Defense Manpower Data Center Support
Office toll free at (800) 538-9552. Sponsors and family members may also
update their addresses in DEERS on the Tricare Web site at
http://www.tricare.osd.mil/DEERSAddress. Future updates regarding benefits
for members of the Guard and Reserve and their family members will be
posted on the Tricare Web site at http://www.tricare.osd.mil/reserve.
[Source: DoD News Release 115-03 dtd 12 MAR 03]

Emergency Information Service: The Emergency Email & Wireless Network is a
national community service which offers Public Service from your local,
regional and national government sources concerning Weather
Information-Homeland Security-Local Emergency Management- Health
Alert. After registering, you can receive emergency information via email,

pager or cell phone. You can register to receive info at
http://www.emergencyemail.org. [Source: NAUS Update for 21 March 2003]

Military e-mail Service: Air Force Crossroads, the Air Force's official
community Web site, offers a secure and reliable e-mail program through
Global Internet Mail to help families keep in touch. Although there are
other nonprofit and commercial e-mail and Internet services available, this
GI Mail service is sponsored and maintained by the Air Force who is
responsible for the operational capability and security of the service.
Registration for GI Mail is free for those eligible through the Air Force
Crossroads Web site at www.afcrossroads.com . Users can log in to the
Web-based system from any computer with Internet access. Eligible users
include active duty, Reserve, National Guard, retired or civil service
employees and their authorized family members. [Source: Armed Forces News
March 14, 2003]


Tax Fairness Act Update: The Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act of 2003 was to
have been considered on the House floor on March 6, but special interest
amendments adding hundreds of millions of dollars that were unrelated to
military service were attached. Because this would have threatened the
bill's passage, it was pulled from the schedule. Congressional leaders
brought it back to the House as H.R.1307 and it passed the House on a 422-0
vote. A similar bill is awaiting passage in the Senate. Under the bill, a
home owner transferred by military orders or ordered into government
quarters would have up to 15 years to meet the two-year residency
requirement for a capital-gains tax exclusion on home-sale profits. The
bill also will provide a tax deduction for Reservist and Guard expenses for
overnight travel related to drills, and will raise the tax exemption for
active-duty death gratuities from $3,000 to $6,000. For more information

about HR 1307 or any other bill and its provisions go to
http//thomas.loc.gov. [Source VFW Washington Weekly, March 24, 2002]

Lt. James "EMO" Tichacek, USN (Ret)
Director, Retiree Activities Office & U.S. Embassy Warden Baguio City RP
PSC 517 Box RCB, FPO AP 96517-1000
Tel: (63-74) 442-7135 or stateside FAX to email service 1-801-760-2430
Email: raoemo@mozcom.com (Primary) & raobaguio@hotmail.com (Alternate)
Web:http://downloads.members.tripod.com/...t_ms/rao1.html
AL/AMVETS/CORMV/DAV/FRA/NAUS/NCOA/PRA/TROA/USDR/VFW/VVA/CG33/DD890/AD37
member