MayVoice2015

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LONG
TRAIL
HOME
One Marine’s
Journey
Home
Page 14

May 2015 The VOICE 3
May 2015
Chartered by Congress
Serving Enlisted Personnel:
Veterans, Retired, Active Duty, Guard and Reserve
THE VOICE (ISSN 1527-0467) is published bi-monthly by TREA: The Enlisted Association, 1111 S. Abilene Ct., Aurora, CO 80012.
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38 Taps
40 TREA National Auxiliary
40 President’s Message
40 Nominating
41 WEF/Benevolent Program
41 Auxiliary Application
41 Chaplain’s Corner
41 Awards
42 Auxiliary Chapter News
32 TREA Senior Citizen’s
League
“Cost-Cutting Board Must
Be Repealed”
47 TREA Membership
Application
22 Dear Editor
6 National President’s
Message
10 Washington Legislative
Update
26 Membership Benefits
22 Committee News
22 Recruiting
22 Nominating
23 IT-How to Avoid Email Scams
28-29 TREA Wear
& Accessories
34-36 Chapter News
37 MAL News
George Skonce * 1915-2000
Dean Sorell * 1921-2004
2014-2015 Board of Directors
(Committees Listed)
National President
Larry Hyland
(Convention)
lhyland2@cfl.rr.com
1st Vice President
John I. Adams
(Five-Year Plan/IT)
jiatrea@q.com
2nd Vice President
Garry Turks
(Chaplain, Legislative Affairs)
garryturks@comcast.net
3rd Vice President
Michael Davis
(Membership)
davmil@pngusa.net
Treasurer
John Martinez
(Finance)
martinezela@aol.com
1 Year Directors
Aaron Reed
(Public Relations)
aaronreed2@aol.com
Caroline Allen
(Chapter Start-up & Assist)
denvercallen@aol.com
2 Year Directors
C.D. Rice, Jr.
(Credentials/Nominations)
Fax: 303-574-9623
vsocd11@gmail.com
Justin Jump
(Bylaws and Standing Rules)
jumpjg@gmail.com
Past National Presidents’ Council
Richard “Rick” Delaney
(Awards)
rjdtrea@gmail.com
Parliamentarian
Edward “Ed” Pacheco
Fax: 719-637-1091
edpac1@live.com
Veteran Service Officer (VSO)
Michael Holzhauser
mhlzhauser@brookingscountysd.gov
TREA Memorial Foundation Chairman
Bill DeBoer
bill.deboer@comcast.net
TREA Senior Citizens League Chairman
Ed Cates
Ectrea@comcast.net
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE STAFF
Director for Operations - TREA HQ
Tammy Clowers - tammyc@trea.org
Washington Executive Director - TREA DC
Deirdre Holleman - dholleman@treadc.org
The Voice
Editor-Publications Coordinator
editor@trea.org
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4 The VOICE May 2015
FEATURE:
LONG TRAIL HOME 14
uuuuuuuuu
NEWS:
GI Bill: Transferring Benefits 18
POW/MIA: DNA Samples Needed for MIA 23
Identifications
Marijuana Treatment Study on PTSD
for Veterans Gets Back on Track 25
Retaliation Against VA Whistleblowers
Continues 30
Divorce & SBP 33
DECA Budget Cuts 37
VA Scrutiny Higher Than Ever After One Year 44
New VA Surviving Spouse Website 46
Advertising: No representation, warranties or
endorsements should be implied or inferred from
the appearance of the advertisement in this publi-
cation. Advertising rates and information may be
obtained by emailing editor@trea.org or
calling The VOICE at 303-752-0660.
Advertising Index
Serving the Total Enlisted Force
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1st Street-Jacuzzi Hydrotherapy 11
1st Street-Jitterbug 13
1st Street-Perfect Choice 19
Bradford Exchange-USMC Ring 5
Bradford Exchange-Vietnam Ring 9
Bradford Exchange-USMC Jacket 15
Bradford Exchange-Freedom Chopper 17
Bradford Exchange-USMC Clock 15
Bradford Exhchange-Music Box 43
Harbor Freight 39
Indian River Colony Club 45
USAA 2
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Story & Advertising
Cutoff
June 2015* 5/15/2015
July 2015 5/29/2015
Aug. 2015* 7/17/2015
Sep. 2015 7/31/2015
Oct. 2015* 9/18/2015
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on our website
2015 Convention:
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I believe our testimony was well received. I was asked a few questions
after I gave my formal statement so I know they were listening and I’m
confident our testimony will make a difference in helping to improve the
VA. In fact, one specific way to help improve the VA was suggested by
Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Isakson. He told us to have
our members become “mystery shoppers” at the VA. I totally agree and
I’m asking you to send reports about your experiences to TREA’s VSO,
Michael Holzhauser. He can be reached at mholzhauser@brook-
ingscountysd.gov, or you can call TREA headquarters (303-752-0660)
and tell about your experience, and the information will be relayed to
Michael. He and his committee will track those experiences and provide
them to either Congress or the VA or both so that problems can be solved
more quickly or recognition for good service can be recognized. We in
TREA can be a leader, as the Senator suggested, in helping effect posi-
tive change for all our nation’s veterans.
This year TREA celebrates its 52nd birthday. I was thinking about that
recently and remembering why TREA was founded in the first place. The
issue that caused the founders of TREA to start our organization had to
do with military pay.
I relate this because it occurred to me the issues we face today are much
more ominous and much more threatening than was their concern back
then. Not only is the entire military retirement system that has stood the
test of time being threatened, the health care that we all earned and that
we all depend on is also under attack. And so is the commissary system,
which many retirees and active duty personnel regularly use in order to
make their pay checks go farther.
TREA is proud to be in the front line of these battles, fighting to protect
you. We are a leading voice in Washington for enlisted personnel and the
need for TREA has never been greater.
Yes, we face some important issues as we experience another genera-
tional change. We need the continued support of all enlisted personnel,
but we especially seek to hear from the younger generation that has
served with such great distinction. In order to do that, we realize we must
change with the times.
Our task is to bring ourselves up-to-date while at the same time remem-
bering and serving our members who have been so faithful in standing
with us for so many years. We can do it, but we must all be willing to
change a little.
TREANATIONAL
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
Larry HylandIn March, I had the honor to rep-
resent all TREA members when I
testified before a hearing of the
joint Senate and House Veterans
Affairs Committees. Several of the
members told us how much they
appreciate our testimony and that
it makes a real difference as they
make decisions about funding the
various programs of the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs. One of
our biggest concerns was that Con-
gress exercise proper oversight of
the new programs that have been
put in place as a result of the VA
scandal last year involving the out-
rageous wait times veterans have
been experiencing at VA hospitals.
>>> Hyland, Page 8 >>>

In addition, we must remodel our
association so that we leave a foun-
dation that will take TREA far into
the future and insure we remain a
leading voice in Washington for all
enlisted personnel.
My pledge to you and to each
TREA member is that we will
carry on the fight that was the rea-
son for our founding. But we need
the continued support of each of
you if our efforts are to be success-
ful.
* * *
On another note, I want to
express my appreciation to all who
have responded to the request I
made in the last issue of the Voice
regarding the publication of the
Voice and our national convention.
Your input is very important and I
am listening to you.
Finally, while we have a large
number of chapters in various
states throughout the country, we
have many more members who are
“MALs” – that is, Members-At-
Large. These are TREA members
who do not belong to a chapter, but
are valued TREA members
nonetheless. If you are an MAL I
want you to know we appreciate
you and if you have a desire to be
more involved with TREA we
would like to talk to you about
that. We’d also like to know if you
are involved in your community
with veteran’s issues and causes, or
with TREA issues in any way. We
have a section in the Voice for
MALs and we’d love to acknowl-
edge your efforts.
United We Stand
Larry
Pictured, l-r, 2nd VP Garry Turks, Michael Saunders, PNP Art Cooper, Director Caro-
line Allen, Treasurer John Martinez, TSCL Executive Director Shannon
Benton, President Larry Hyland, Washington Executive Director Deirdre Parke
Holleman, TSCL Chair Ed Cates, TSCL Trustee Michael Gales, Legislative
Consultant/Former Member of Congress William “Van” Hilleary, & National
Legislative Director Larry Madison.
<= Hyland, from Page 6

