Federal Daily - August 6, 2009

VA, California Announce Post 9/11 GI Bill Tuition Fix

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and California officials on Aug. 4 announced a deal on how payments will be made to institutions of higher education in the state under the Post-9/11 GI Bill educational program. The benefit authorizes VA to pay the actual tuition and fees charged by a university up to the maximum in-state tuition and fees charged by the most expensive public university in a state. But veterans in California faced a problem because VA would only pay separate state maximums for tuition and fees, as opposed to a single combined total. In California, public universities traditionally have charged no tuition—but relatively high fees. That means a veteran attending a private school in California would receive much less of a basic tuition benefit under the Post 9/11 GI Bill Yellow Ribbon program than students at private schools in other states, VA said. To solve the problem, California’s public universities introduced a new billing line item, “Educational Fee/Tuition,” that covers charges billed to students. VA has determined that the new billing line item serves as “tuition” for the purposes of calculating the state’s maximum. The new maximum, in-state tuition amount for California public institutions is now $287 per credit hour. “As a result of this interpretation, the maximum basic benefit VA can pay in California will increase, dramatically reducing the ‘gap’ to be made up by California schools under the Yellow Ribbon agreement,” said VA Under Secretary for Benefits Patrick Dunne. To see more, go to: www.gibill.va.gov.

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TRICARE to Save $1.67 Billion With New Pharmacy Discounts

DoD on Aug. 4 announced it will save $1.67 billion on prescription medications sold in retail pharmacies because it now will receive the same discounts that had been reserved for prescriptions distributed in military treatment facilities and by mail. Previously, DoD paid commercial rates for prescription drugs purchased in the TRICARE retail pharmacy network. The full implementation of the change, which was contained in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2008, went into effect on May 26 of this year. “These are significant savings to the Department of Defense and are crucial to our effort to slow the rapid growth of pharmacy costs,” said Rear Adm. Thomas McGinnis, chief of TRICARE pharmaceutical operations. Beneficiaries can sign up to get e-alerts for updates to their pharmacy benefit through the “email Updates” link on the front page of www.tricare.mil. To see more, go to: www.tricare.mil/pressroom/news.aspx?fid=548.

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Border Patrol Adds Agents Along Southwest Border

As the heat in the Sonoran desert tops triple digits, the Border Patrol (BP) has added 209 agents along the Southwestern border to aid in rescue operations for illegal aliens who become lost or disabled while attempting to cross into the United States. The effort, called Operation Guardian, will deploy 209 BP agents from across the country to the Tucson Sector to assist with operational efforts, said Chief Patrol Agent Robert W. Gilbert. The initiative complements Operation Desert Shield, which began on June 1. Operation Desert Shield detailed 20 additional BP Search Trauma and Rescue agents who have special training in search and rescue and emergency medicine. The remote sections of the desert border can become perilous in the summer, and illegal aliens who come unprepared for the harsh desert environment quickly find themselves in distress, the Border Patrol said. To see more, go to: www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/08032009_5.xml.   

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