http://www.marinecorpstimes.com en-us Copyright 2013, marinecorpstimes.com SaxoTech Online Sat, 18 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Sun, 19 May 2013 03:34:54 -0400 15 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130517/BENEFITS07/305170008 Concerned that teenage obesity has dramatically reduced the number of people eligible for military service, Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., has introduced legislation to create an education program about healthy lifestyles. Fri, 17 May 2013 10:30:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130517/BENEFITS07/305170008 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130516/BENEFITS/305100012 New technology is helping active-duty troops, family members and veterans take advantage of more discounts. Thu, 16 May 2013 15:42:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130516/BENEFITS/305100012 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130516/BENEFITS06/305160015 Q. I am a retired Marine with Tricare Prime for myself and my family. My daughter, 19 and a full-time student, is pregnant by her boyfriend, also a full-time student. Thu, 16 May 2013 15:30:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130516/BENEFITS06/305160015 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130516/NEWS/305160008 In an expanding effort to eliminate the benefits claims backlog, the Veterans Affairs Department announced Wednesday it is putting its claims processing staff on mandatory overtime through the end of the fiscal year. Thu, 16 May 2013 10:20:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130516/NEWS/305160008 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130515/NEWS/305150020 The Defense Department could run out of health care money in August, with a risk of disruption in Tricare coverage, according to a new congressional report that looks at the governmentwide impact of sequestration. Wed, 15 May 2013 14:36:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130515/NEWS/305150020 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130515/BENEFITS06/305150019 Two Republican lawmakers introduced a bill Tuesday that would require the Defense Department to offer the Tricare Prime managed health care option in places where the department plans to discontinue the program on Oct 1. Wed, 15 May 2013 14:29:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130515/BENEFITS06/305150019 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130515/NEWS/305150002 Liquor producer Brown-Forman Corp. and Fort Knox are mixing two Kentucky traditions - bourbon and the military - at the famed Army post. Wed, 15 May 2013 07:36:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130515/NEWS/305150002 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130514/BENEFITS06/305140016 Fully electronic veterans' benefits claims, a necessary ingredient for the Obama administration to fulfill its pledge to eliminate the claims backlog by the end of 2015, is showing only modest results in initial stages. Wed, 15 May 2013 08:53:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130514/BENEFITS06/305140016 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130514/NEWS/305140019 Nearly 8,800 civilians working in the Defense Department's medical community - including mental health specialists - will not have to take the mandatory 11-day furlough announced today by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Tue, 14 May 2013 17:35:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130514/NEWS/305140019 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130514/NEWS05/305140017 Military child care centers and schools for military children will get some relief from the Defense Department's civilian furloughs. Tue, 14 May 2013 16:51:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130514/NEWS05/305140017 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130513/NEWS/305130033 Student veterans who were overpaid on their GI Bill benefits would get more time to repay the money under a bill introduced Monday by Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. Mon, 13 May 2013 16:44:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130513/NEWS/305130033 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130513/NEWS/305130022 Hiring veterans to process claims could be part of the solution to eliminating the backlog of disability claims, the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee chairman believes. Mon, 13 May 2013 11:12:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130513/NEWS/305130022 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130510/BENEFITS04/305100018 The Veterans Affairs Departments views as unnecessary a House committee-passed bill to change evidentiary rules for veterans filing disability claims related to sexual assaults. Fri, 10 May 2013 13:44:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130510/BENEFITS04/305100018 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130510/NEWS/305100010 Service members married to other service members, or dual-military couples, no longer are automatically enrolled in the Family Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance program. If they want that coverage, they now must opt in. Fri, 10 May 2013 11:16:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130510/NEWS/305100010 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130509/BENEFITS/305090035 Help for military families is not confined within the gates of military installations. That's a good thing, since about two-thirds of families live outside the gates. Thu, 09 May 2013 16:06:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130509/BENEFITS/305090035 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130509/BENEFITS/305090034 Q. I've received numerous awards and decorations during my time in service. Thu, 09 May 2013 16:04:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130509/BENEFITS/305090034 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130508/NEWS/305080005 The House Veterans' Affairs Committee passed six bills Wednesday, including a measure aimed at making it easier for victims of sexual assault and rape in the military to receive veterans' disability benefits and a provision barring Veterans Affairs Depart Wed, 08 May 2013 10:32:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130508/NEWS/305080005 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130508/BENEFITS04/305200001 Building new veterans hospitals is an 'abysmal' process filled with delays and cost overruns, says the chairman of a House panel investigating how the Veterans Affairs Department spends money. Wed, 08 May 2013 10:30:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130508/BENEFITS04/305200001 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130508/NEWS/305080004 Several times a week, Ernso Auguste sends text messages or calls Brian Laughlin seeking advice or wanting to discuss an idea or issue. Wed, 08 May 2013 08:58:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130508/NEWS/305080004 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130507/BENEFITS04/305070009 The Veterans' Affairs Department initiative to quickly and dramatically reduce the claims backlog is making it a priority to process files that have been pending for two years or longer. Tue, 07 May 2013 16:14:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130507/BENEFITS04/305070009 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130507/BENEFITS04/305070012 Fathers would be treated the same as mothers when it comes to receiving federal hiring preferences if they have a child who is a totally disabled veteran, under a bill introduced May 6. Tue, 07 May 2013 11:58:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130507/BENEFITS04/305070012 