It is an interesting and somewhat hopeful time in
Washington DC. Spring at long last has arrived.
Cherry blossoms, apple blossoms, tulips and more
are in bloom. And Congress is getting some things
done and other things moving. While I am writing
this article the House Armed Services Committee
(HASC) and the Senate Armed Services Committee
(SASC) are both marking up their authorization bills
(please see below).
There seems to be a compromise allowing both the
human trafficking bill and the nomination of Loretta
Lynch as the next Attorney General to go forward.
And for the first time since 2002 the Senate’s For-
eign Relations Committee seems prepared to pass a
reauthorization of the State Department.
Congress passed and President signed a permanent
“DocFix” law that changes how doctors are paid for
treating Medicare patients that we and many other
groups have been working to effect for 17 years. A
veterans bill to improve mental health treatment (the
Clay Shaw SAV Act) was signed into law. And an
improvement of the Choice Act occurred because of
the pressure of numerous VSOs and Congress exert-
ed on the Department of Veterans Affairs. A veteran
will be qualified to use the Choice Act if the nearest
VA medical facility is 40 or more driving miles from
where he or she lives; not 40 miles as a crow flies.
The VA agreed to the change and said it would dou-
ble the number of veterans who could qualify for the
Choice program.
So things are starting to move in the Congress.
Now we have to work to try and make sure that
Congress acts it acts correctly.
The HASC leadership has announced that they are
going to include in its version of the NDAA the Mil-
itary Compensation and Retirement Modernization
Commission’s (MCRMC) recommendation to over-
haul the basic military retirement system. The
change would only apply to future enlisting troops.
It will not affect present retirees or troops serving
now. It would create a 401(k) like retirement account
for all veterans. The government would contribute
1% of basic pay to a Thrift Savings Plan while
matching funds of up to 5% of basic pay for every
service member throughout his or her career. This
could be taken by a veteran if he or she leaves before
serving 20 years.
If a service member serves a full career of 20 years
or more he or she will continue to receive retired pay
but it will be based on 40% of basic pay rather than
the present 50% of basic pay. This means that the
service member who serves a full career in the mili-
tary is paying for the TSP for those who leave before
20 years. That is a very questionable proposition.
The Commission’s recommendation also required
the matching pay into the TSP would stop after 20
years. The HASC leadership said that they would
continue that matching funds after 20 years. How all
of this will affect recruitment (probably not very
much) and retention (probably a great deal) is yet to
be seen.
We also have not yet heard from either the Depart-
ment of Defense or the SASC thinks about the pro-
posal. But the HASC is saying that they intend to
require DoD to establish the new system by October
2017. HASC Subcommittee on Military Personnel
Chairman Rep. joe Heck (R-NV) said: “We think
there is benefit in requesting the [Defense Depart-
ment] come back to us probably within six to eight
months with an implementation plan.”
>>> Legislative Update, Page 12 >>>
Executive Director Deirdre Holleman meets with
Representative Mike Coffman of the 6th District in Colorado.

HASC leadership said that they would not be
including in their bill the Commission’s proposal to
change TRICARE and would not be changing the
commissary benefit as proposed in the President’s
budget. Both of these proposals would have hurt
present retirees, their families, active duty families
and survivors so we are pleased with that announce-
ment.
As we said it is good that the logjam in Congress
may be breaking up. But when they act it is crucial
that we all work to make sure that the changes
implemented are good ones.
New Proposed Legislation
Concurrent Receipt:
Rep Sanford Bishop (D-GA) and Bilirakis (R-FL)
have both reintroduced their bills that would allow
the remaining military retirees to collect both their
retired pay and their VA disability pay..
Rep Bishop’s (D-GA) H.R. 333 now has 41 co-
sponsors and Rep. Bilirakis’ (R-FL) H.R. 303 has
grown to 37 co-sponsors.
Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) has once again rein-
troduced S. 271; it now has 13 co-sponsors
Veterans:
H.R. 203 the Clay Shaw SAV Act was passed and
signed into law in a month. It is intended to improve
VA mental health care and was introduced by Rep
Tim Walz (D-MN)
The new HVAC Ranking Member Rep. Corinne
Brown (D-FL) introduced H.R. 218. It would allow
young adults to remain in their parent’s CHAMPVA
plan until they reach 26. It now has 3 co-sponsors.
Chairman of the HVAC Jeff Miller (R-FL) spon-
sored H.R. 280 which would authorize the Secretary
of the VA to recoup bonuses and awards from VA
employees. With only 9 co-sponsors the House
passed the bill as amended and sent it to the Senate
for its consideration. It “Authorizes the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) to issue an order directing a
VA employee to repay the amount, or a portion of
the amount, of an award or bonus paid to the
employee if: (1) the VA determines that such repay-
ment is appropriate, and (2) the employee is afford-
ed notice and an opportunity for a hearing conduct-
ed by another federal agency. Makes such repayment
decisions final and unreviewable. Makes this Act
applicable to awards or bonuses paid before, on, or
after the date of this Act’s enactment.”
Chairman Miller (R-FL) has also introduced H.R.
473 “Increasing the Department of Veterans Affairs
Accountability to Veterans Act of 2015” which
would grant the Secretary of the VA to lower certain
SES’s retirement annuities, accept complaints and
limit the VA SES employees performance ratings to:
“no more than: (1) 10% of such employees may
receive the outstanding level of performance, and
(2) 20% of such employees may receive the
exceeds-fully-successful level of performance. It has
4 co-sponsors
Senator Jerry Moran’s (R-KS) companion bill
S290 also has 4 co-sponsors.
Ranking member Corrine Brown has also intro-
duced H.R. 216 “Improves the Department of Veter-
ans Affairs Budget Plan.” While it only had 4 co-
sponsors they included HVAC Chairman Miller (R-
FL) and Democratic House leader Rep. Chris Van
Hollen (D-MD) and it too passed the House quickly
and sent on to the Senate. This shows how important
it is to try and get your bill introduced by a member
serving on the relevant Committee of jurisdiction.
Above I wrote that Senator Moran’s (R-KS) S. 207
presently has 18 co-sponsors. This is the bill that
would improve the Veterans’ Choice Act. There are
2 bills in the House that would make the same cor-
rections. They are H.R. 572 with 20 co-sponsors and
H.R. 577 with 48 co-sponsors. Again they all would
require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs by law to
use existing authorities to furnish health care at non-
Department of Veterans Affairs facilities to veterans
who live more than 40 miles driving distance from
the closest medical facility of the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs that furnishes the care sought by the
veteran.
S. 901 the “Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015”
just introduced by Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS)
would require the VA to create a “ national center for
research on the diagnosis and treatment of health
conditions of the descendants of veterans exposed to
toxic substances during service in the Armed Forces
that are related to that exposure.” This has been a
long time goal of our friends at the Vietnam Veterans
of America. It has 3 co-sponsors.
Its companion bill H.R. 1769 is sponsored by Rep.
Dan Benishek (R-MI) the Chairman of HVAC’s
Subcommittee on Health. It has 2 co-sponsors.
S.398 “Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans
<<<Legislative Update, Page 10<<<
3rd VP Garry Turks (left) and Director Caroline Davis (right)
had the opportunity to talk with Rep. Corrine Brown
(FL-5th District) in Washington D.C.
>>> Legislative Update, Page 16 >>>

