Tapping Feds for Deficit Reduction, Autism Benefits, Roth TSP Contributions and More

The Congressional Budget Office has a few ideas for reducing the deficit. Seventy-nine, actually. In its most recent periodic analysis of policy options and their effect on the federal budget, CBO estimates the savings associated with all manner of things, from tweaking the tax code to cutting grants to state and local government. Few things seem to be off the table in this thought exercise, including benefits to federal employees. CBO’s table of options includes these scenarios with associated cost savings:  

• Narrow eligibility for veterans’ disability compensation by excluding certain disabilities unrelated to military duties ($20 billion)
• Restrict VA’s individual unemployability benefits to disabled veterans who are younger than full retirement age for Social Security ($16 billion)
• Cap increases in basic pay for military service members ($24 billion)
• Replace some military personnel with civilian employees ($20 billion)
• Reduce the annual across-the-board adjustment for federal civilian employees’ pay ($54 billion)
• Reduce the size of the federal workforce through attrition ($49 billion)
• Introduce minimum out-of-pocket requirements under TRICARE for Life ($28 billion)
• Modify TRICARE enrollment fees and cost sharing for working-age military retirees ($19 billion to $73 billion)

While CBO weighs the advantages of cutting benefits, the Veterans Affairs Department is expanding them. Under the 2014 Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, VA earlier this week said it would increase eligibility for vets seeking mental health care due to sexual assault or sexual harassment that occurred during military service.

The expansion of benefits for military sexual trauma, or MST, mostly affects reservists. “VA simply must be an organization that provides comprehensive care for all veterans dealing with the effects of military sexual trauma,” said VA Secretary Robert McDonald.  “Our range of services for MST-related experiences are constantly being reexamined to best meet the needs of our veterans.”  

All VA care for conditions related to MST is provided free of charge. “Veterans do not need to have a service-connected disability or seeking disability compensation to be eligible for MST-related counseling and care. Veterans also do not need to have reported such incidents to the Department of Defense or possess documentation or records to support their assertion of having experienced such trauma. The determination of whether a Veteran’s condition is MST-related is strictly a clinical determination made by the responsible VA mental health provider,” according to VA.

Veterans don’t need to be enrolled in VA’s health care system to qualify for MST-related treatment. You can learn more about VA’s MST-related services online.

Confused about TRICARE’s Autism Care Demonstration? Military health care program officials, along with Military OneSource, are co-hosting a webinar Friday, Dec. 5, to explain.

Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis and is limited. Participants must avoid sharing personal health information when asking a question, TRICARE officials warn.

Active duty military personnel who make Roth TSP contributions must act if they want to continue to contribute to the plan after Jan. 31, 2015.

According to a Thrift Savings Plan notice Dec. 3: “Starting Jan. 1, 2015, a change in myPay will require you to designate your Roth contributions as a percentage of your pay, not a dollar amount. If you don’t comply with this change, then the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) will not be able to process your Roth contributions. This change affects your Roth contributions only; your traditional contributions are already designated as a percentage of pay.

The new requirement will take effect Jan. 1. Service members have 30 days to change their Roth election from a dollar amount to a percentage of pay.

You can log into myPay in January and make the change.  

(Image via zimmytws/Shutterstock.com)