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130506/BENEFITS07/305060019 Commissary officials are conducting at least three short-fuse cost-cutting reviews, each of which could significantly reduce access to the benefit by either shutting down some stores or shortening their hours. Mon, 06 May 2013 06:50:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130506/BENEFITS07/305060019 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130503/NEWS/305030006 The backlog of veterans' disability claims will not disappear in 2015, as promised by the Obama administration, the Republican chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee predicts in an interview to be broadcast Sunday. Fri, 03 May 2013 09:48:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130503/NEWS/305030006 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130502/BENEFITS06/305020029 The Defense Department reacted swiftly to congressional concerns and press reports of massive customer service problems facing Tricare West region customers, issuing a memo Thursday saying it will allow Prime beneficiaries to receive recommended specialty Thu, 02 May 2013 17:23:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130502/BENEFITS06/305020029 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130502/NEWS/305020023 A. Your staff sergeant is incorrect. Once you marry your fiancée, the baby's Thu, 02 May 2013 16:25:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130502/NEWS/305020023 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130502/NEWS/305020021 April was a bad month for an Army captain's family at Fort Carson, Colo. Thu, 02 May 2013 16:21:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130502/NEWS/305020021 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130502/BENEFITS06/305020019 When it comes to health habits, the Marine Corps appears to be the 'work hard, play hard' service while the Air Force seems to be staffed by straight arrows, a new military survey shows. Thu, 02 May 2013 15:39:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130502/BENEFITS06/305020019 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130501/NEWS/305010022 The Defense Department on April 25 moved a step closer toward reshaping the Tricare Management Activity into a broader Defense Health Agency, naming and promoting Air Force Maj. Gen. Douglas Robb to head the new three-star directorate. Thu, 02 May 2013 09:57:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130501/NEWS/305010022 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130501/NEWS/305010009 About a third of veterans considered to be at high risk for suicide don't receive the recommended follow-up care after they've been discharged from Veterans Affairs Department inpatient mental health care, according to a new report from the VA inspector g Wed, 01 May 2013 11:36:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130501/NEWS/305010009 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130501/BENEFITS02/305010007 CFPB releases list of troop complaints Wed, 01 May 2013 10:54:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130501/BENEFITS02/305010007 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130430/BENEFITS06/304300025 A military family's push to convince Tricare to pay for their daughter's equine therapy is now in the hands of Congress. Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:27:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130430/BENEFITS06/304300025 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130430/BENEFITS06/304300011 An Indiana lawmaker wants to expand military suicide prevention programs to include an annual mental health assessment for active and reserve members, with reports from supervisors about any relationship or financial issues that might trigger stress or su Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:05:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130430/BENEFITS06/304300011 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130429/BENEFITS04/304290020 As part of an ongoing campaign to appeal to female veterans, the Veterans Affairs Department last week established a hotline exclusively for women to answer questions about services like health care, education benefits and claims. Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:01:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130429/BENEFITS04/304290020 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS07/304250039 For Jaeda, an eighth-grader at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., the expression of a military child was one simple, profound sentence: 'I don't dream, for I have too much on my mind.' Thu, 02 May 2013 17:09:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS07/304250039 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS06/304250038 Q. My husband is an active-duty Marine and we're in the early stages of filing for divorce. We have two children, one the biological child of my husband, the other his stepchild (my son), not adopted. Thu, 02 May 2013 17:05:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS06/304250038 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS/304250037 A.This has been a hot issue since an Air Force commander this year granted clemency to a pilot convicted of sexual assault, overturning his verdict and allowing him to return to active duty. Thu, 02 May 2013 17:01:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS/304250037 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130425/NEWS/304250031 A House panel Thursday gutted a bill that would have ordered the Veterans Affairs Department to relax evidence requirements for veterans' claims related to rape and sexual assault. Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:56:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130425/NEWS/304250031 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS04/304250029 Leaders from the veteran and nonprofit communities gathered during a Wednesday Senate hearing to discuss how to improve the flow of resources and support services to veterans. Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:52:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS04/304250029 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130424/NEWS/304240030 Military families and their advocates are battling an Obama administration proposal to limit troops' pay raises to 1 percent in 2014, the lowest increase in half a century. Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:00:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130424/NEWS/304240030 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130424/NEWS/304240019 Confederate flags are flying again at a southwestern South Dakota veterans hospital, upsetting two patients who first complained about the flags and then say officials allowed them to complete a hospital program early. Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:50:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130424/NEWS/304240019 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130424/JOBS/304240028 New transition workshops for separating service members are getting high marks from participants, but results of the real test - finding jobs - remain unclear. Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:54:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130424/JOBS/304240028 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130423/BENEFITS04/304230019 A House committee is concerned that the Veterans Affairs Department may be underestimating the cost and burden of national health care reform for veterans' hospitals and clinics. Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:28:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130423/BENEFITS04/304230019 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130423/NEWS/304230015 The Veterans Affairs Department will help fewer veterans as it aims to prevent errors in reducing its backlog of disability claims by awarding temporary ratings to the oldest claims. Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:40:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130423/NEWS/304230015 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130421/NEWS/304210014 VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Quinn Cuskey said it's like the Navy knows when he's about to perform in a school concert. That's always when his dad deploys. Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:36:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130421/NEWS/304210014 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130420/NEWS/304200006 The Corps has begun rolling out a new aquatic version of its High Intensity Tactical Training program — and you won't confuse it with a water aerobics class at the neighborhood pool. Sat, 20 Apr 2013 09:51:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130420/NEWS/304200006 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130419/BENEFITS04/304190015 The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to quickly eliminate its backlog of older disability claims by assigning provisional ratings that take shortcuts in the normal approval process. Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:43:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130419/BENEFITS04/304190015 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130418/BENEFITS06/304180015 The bombs that made Boston look like a combat zone have also brought battlefield medicine to their civilian victims. A decade of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has sharpened skills and scalpels, leading to dramatic advances that are now being used to treat the 13 amputees and nearly a dozen other patients still fighting to keep damaged limbs after Monday's attack. Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:33:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130418/BENEFITS06/304180015 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130418/BENEFITS06/304180014 The most severe injuries in the Boston bombing resemble those suffered by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan whose limbs were blown apart by improvised explosive devices —and the initial treatment was also identical: First responders — and in some instances, spectators — used tourniquets to cut off the blood flow and stop severe bleeding. Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:24:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130418/BENEFITS06/304180014 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130417/BENEFITS04/304170027 The Senate failed Wednesday to pass legislation preventing veterans from losing gun ownership rights simply for being incapable of handling their financial affairs. Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:33:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130417/BENEFITS04/304170027 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130417/NEWS/304170018 ANNAPOLIS, Md. — First lady Michelle Obama praised a Maryland bill that helps veterans and their spouses find jobs, describing it Wednesday as one of the best laws in the country aimed at helping military personnel and their families. Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:48:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130417/NEWS/304170018 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130417/NEWS/304170023 The Defense Department's plans to slow military pay growth and increase Tricare fees may have become less objectionable to Congress in a time of tight budgets. Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:45:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130417/NEWS/304170023 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130417/BENEFITS04/304170010 The Senate could vote Wednesday night on controversial legislation aimed at protecting gun ownership rights for veterans found to be incapable of handling their financial affairs. Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:10:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130417/BENEFITS04/304170010 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130417/BENEFITS06/304170007 The Veterans Affairs Department opposes bipartisan legislation that would make it easier for military sexual assault victims to receive trauma-related disability benefits — not because VA officials disagree with the intent, but because they don't think the legislation is necessary. Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:10:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130417/BENEFITS06/304170007 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130416/NEWS/304160033 WASHINGTON — Federal auditors say a job-training program designed to help veterans re-enter the workforce has more than 60,000 empty slots, left unfilled despite efforts to reduce the jobless rate among veterans. Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:43:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130416/NEWS/304160033 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130416/BENEFITS04/304160026 A House subcommittee chairman has renewed his efforts to provide automatic cost-of-living adjustments for veterans so they don't have to wait for Congress to act. Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:15:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130416/BENEFITS04/304160026 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130416/BENEFITS04/304160024 Under fire from Congress for the Defense Department's contributing role in the Veterans Affairs Department's disability claims morass, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told House lawmakers Tuesday that DoD is “restructuring” relevant offices and responsibilities to ensure quicker delivery of medical records to VA. Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:48:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130416/BENEFITS04/304160024 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130416/NEWS/304160021 The new chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee believes many military survivors are struggling financially and is making a priority of improving their benefits. Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:58:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130416/NEWS/304160021 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130416/BENEFITS06/304160015 The VA is proposing to scrap its policy of denying medical care to veterans who miss two or more medical appointments. Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:27:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130416/BENEFITS06/304160015 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130416/NEWS/304160013 A House committee is asking 34 government agencies, including the Defense Department, military services and defense-related agencies, to prove they are complying with a new law aimed at helping veteran-owned small businesses win government contracts. Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:03:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130416/NEWS/304160013 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130415/EDU02/304150009 Spouses and children of service members made up almost one-fourth of Post-9/11 GI Bill users last year, and their numbers appear to be growing, according to data provided by the Veterans Affairs Department. Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:33:00 -0400 http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130415/EDU02/304150009