Parker, CO -- Matt Littrell, a 31
year-old former Marine from Park-
er CO, a proud Marine Rifleman,
found himself staring down the
barrel of a gun on a cold dark New
Year’s Eve in 2012. He was hold-
ing the gun.
Who can say what made him put
down the gun, pick up the phone
and call the VA PTSD Crisis Hot-
line that evening. But what he
heard coming from an uninterested
person reading from a script, did
not make him feel better. In fact the
carelessness of the person on the
other end of the line made him furi-
ous.
"I went to bed mad and I woke up
mad and I just knew that I was
going to get a mustang and I was
going to ride from ocean to ocean,"
he said.
The former Marine started his
horseback journey on his mustang,
Crow. Since then, Littrell's "Long
Trail Home" ride for veterans suf-
fering from PTSD has helped raise
over $125,000 for the Semper Fi
Fund, a non-profit that supports
wounded veterans and their fami-
lies. “Vanessa King of the Semper
Fi Fund was a huge help and pro-
vided amazing support throughout
the ride”, Matt said.
To follow Matt’s epic seven
month journey covering over 2800
miles which concluded in Novem-
ber 2014, simply view the link pro-
vided www.facebook.com/thelong-
trailhome. Before you do, you may
want to grab a few tissues and go
into this knowing you won’t be the
same after viewing.
"We're losing 22 veterans a day to
suicide, every single day," says Lit-
trell. "I was almost one of those
22."
Matt is a man determined to make
a difference, and The Long Trail
Home also brought unexpected
change to Matt’s life. All along the
ride, the people of America opened
their fields, barns and hearts to
Matt and his mission. Every single
night of the journey Matt was pro-
vided a safe place, in a barn or a
field where he and his horses could
rest up for the next day’s ride.
It has also brought a stark realiza-
tion for him. Throughout the ride,
he tried to contact members of
Congress in the states he traveled.
Not one took him up on his offer.
He also tried to get support from
national news outlets. Once they
found out he was doing this with
no corporate sponsors, they
weren’t interested. His journey was
funded out of his pocket, and the
kindness of people along the way.
In Alabama, after a long day,
Matt was riding up to the barn pro-
viding shelter for the evening,
when he noticed a young woman
coming out to greet him with pizza
and beer. “I told her on the spot,
that she was the most beautiful
thing I’d seen the whole trip.”
LONG TRAIL HOME
Home => Page 16
When asked what he wanted from this ride and what veterans groups could
do for returning veterans. He thought for a few moments, and said, “We
don’t want to be forgotten. We want to know that what we did mattered.
The changes that are needed need to start in Washington D.C.”

Matt, though unaware of it at the time had just met his
fiancé, Kristen Furhmann. Kristen, not missing a beat
replied, “It’s just the pizza and beer.” Kristen, a fellow
equestrian, rode out the next day with Matt and many
miles later they arrived at Camp Pendleton, on
November 30, 2014. Kristen, a true southern beauty
proudly displays her engagement ring, a simple horse-
shoe nail Matt fashioned into a ring.
“Since we've returned to Colorado, life has gotten
back to the normal and the everyday grind of working
and paying bills and looking out for number one.
That's never productive for me or most vets that I
know.
Just recently the 22 hit close to home, again. “Some-
times there is no way to make sense of it. You wonder
why they didn’t call, or reach out for help. I remember
when it was me, that I thought it would expose some
sort of weakness in me.” So that leads me to the next
evolution of the ride. He wanted to create a place
where vets can reach out to other vets who care and
understand.
“We have a quiet piece of ground east of Kiowa,
Colorado that has always been good for me. We have
a lot to do out there for this to work. There are horses,
solitude, and clean Western air to breathe. If you're a
vet and having a rough time you're welcome to visit us
in Kiowa at Crow’s Nest Ranch anytime. This is just
the rough idea, but it's as real of an idea as when I said
we would wake up and ride away from the sun and get
to California.
We rode then and we'll ride now. This has got to end
and it has got to come from our fellow veterans. If
you're interested send me a message. I don't know how
we will get it all done but I give you my word we will.
Semper Fidelis.
In February of 2015 Matt posted the following on the
Long Ride Home page on Facebook:
“I hope everyone is staying warm out there. It's little
frosty here in Colorado, just like most of the country
but there's plenty of firewood and the stove is working
well. I've been thinking about the ride a lot lately and
what it meant to me.
The more I remember it, the more it was like a
deployment. There was a clear mission and purpose
and it was easy. Things like that are easy for us, sleep-
ing on the ground isn't hard; riding a horse 15 miles
isn't hard.
Everyday life is where we struggle. I enjoy my life
and it's relatively easy but the mundane aspect of the
everyday is tough for me and most of the guys that I
know that served. I'm not sure why -- but it is. I've had
a lot of people write me and ask for advice on how to
"get over it", you don't.
You put another log on the fire, you stay warm and
you do your best to show up tomorrow and that's all
you can do. I know I haven't said much on the subject
since the ride ended but I don't want to give the
impression that all you need is an epic journey and
you're home. It's not all rainbows and unicorns but it
is home and we have earned the right to be home.
On a side note I decided as much as I like the name
Crow’s Nest for our veterans retreat, it doesn't have
quite the feel that I want. In the warrior spirit it's Val-
halla Ranch. When it's ready all warriors who are in
need of rest are welcome, I'll take first watch.”
Matt and Kristen have created a website for Valhalla
Ranch, www.valhallaranch.com. There you will be
able to follow Matt and Kristen as they build Valhalla
Ranch, contribute to their wish list, or leave Matt a
message there.
Welcome Home Matt and thank you for your serv-
ice!
z
<= Home, from Page 14
Act of 2015” also introduced by Senator Jerry
Moran (R-KS) Yes, him again. He has been wonder-
ful this year. The bill would enlarge chiropractic care
in the VA by requiring the VA provide “chiropractic
care and services to veterans through Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and clinics to
be carried out at: (1) no fewer than 75 medical cen-
ters by December 31, 2016, and (2) all medical cen-
ters by December 31, 2018.” It has 7 bi-partisan co-
sponsors.
It’s companion bill, H.R. 1170, has 9 co-sponsors.
It was introduced by Rep. Alan Grayson FL)
Latest Major Action: 3/13/2015 Referred to
House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Sub-
committee on Health.
Survivors-
Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) reintroduced
his bill to end the SBP/DIC offset. Now, H.R. 1594
it has 58 co-sponsors
And happily Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) has just
reintroduced his bill to end the SBP/DIC Offset. S.
979 has 1 co-sponsor.
z
<<<Legislative Update, Page 12<<<
H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

Footing the bill for college these
days isn’t easy. Those who qualify
can transfer their Post 9/11 GI Bill
bennies to their spouse or children.
But it’s a process you must stay on
top of — or risk screwing it up.
What you need to know to suc-
cessfully transfer the benefit:
1. Eligibility. You might be eligi-
ble for the GI Bill, but there are
other rules that qualify you to
transfer the benefits. Even if you
are retirement eligible, you must
obligate the additional four years
or the max remaining time. The
transfer rule was designed so
career military members, who
might already have the education
they need, can pass it on to one or
more family members. The basic
qualifications:
� At least six years’ service by
the day you elect to transfer, with
an agreement to obligate another
four years.
� At least 10 years of active duty
and selected reserve time, sepa-
rately or combined, and aren’t
allowed by service policies, such
as high-year tenure, to obligate for
another four years, but agree to
serve the maximum remaining
time allowed.
2. Transferability. You can give
the benefit to your spouse or any
of your children. But the beauty is
that you can also split the benefit
and give a portion to any combina-
tion of spouse and multiple chil-
dren. To qualify, a family member
must be enrolled in the Defense
Eligibility Enrollment Reporting
System, known as DEERS, and
fully eligible for military depend-
ent benefits at the time of the GI
Bill transfer. If you get a divorce
from your spouse or your child
gets married before using the ben-
efits, they can still qualify to use
the GI Bill if that is what you
want. As the one who originally
qualified for the benefit, you can
revoke the transfer or modify how
much of the benefit they get. The
key is, each dependent must be
designated to have at least one
GI Bill
Transferring Benefits:
5 Things To Know
>>> GI Bill, Page 33 >>>

Please tip your drivers! Reservations can be made online at:
http://trea.org/faqs.html

by Membership Chair
Michael Davis
Louis Arana - Chapter 58
Roy Bishop - Chapter 94
David Cohen - Chapter 39
Michael Davis* - Chapter 3
Clifford Dufrain - Chapter 1
Dennis Feller - Chapter 29
Andrew Franko - Chapter 111
James Harkins - Chapter 94
Dennis Klepsky - Chapter 98
Thomas Phillips - Chapter 98
James Potthier - Chapter 119
Aaron Reed* - Chapter 3
C.D. Rice, Jr.* - Chapter 3
Christopher Robles* - Chapter 20
Roger Tackitt - Chapter 39
Jack Tooley - Chapter 94
* - Denotes recruited more than 1.
January-March 2015
17 Recruiters
Recruited 20
125 Total New
608 Renew
Remember if you want credit for
recruiting a new member, your
name and TREA number (not
lifemember number) must be
entered correctly and legibly on the
new member’s application.
by C. D. Rice, Jr.,
National Director/Nominating Chair
The Enlisted Association is
Accepting Resumes for the 2015-
2016 National Board of Directors.
TREA members; Please consider
this article not as just information but
rather as an eye-opener for some,
especially for new TREA members.
Over the course of the 30 consecutive
TREA conventions I have attended. I
can’t recall one in which I have not
heard at least one member claim s/he
didn’t get the word in time about the
nominations, credentials, or voting
process. Therefore, at this time, I want
to call your attention to TREAArt 1X,
Sec 1-2, p 11; and SR 5, Sec 4 c, p 5-
3.3 (see www.trea.org under Bylaws
and Standing Rules).
The Enlisted Associations is accept-
ing new resumes for the 2014-2015
National Board of Directors. The fol-
lowing positions will be open; Presi-
dent, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice
President, 3rd Vice President, Treasur-
er, and two (2-Yr) Director positions.
You must be a member of The Enlist-
ed Association and meet the eligibility
requirements as outlined in the above
bylaw, and have the time to give to
help The Enlisted Association move
forward. Resumes must be submitted
on TREA Form 100-3, which is avail-
able on our website at
http://trea.org/nominating.html / or by
contacting The Enlisted Association
HQ at 800-338-9337. In order to be
highlighted in The Voice and included
in the convention packets, resumes
must be received at Headquarters by
June 1, 2015. Qualified members may
wait until the Convention and be nom-
inated from the floor. However, it is
your responsibility to provide
enough resumes for each delegate to
receive on.
NOTE: Years ago each position had
2-3 persons vying for it. So much so,
candidates asked for 15-20 minutes
caucuses for opportunity to solicit
more votes and/or to try and get into a
better position to win a particular
office. Let’s do the same in 2015
Dear Editor,
I wanted to share an email that was
forwarded to me by a member of
TREA: The Enlisted Association. I’m
already a member, but like what he
had to say.
Frank J.
Dear fellow veteran,
This is not a plea for you to join this
organization, but I hope you will con-
sider it after you’ve read my words.
TREA provides us a useful way for
all their members to stay abreast of
the laws that are changing. With all
the maneuvering going on in Wash-
ington D.C., it is comforting to know
that TREA has our back. Without us
having to travel to Washington D.C.,
we have a voice in decisions that ulti-
mately affect us and those that served
before us and those that will serve
after us. They help us to contact our
elected officials and let them know
how we feel on a particular topic.
Sometimes it is successful – and
sometimes it is not. I like knowing
that my voice is heard!
Membership in veterans’ organiza-
tions has dropped – including TREA.
It would be such a waste if we as vet-
erans didn’t support an organization
that supports us. TREA isn’t whining
and crying and overtly soliciting
members like some other organiza-
tions. But they do need our help.
Their membership dues are $30 a
year. A bargain when you consider
that they lobby for YOU!
I was exposed to several other
organizations when I was a young
soldier. Most other organizations
wanted to sell me insurance and inun-
dated me with phone calls and pam-
phlets and flyers that I did not want or
need. They didn’t make me feel like I
was important. TREA has a
STRONG voice in Congress – and
Congress pays attention to numbers.
They are our lobby – for all the men
and women that enlisted. Please
invest in a membership if you can.
Please consider what I am asking.
Bud
Dear
Editor,

How To Avoid E-mail Scams
by Doug Osborne, IT Committee
E-mail has become the main choice of com-
munication for millions of people. With an
unprecedented amount of e-mails being sent
back and forth, there is no doubt that dishon-
est people are trying to use it to their advan-
tage. To that extent they try to fool people by
using an e-mail scam, also called a “phishing
e-mail” is because they are fishing for victims using
e-mail tactics to reach and hook you.
To do this they try to disguise their intention by
using various tricks to lure you in and separate
you from your hard earned money.
Scammers will send out 100’s of thousands of
e-mail messages. With computer programs and
automation, they only need a few unwary peo-
ple to get hooked to make a profit.
These mails can be something as old as the
“Prince of Nigeria” telling you that a vast fortune is
awaiting you BUT first you must arrange processing
fees or some other such mechanism. With even
smarter software some e-mails can be very special-
ized, or can be official looking and maybe using your
name gathered from online data. This way they have
tried to get through your first line of defense (the BS
factor) and connect with you on a more formal basis.
These can be tricky to decipher. They may look like
receipts, unpaid bills or packages needing COD.
Another avenue is to get you to go to a website for
more info or to resolve a dispute or to print out the
paperwork. These sites house a lot of malicious soft-
ware (malware) waiting to download to unsuspecting
victim. An easy and good way to check is to see if
they have included a hyperlink in the mail. A hyper-
link will probably have a line underneath it and/or the
text is probably
blue. To test,
move your mouse
over the
hyperlink
( B U T
D O N ’ T
C L I C K ) .
The actual
address should then
appear. By examin-
ing that, you will
know if the link
is actually going
to where the
words on the
page say so.
If an e-mail
seems to pass
the test but you are not 100% sure, you can always
draft and send a brand new e-mail (not a Reply) to the
person/organization asking them for more info. As
with most things in this world, if it is too good to be
true, it probably is. Feel free to just delete it.
You can stop a lot of these spam messages from ever
getting to your Inbox by learning how to use and
setup rules and junk e-mail filters. Each mail program
is different, but the time savings and security are well
worth the effort up front to keep them from doing you
harm.
If you believe you have received a phishing e-mail,
you can report the incident to the Anti-Phishing
Working Group (APWG) at:
www.antiphishing.org/report-phishing/ .
z
COMMITTEE NEWS
IT Committee
There are 83,000 miss-
ing and unaccounted for
Americans from World
War II forward, yet many
families of the missing
have yet to provide a
family reference sample
to assist in DNA identifi-
cations. Currently, 89
percent of Korean War
families have provided
samples, as well as 83
percent of Cold War fam-
ilies and 81 percent of
Vietnam War families,
but only 4 percent of WWII families have. Last year,
the government identified 107 MIAs, but more could
have been identified—and faster—if more family ref-
erence samples were on file. Please forward the fol-
lowing service casualty office contact information to
MIA families in your hometown, as well as to local
newspapers:
� Army: 800-892-2490
� Marine Corps: 800-847-1597
� Navy: 800-443-9298
� Air Force: 800-531-5501
� State Department: 202-485-6106
For more information, go to:
http://www.dpaa.mil/Resources/FAQs.aspx. z
POW/MIA: DNA Samples Needed for MIA Identifications

Reprinted from Military.com, by Bryant Jordan
A year after the federal government approved a
study for the use of marijuana by veterans in treating
post-traumatic stress disorder the work may at last
get underway.
The National Institute of Drug Abuse on Wednes-
day informed the Multidisciplinary Association for
Psychedelic Studies that it is ready to supply
researchers with marijuana needed for the study,
Brad Burge, spokesman for MAPS, told
Military.com.
The study will mark the first federally approved
study in which the subjects will be able to ingest the
marijuana by smoking it, he said. It will also be “the
first whole-plant marijuana study,” meaning the mar-
ijuana will not simply be an extract of the cannabis in
a manufactured delivery system, such as a pill.
NIDA’s decision had been a long time coming,
according to Burge, but that delay was only one of
the setbacks after the Department of Health and
Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration
and the Drug Enforcement Agency cleared the way
for the research last year.
The plan also was sidetracked because it lost the
University of Arizona as one of two testing sites
when the school fired the lead researcher, Dr.
Suzanne Sisley, after the government approved the
project. The university did not explain the sudden ter-
mination, though reports at the time suggested the
school was looking to avoid conflict with Arizona
lawmakers opposed to the study.
Some veterans criticized the firing. Ricardo Perey-
da, an Iraq War veteran and alumnus of the universi-
ty, launched a petition calling for Sisley’s reinstate-
ment and university support for the study. The peti-
tion garnered more than 100,000 names, but the uni-
versity did not respond.
“I suffered from severe post-traumatic-stress,”
Pereyda wrote in the petition. “I was prescribed a
cocktail of prescription drugs from the VA for years;
they didn’t help.” He said he began using marijuana
exclusively in 2010 to treat multiple symptoms of
PTSD, including insomnia, depression, anxiety, and
panic attacks. He said the marijuana has helped him
“live a more full and productive life.”
Shortly after her firing, the state of Colorado award-
ed Sisley a $2 million grant for her work.
Burge said 76 veterans will take part in the study,
which will measure the effects of different potencies
of smoked marijuana in treating their symptoms.
In NIDA’s message to MAPS Executive Director
Rick Doblin on Tuesday, the agency detailed the mar-
ijuana it would have available. NIDA has three of the
four kinds of marijuana it will need for the study,
including a “placebo” strain, according to Doblin,
The Veterans Affairs Department estimates that
between 11 and 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan
war veterans suffer from PTSD. For veterans of the
Persian Gulf War, the estimate is 12 percent, and for
Vietnam veterans, 15 percent, the VA estimates.
Burge said Sisley is in the process of setting up an
independent laboratory as a new test site. For that
reason MAPS had to seek renewed approval from
HHS, which it got last month. FDA approval was
renewed automatically when it did not respond to the
amended application after 30 days, he said.
The DEA has still to approve the study again, but
Burge does not expect that to be a problem.
The study also has won renewed approval for its
research protocol from two university-affiliated insti-
tutional review boards. These boards assess study
protocols to ensure the safety of the participants and
the quality of the research procedures.
The Institutional Review Board at the University of
Pennsylvania, where one of the study’s principal
investigators works, provided approval, as did
Copernicus Independent Review Board of North Car-
olina where Sisley submitted her proposal.
“We are now waiting to hear back from the IRB at
Johns Hopkins,” which will be the second venue for
the actual study, Burge said. “We anticipate getting
clearance ... in the next several weeks.”
Once the Johns Hopkins board gives its approval
and Sisley’s research laboratory is in place, MAPS
will go to DEA to request the necessary federal
license to buy the marijuana, he said.
z
Marijuana Treatment Study
on PTSD for
Veterans Gets Back on Track

Item # Quantity Description Color Size Total Price
UNIFORM ITEMS:
Windbreaker
4302 Unisex Sizes S-5X (+$5.00 for 2X-5X) $70.00
Hats
4306 Men’s Overseas Cap Sizes 6 3/8 - 7 7/8 $26.00
4306 Women’s Sizes S-L $26.00
4306A Women’s Aux Hat Sizes S-L $26.00
Please note Personalization is $.60/letter (allow 4-6 weeks)
Ties
4307 Ties Regular/Clip-On/Extra Long (+$1.00) $11.00
4307 Women’s Tie $10.00
4313 Tie Tack (without chain) $2.75
Patches
4311 TREA Logo Regular (2 3/4” Round) $2.50
4311 TREA Logo (Life Member w/Rocker +$1.00)
3 1/2” Round $3.50
4311 TREA Logo Patch (Retangle) $2.50
4311 American Flag Patch $1.00
Pins
4309 TREA Logo Lapel Pin (Retangle) $2.00
4309 Silver Chapter Board of Directors $5.00
4309 TREA Lapel Pins - Gold/White (Round) $5.00
Gold Life Member
4309 Retirement Pins $3.50
Army/Marines/Navy/AF Air Force
4309 TREA Flag Pin $2.00
4309 TREA50thAnniversary Pin $5.00
ACCESSORIES:
4305 Bumper Stickers $1.00
Army/Navy/Marines/Air Force/CG Coast Guard
4330 JROTC Medal $13.50
4330 JROTC Certificate (Available Online for Free) $2.00
4329 TREA Challenge Coin $5.00
4329 TREA 50th Anniversary Coin $8.00
4303 Dog Tags (+$1.00 for medical tag) $5.00
4410 Patriotic Scarf or Tie $25.00
SHIPPING COSTS:
$.50 - $10.00 = $3.77
$10.01 - $20.00 = $5.80
$20.01 - $60.00 = $12.35
$60.01 - $100.00 = $16.85
$100.01 + = FREE
Mail completed orders to: TREA HQ, 1111
S Abilene Ct, Aurora, CO 80012
Make checks payable to TREA
Fax orders to: 888-882-0835/Phone order
at 800-338-9337
Securely online at www.TREA.org - click on
“TREA Store” - pay with Paypal
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4331P Men’s Pocket (No Black/Grey +$3.00 for 2X) $30.75
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4401 Men’s Sizes S-2X (+$3.00 for 2x) $42.75
Fleece Jacket - Blue/Red/Grey
Tees
4317 Women’s Sequined Tee $23.99
4328 Hat/Tee Combo S-XL $25.00
4403 Long Sleeve Tee - Navy/Grey Sizes S-XL $20.99
Caps
4406 Fitted Cap - Black/Red Sizes S/M-LG/XL $20.25
4407 Fitted Mesh Cap - Black/Blue Sizes S/M-LG/XL $21.45
4408 Mesh Adjustable Cap - Grey/Burgundy $12.45
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PLEASE CALL TO CHECK SIZES/COLORS
1.800.338.9337

Various sources -
Retaliation against
providers and
staffers who raise
professional con-
cerns is alive and
well, the only pub-
licly identified
whistleblower at
Wilmington VA
Medical Center
told members of the House Veterans
Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee
on Oversight and Investigations in
Washington. It’s a story mirrored at
many VAs around the nation, accord-
ing to two other whistleblowers and
the government’s top investigator into fed-
eral whistleblowing, all of whom also testi-
fied.
The number of new VA whistleblower
retaliation claims being handled by the
U.S. Office of Special Counsel “remains
overwhelming,” said Carolyn Lerner, who
heads the independent agency. They
include, she said, disclosures “of waste,
fraud, abuse, and threats to the health and
safety of veterans, and also claims of retal-
iation for reporting such concerns.” In
2015, she said, “Nearly 40 percent of our
incoming cases will be filed by VA employ-
ees.”
Neurologist Maryann Hooker said, at
Wilmington, retaliation against affected
workers who “have spoken out against
management practices or managers who
have spoken in favor of their subordinates”
has included non-consideration for internal
position vacancies, heavier workloads and
unexpected reassignments to jobs such as
setting appointments while they or their
departments are investigated. She stated
that doctors and nurses who remain admin-
istratively reassigned had “made disclo-
sures to senior management and would be
considered whistleblowers if the informa-
tion had been reported outside VA. Almost
all were not told the scope of any investi-
gation or any reason for an investigation.
None were given any forewarning of any
concerns regarding their performance.”
“A lot of times, these investigations are
more about us” than about the issues
raised, said Christian Head, a board-certi-
fied head and neck surgeon in the Greater
Los Angeles VA Health Care System who
testified on retaliation issues before the
House VA Committee last July and after-
ward was temporarily blocked from enter-
ing an operating room, with his patient
under anesthesia, by a nursing supervisor
who falsely claimed he’d lost his privileges
in order to “humiliate and retaliate” against
him, he told members.
A clinical nurse specialist blew the whis-
tle on what was called an inappropriate
practice - another provider’s continuing to
prescribe Suboxone, which is used to treat
opiate addiction, to someone with “repeti-
tive, positive” drug screens. Rather than
investigate, they investigated the nurse. He
has been sitting in a clinical clerical posi-
tion ... essentially doing no functions ... in
a windowless office.
That type of stance is frustrating, the
whistleblowers said. “Ninety-nine percent
of the VA employees are going to work
every single day, and love taking care of
veterans and doing the right thing,” said
Richard Tremaine, who was summarily
removed as associate director of the prob-
lem-plagued VA Central Alabama Health-
care System after reporting scheduling
manipulations and illegal hiring practices.
“And you just have that small minority that
feel that they can utilize taxpayer money to
do whatever they want, and retaliate.”
Nearly 100 VA facilities were investigat-
ed by the VA Inspector General. Those
results have not yet been released. Accord-
ing to Meghan Flanz, director of VA’s
Office of Accountability Review, another
member of the witness panel, the IG has
completed 43, substantiating “some sched-
uling impropriety” at 14 facilities and
clearing 29 facilities.
z
Retaliation Against
VA Whistleblowers
Continues

Should Congress hand over
accountability for decisions about
Medicare cuts to an unelected
board? That’s what lawmakers did
in 2010 when they passed the
Affordable Care Act. The law
included a controversial provision
to create a Medicare cost-cutting
board, known as the Independent
Payment Advisory Board (IPAB).
Here’s how it works: If Medicare
spending exceeds certain growth
rates, the 15-member board must
make recommendations to Con-
gress to rein in spending. If Con-
gress fails to respond by passing
cost-cutting measures of their own,
the board’s recommendations
would be automatically imple-
mented.
Five years after IPAB’s creation,
it still has no appointed members,
and due to record-low growth in
healthcare costs, it hasn’t been trig-
gered to make recommendations to
Congress yet. Sylvia Mathews
Burwell, Secretary of the Depart-
ment of Health and Human Servic-
es, says she doesn’t expect it to be
triggered until 2019. But hundreds
of lawmakers have serious con-
cerns about the prospect of the
board since it would be comprised
of unelected and unaccountable
appointees. They are hoping to
pass legislation that would do
away with it by the end of this year.
Recently, three lawmakers – Sen.
John Cornyn (TX), Rep. Phil Roe
(TN-1), and Rep. Linda Sanchez
(CA-38) – introduced the Protect-
ing Seniors’ Access to Medicare
Act, and it quickly gained the
bipartisan support of more than
two hundred legislators. Upon
introducing the bill, Rep. Sanchez
said, “When it comes down to
questions of how to cut costs, we
think it’s better left to the Members
of Congress who have constituents
that we’re answerable to.”
TSCL agrees that the IPAB
should be repealed before it is trig-
gered to begin making cost-cutting
recommendations to Congress.
Even though the Affordable Care
Act forbids the board from
“rationing” care, cutting Medicare
benefits, or increasing premiums,
TSCL is concerned that cuts to
providers could result in increased
costs for beneficiaries or decreased
access to quality medical care.
As Rep. Roe explained, “The
IPAB is not allowed to say that a
person should be denied a particu-
lar treatment or type of care, but
the IPAB is allowed to cut pay-
ments to the physicians that per-
form these treatments low enough
that the effect is no physician is
willing to provide the treatment. In
my view, the board is rationing
care if the effect of their decisions
is reduced access to needed care.”
For this reason, TSCL announced
its support for the Protecting Sen-
iors’ Access to Medicare Act back
in March, and our legislative team
has been busy advocating for it on
Capitol Hill. The bill’s sponsors
expect the House Ways and Means
Committee to take it up before the
end of the year, and they are hope-
ful that both chambers will pass it
shortly thereafter.
In the coming months, TSCL will
be monitoring the progress of the
Protecting Seniors’ Access to
Medicare Act closely, and we will
post updates on our website, at
www.SeniorsLeague.org, and on
our new Facebook page, at:
www.Facebook.com/SeniorsLeague.
z
Cost-Cutting Board Must Be Repealed
by Jessie Gibbons, TSCL Legislative Assistant
Are you a QPL Life Member?
Want to have your payments made automatically?
Contact us at 800-338-9337 and give us your credit card/debit
card information. We will set it up to pay quarterly until your
Life Membership is paid in full.
H We can also do automatic donations (monthly or quarterly)! H

Divorce and SBP
Impact on Survivor Benefit Plan
Retirees who are enrolled in the Survivor Benefit Plan should notify
the Defense Finance and Accounting Service of their divorce once it is
finalized. Acting quickly after a divorce can avoid many pitfalls such as
premiums being deducted beyond the date of divorce. If the divorce
decree contains no language mandating the retiree’s need to elect former
spouse coverage, it is vital that he or she notify DFAS as soon as the divorce
is final so SBP spouse coverage can be suspended and SBP premiums stopped.
Retirees, within one year of a divorce, must elect to convert spouse coverage to for-
mer spouse coverage when mandated by a court ordered divorce decree. If no court
ordered requirement is imposed, the retiree may voluntarily cover the former spouse under
the SBP. Failure to maintain SBP as instructed in the divorce decree may lead to contempt of
court charges and require a lengthy Board for Correction of Military Record review to correct.
Retirees who have SBP coverage must be familiar with the rules. A lack of knowledge is rarely
a justifiable defense should a dispute arise. Retirees with suspended spouse coverage who
remarry may elect to resume his/her prior level of SBP coverage, increase SBP coverage, or ter-
minate spouse coverage for the new spouse within one year of the remarriage. Failure to noti-
fy DFAS of the new marriage within one year of remarriage will result in the prior level of cov-
erage being automatically reinstated effective the date the new spouse becomes an eligible ben-
eficiary. For more information or help with changing SBP coverage contact the SBP or casual-
ty assistance representative at the nearest military base.
z
month of benefits at the time you set up the transfer.
You can always shift the benefit around later, even
after you are discharged. But once you leave the serv-
ice, you can’t qualify anyone new.
3. How soon to use it. Spouses can start using the
benefit immediately upon your transfer or they can
use it once you separate or retire. From the date you
leave active duty, the spouse must use the benefit
within 15 years. But if the benefit is used while the
member is on active-duty, that spouse won’t qualify
for the monthly stipend or payment for books and
supplies. That only comes after the member leaves
the service. If you have designated your child, he or
she can only start using the benefits once the member
has at least 10-years of service. They must have their
high-school diploma or be 18 years old. For the child,
there’s no 15-year deadline, but they must use it
before they reach the age of 26.
4. Apply early. You can only apply to transfer ben-
efits while on active duty, so if you are considering
this, start as soon as you are eligible. A new 10-step
“checklist” — titled Transfer of Education Benefits
(TEB) Steps — in the March 2 OPNAV Instruction
1780.4 describes in detail how to make sure you qual-
ify to transfer your benefits and how to apply. Refer
to http://projects.militarytimes.com/pdfs/1780_4.pdf.
5. Be thorough. Approval comes through the Veter-
ans Administration. You’ll need the help of your com-
mand career counselor and possibly your personnel
support detachment to get all the steps done — par-
ticularly if something in your record needs to be
fixed. Because there’s obligated service required, that
obligation must be made and documented in your
record before you can finalize your benefit. “One of
the most crucial steps is verifying the application sta-
tus,” said Paul D. Wilder, Navy GI Bill Programs
branch head at Navy Personnel Command.
z
<<< GI Bill, from Page 18 <<<

C H A P T E R 1 1 9
SUPERIOR, WI
H H H H H H H H H H H
On February 14, members of Lake Superior Chapter held a Valentine’s
Day Party for the children of the 950th Engineer Clearance Company
which are deployed in Afghanistan. Proceeds for the party came from
a Fundraiser Dinner held in conjunction with the Elks Lodge 403. Blue
Star Mothers provided face painting, doing face painting, games and
making cards with the kids. The Chapter purchased a Build a Bear for
each of the children of the deployed soldiers attending the party. Build
a Bear donated one bear and it was named Big Daddy Bear and will be
sent to the deployed company. Dog Tags numbered from #1 to #35 were
attached to the bears and named Daddy bear #1, Daddy Bear #2, etc.
Cheryl Liebaert made up a story of how the bears traveled from the store
to the Armory. Chapter members placed the bears around the Armory
for the kids to find. After all the kids found a bear for themselves, they
learned that they had to go through a ritual and place a heart into the
bear. After the heart was placed in the bear, it was stitched up and given
a Birth Certificate with its name on it. A group picture was taken and
will be forwarded to the company. An individual picture of each family
member and bear will be forwarded to the deployed member. Ice Cream
and Cookies were served to all the attendees. Leftover funds will be
used to send packages of snacks to the deployed members.
C H A P T E R 5 8
TAMPA BAY, FL
Members of the chapter, left to
right, Louis Arana Jr., President;
Leonard Black, 1st VP, Luz Arana,
Auxiliary; Louis Arana Sr., Chap-
ter Past President; and Carlos Bar-
radas, Director; attended the wel-
come home ceremony for Vietnam
War veterans at Tampa’s Veteran’s
Memorial Park.
Several hundred people attended
the event at the picturesque park,
which is also home to the Rear
Admiral LeRoy Collins Jr. Muse-
um.
“It was a fitting tribute to the vet-
erans who many forgot for so
long,” said Louis Arana Jr. “But
those of us affected by the Vietnam
War never forgot. My father
served in Vietnam and so did oth-
ers in my family.”
The event had special meaning
for the chapter attendees. Florida
has more than 515,000 Vietnam
veterans. One of those was John

Silva Jr., a longtime member who
passed away March 8, 2015, after
a long illness.
But Silva is one of the lucky vets
people will not soon forget. An
accomplished and well-known
artist, Silva left behind a legacy on
canvas. His love was painting
memorial portraits of Medal of
Honor recipients, his eldest son,
Richard, said.
Silva has works displayed in the
Smithsonian Military Museum
and the Medal of Honor Museum
in Colorado Springs, Colo. He
received national acclaim for his
series of oil pastel portraits com-
memorating the famed Tuskegee
Airmen of World War II, said his
son.
Silva’s work will not fade into
the past. His son said a good por-
tion of Silva’s work, including the
Tuskegee Airman collection, will
be on display—after construction
is finished—in a new gallery addi-
tion to the Collins museum.
C H A P T E R 8 0
SAN ANTONIO, TX
C H A P T E R 9 8
ACME, PA
Chapter members were honored
at Veteran's Day ceremony by Mt
Carmel Christian School, Mt
Pleasant, Pa. Pictured, back, l-r
Carl Kovacs, Barb Kovacs,
Chuck Long, Mary Jane Mance,
and Jim Pierce. Front, l-r, Geral-
dine Stape, Shirley Shallenberg-
er, and Kathy Long
Chapter President Dennis Klep-
sky and Auxiliary Treasurer
Gwen Klepsky are shown taking
the oath of office
Chapter and Auxiliary members
visited the Fisher House in Pitts-
burgh. They presented them with
donations for their pantry. In
attendance were Ken Kibler, Pat
Kibler, Geraldine Stape, Mary
Jane Mance, Gwen Klepsky,
Susie Brooks, Ed Shallen-
berger,,Shirley Shallenberg-
er,,Barry Brooks and Dennis
Klepsky.
Tom Caldwell presents a
plaque to Jim Hall. Carl
Kovacs presents a plaque to
Tom Caldwell.H.C. Moreland, Elaine More-
land, and Don Higginbotham
present 792 boxes of cereal to the
San Antonio Food Bank. The
Chapter collected the food as part
of their annual food bank drive.
More Chapter News on Page 34

C H A P T E R N E W S
MORE Chapter 80
Don Higginbotham present a Cer-
tificate of Appreciation to CSM
Michael J. Mullaney. CSM Mul-
laney served as Guest Speaker for
their meeting. He presented an
overview of the Army/Air
Force/Navy Joint Medical Training
for all enlisted members at Ft. Sam
Houston, TX.
Stanley Meyers holds a box of
over 600 booties that were donated
to the Threads of Life. Ann Mey-
ers, standing next to Stanley,
embroidered most of them.
Don Higginbotham presents a
Certificate of Appreciation to Wes
“Shorty” Salmans, of the Wreaths
Across America Program. He
served as a speaker at the chapter
meeting.
Chapter President Don Higgin-
botham introduces SrA Stefanie
Worsham as the chapter’s honored
guest at the Chapter’s Christmas
Dinner. Stefanie had just complet-
ed a combat tour as a combat
medic.
C H A P T E R 5 8
TAMPA BAY, FL
Larry and Paz Hyland traveled to
the University of Central Florida to
attend a RAD (Retiree Activities
Day) conducted by the U.S. Army
Retirement Services Office from Ft
Stewart, GA. There were attendees
from Georgia, Florida, and South
Carolina. Larry & Paz manned a
booth, talked with the attendees about
TREA: The Enlisted Association,
handed out informational material,
and held a drawing for a free one-year membership. They recruited sev-
eral new members. Pictured is (above) Ms. Carol Hughes retired Army
E-7 from Miami, FL; (far right, upper) Ms. Sharon E. Nelson (left) and
Ms. Lavora Edwards (right) both retired Army E-8’s from Tampa, FL,
and Mr. Roberto F. Scott (far right, bottom) retired Army E-7 also from
Tampa, FL.

MEMBER AT LARGE
NEWS
MEMBERS AT LARGE (MALs):
We want to hear from you. What are you doing in your communities for veterans, active
duty, and spouses/childen at home. Send your articles and pictures to:
The Voice Editor,
1111 S. Abilene Ct.,
Aurora, CO 80012,
or email them to editor@trea.org
The FY 2016 defense budget
proposal continues the plan to ulti-
mately reduce the annual commis-
sary subsidy by $1 billion. Accord-
ing to a recently released report by
the RAND Corporation, “Past and
recent proposals to eliminate the
subsidy, have been made in the
name of reducing the DoD budg-
et.” The National Defense Budget
Estimate for Fiscal Year 2016 is
approximately $585 billion. With
the proposed commissary cuts
only saving .05% of the budget,
why does the DoD continue to
look at this “important non-pay
benefit” as a cost saving measure?
These cuts hurt the very people
DoD needs to re-enlist at a time
when retention is becoming
increasingly challenging and those
that have already sacrificed and
devoted their entire adult lives in
service to our nation: retirees.
DoD solicited the expertise of the
RAND Corporation to review how
price increases have effected gro-
cery retailers in the private sector.
RAND used this data to analyze
how this might translate into
changes in sales and revenue at the
commissaries. RAND’s report
said:
� Commissary patrons typically
buy more groceries than customers
of comparable civilian
supermarkets.
� Patrons travel greater dis-
tances to take advantage of this
benefit and frequently remain on
base to shop at the exchanges after
shopping at the commissary.
� Half of eligible commissary
shoppers are retirees and one-
quarter are active-duty personnel,
E-1 through E-3.
RAND’s conclusion was not sur-
prising: “If the appropriation is
eliminated, prices at the commis-
saries will likely rise and/or stores
may no longer be financially
viable.” The report went on to say
that, “raising overall price levels
will not be a successful strategy to
cover the shortfalls in costs caused
by the elimination of the annual
Department of Defense appropria-
tion. The $411 billion in acquisi-
tion program overruns would
cover the entire cost of sequestra-
tion or pay for the commissary
subsidy for nearly the next 300
years. With the proposed cuts only
saving the DoD very little, you
need to ask your elected officials
why the commissaries are repeat-
edly the target of DoD budget cuts,
especially when they provide such
a significant benefit that is highly
valued by so many.
z
DECA Budget Cuts
Commissaries Targeted Again

Russell Abernathy - Chapter 72 (USA)
Donald Arrowood - MAL (USAF)
Noble Ash - MAL (USN)
Alfred P August - Chapter 80 (USAF)
Eden Auman - MAL (USN)
Gordon L Ayers - MAL (USAF)
Charles E Bailey - Chapter 1 (USAF)
Joe Barcellos - Chapter 1 (USA)
Donald C Barthlow - MAL (USA)
John Beckman - MAL (USAF)
Harold J Beintker - MAL (USA)
Richard P Belcher - MAL (USAF)
Frank L Benson Jr - MAL (USA)
Wilson H Bevan - Chapter 98 (USAF)
Terrell S Birch - MAL (USAF)
Loren F Blass - Chapter 1 (USA)
Samuel Boynton - MAL (USA)
Thomas A Branch - MAL (USAF)
Lester R Brooks - Chapter 101 (USA)
Tom Brown - Chapter 1 (USA)
Robert Burgie - MAL (USN)
James M Burr - MAL (USAF)
James Cafferty Jr - Chapter 53 (USN)
Richard Carmody - MAL (USAF)
Eugenia Cavedo - MAL (USA)
James SM Chamberlain - MAL (USAF)
Charles H Cleveland - MAL (USAF)
Rupert D Cobb - MAL (USA)
Carl Conner - MAL (USN)
William R Creek Jr - Chapter 105 (USAF)
Dennis Crenshaw - MAL (USN)
Lloyd Cyr - MAL
Earl C Darden - Chapter 53 (USAF)
Frederick Dashnaw - MAL (USAF)
Jerrell R Davis - Chapter 39 (USAF)
Mrs Thelma Deryke - MAL Associate)
Donald S DeYoung - Chapter 128 (USN)
Richard T Dorsey - Chapter 1 (USA)
Neil E Drabinski - Chapter 111 (USA)
Richard Eastlick - MAL (USN)
George A Eglinger - MAL (USN)
Thomas E Eskau - MAL (USAF)
Steven Ethington - MAL (USAF)
Michael A Evans - MAL (USAF)
Luverne W Fanjoy - MAL (USN)
Kenneth F Forbes - MAL (USAF)
Walter H Franklin - Chapter 3 (USAF)
Ray E Frazier - Chapter 38 (USAF)
Richard W Froehlich - Chapter 105 (USA)
Robert Furman - MAL (USAF)
Charles Gillard - MAL (USA)
Alicia Gillians - MAL
William Goodson - MAL (USAF)
Theodore Grable - MAL (USN)
Robert A Haerr - MAL (USAF)
Jack A Harris - MAL (USN)
Charles H Harrison - MAL (USAF)
Manning B Hatcher - MAL (USAF)
Carson B Hensley - Chapter 29 (USAF)
Robert Hess - MAL (USN)
Stanley J Hill - MAL (USAF)
Kenneth Holloway - MAL
Grant R Jackson - Chapter 70 (USAF)
Phillip M Jackson - MAL (USAF)
John A James - MAL (USAF)
James A Johnson Sr - MAL (USN)
Dale L Kroger - MAL (USN)
Michael F Kruleski Jr - MAL (USAF)
Gerald R Labarre - MAL (USAF)
Arthur H Lalonde - MAL (USN)
Robert W Lambert - MAL (USAF)
George Larsen - MAL (USA)
Coy Lewis - Chapter 16 (USAF)
Donald R Lindeman - Chapter 1
James H Lunsford Sr - Chapter 101 (USAF)
Raymond Marshall - MAL (USN)
David W Mausser - Chapter 29 (USA)
Wallace B McCune - Chapter 98 (USAF)
Bobby McCutcheon - MAL
B.C. McDonald - Chapter 53 (USAF)
William V McIntosh - MAL (USAF)
Robert B McKinley - MAL (USAN)
Laurence McKinstry - MAL (USAF)
Robert McKitrick - MAL (USN)
Even Medellin - Chapter 80 (USAF)
Antonio R Mendiola - Chapter 80 (USAF)
Elwyn H Meyers - MAL (USAF)
Ejnar Burl Middendorf - Chapter 16 (USAF)
David Miller - MAL (USAF)
Earl E Miller - MAL (USAF)
Frank M Miller - Chapter 41 (USAF)
Gerald J Miloch - MAL (USAF)
Wilmer E Millward - MAL (USAF)
Louis Montgomery - MAL (USAF)
James E Moore - Chapter 1 (USAF)
John S Moore - MAL (USAF)
Samuel Morton - MAL (USAF)
Charles A Napier - MAL (USA)
Irvin L Neil - MAL (USAF)
Ralph C Nixon - MAL (USAF)
Arthur O’Neill - MAL (USAF)
Raymond Ornelas - MAL (USAF)
Mildred Orrell - MAL (USN)
Jackie R Overcash - MAL (USAF)
Dale Owens - MAL (USAF)
Harvey E Payment - MAL (USAF)
Dewayne Pearson - MAL (USA)
Asa G Peckham III - MAL (USAF)
James T Peden - Chapter 3 (USA)
Harry Peterson - Chapter 55 (USA)
Jerry P Phillips - MAL (USAF)
Thomas A Phillips - MAL (USAF)
George Pizont - MAL (USN)
Robert S Platt - MAL (USAF)
Elijah Poinsette - Chapter 24 (USA)
James Pratt Jr - Chapter 1 (USA)
Thomas Prest - MAL (USN)
William Purdy - MAL (USN)
Alan T Read - MAL (USAF)
Clifford J Reichert - MAL
Stanley Reinthaler - MAL (USAF)
Robert P Richard - MAL (USNR)
Wilford A Robison - Chapter 16 (USA)
William Rocher - MAL (USAF)
Thomas L Roberts - MAL (USAF)
Joseph P Robinson - MAL (USAF)
Theodore J Rogers - MAL (USAF)
Edmund S Ruffin - MAL (USAF)
Eugene D Ruybal - Chapter 3 (USN)
Donald Sager - MAL (USAF)
Arthur Sandoval - Chapter 39 (USAF)
Clyde Schine - MAL (USAF)
Donald Schnell - Chapter 76 (USN)
Robert A Scott - MAL (USAF)
Lloyd Shelton - Chapter 1 (USA)
Clifford M Shoemaker - MAL (USAF)
Frederic J Shook - Chapter 69 (USAF)
Robert Skaggs - MAL (USAF)
Alfred Smith - MAL (USN)
James C Smith - MAL (USAF)
George C Snyder Jr - MAL (USN)
Eldredge Sonnier - MAL (USA)
Lloyd B Spain - MAL (USAF)
Wilford R Spencer - MAL (USAF)
Robert Sprenger - Chapter 1 (USAF)
Walter A Stevens - MAL (USAF)
Donald L Stinson - MAL (USA)
John R Stone - MAL (USAF)
Robert Stone - MAL (USA)
Vorrus L Stumborg - MAL (USAF)
James Swiatowy - MAL (USAF)
Virgil Swope - MAL (USAF)
Claude Taylor Jr - MAL (USA)
Neal Thomas Jr - Chapter 1
Fred A Thompson - Chapter 38 (USAF)
William E Tirey - MAL (USAF)
William A Titterington - Chapter 53 (USAF)
Margarito Torres - Chapter 55 (USA)
Walter Vigre - MAL (USN)
Clarence J Wade Jr - MAL (USA)
Alvin Wallace - MAL (USN)
Bobby A Wallace - Chapter 29 (USAF)
Keith P Ware - Chapter 98 (USN)
William Warren - MAL (USAF)
Kenneth Warrior - MAL
Mike Washington - Chapter 1 (USA)
Lee A Webb Jr - Chapter 69 (USAF)
Charles L Wheeler - Chapter 39 (USAF)
Billy Ray Williams - MAL (USA)
Charles Monroe Williams - MAL (USAF)
Donald G Williams - MAL (USAF)
Kenneth E Williams - MAL
Robert L Williams - Chapter 16 (USAF)
Thomas Williams - MAL
John Williford Jr - MAL (USAF)
Grady Wilson - MAL (USN)
Herman R Wilson - MAL (USA)
William G Wilson Jr - Chapter 1 (USA)
Carl F Woodbury - Chapter 58 (USAF)
James H World - MAL
Francis E Zimmerman - MAL (USN)

Dear Auxiliary Members,
It’s Springtime in the Rockies! Do you think it is safe to put the snow
shovels away? Hopefully we are truly in Spring and wonderful Colorado
weather.
Many thanks to all of you who have donated to the Spring label pro-
gram. It is one of our biggest fundraisers and we appreciate your support.
The TREA Auxiliary scholarship applications are on-line. The deadline is
June 1st. Any questions please contact Pat Mitchell, our scholarship
chairperson. Also, a gentle reminder, if you attended last year’s conven-
tion, please e-mail any photos to Auxiliary chaplain, Betty Love at
bkenlove@msn.com. All you ladies who have benefited from the Auxiliary
WEF Program, please let your fellow members know about it, so they
can apply.
The National Board of Directors and I would like to wish all of our
mom’s a very Happy Mother’s Day, and of course to all the Fathers, a
Happy Father’s Day in June!
UNITED WE STAND H
Vice President
Irmgard Cates
Treasurer
Audrey McCray
2-Year Director/Chaplain
Betty Love
2-Year Director
Pat Mitchell
1-Year Director
Sherry Eller
Secretary
Sandy Ott
Parliamentarian
Elaine Warner-Savage
APNP
Doris Bryant
2014-2015 National
Auxiliary Board of Directors
Renee
This year is swiftly passing by and
it is time for us to start thinking
about which National Auxiliary
Board position we plan to run for.
The Nominating Committee is ask-
ing every Chapter President to
encourage your chapter members to
run for a position on the National
Board of Directors.
Positions that are available are:
President, Vice President, Treasurer
and 1 Two-Year Director.
All Members at Large (MAL) are
also eligible to run for positions on
the National Board of Directors.
To run for a National Auxiliary
office, complete TREA Auxiliary
Form 100-3A, Resume For Candi-
date For Elected Office. This form
can be found on our website at:
http://www.trea.org/Org/
AuxiliaryForms.html
Deadline is June 17, 2015.
Then mail or fax to:
Irmgard Cates, Vice President
Nominating Committee Chairman
6161 Del Paz Dr
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
719.593.0112 Home/Fax
Email: irmy@comcast.net
NOMINATING COMMITTEE

TREA AUXILIARY MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM
PO Box 91180, Washington DC 20090-1180
Please renew my TREA Auxiliary Membership
Member No: _____________________
Name: _____________________________________________________________
DOB: ________________Telephone No.: __________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________________
City: _______________________ State: ____________ Zip: ____________
Spouse’s Name: ____________________ Spouse Member #: _______________
Widow/Widower r Chapter of Assignment: __________________
Recruiter: _________________________Recruiter Member No.: ______________
r 1 year - $20 r 2 years - $40 r 3 years - $45
Make checks payable to TREA National Auxiliary
Membership Inquiries Benefits and Service TREA Legislative Office
800-808-4517, X1010 800-808-4514 703-684-1981
rr
Yes, I want to join
TREA Auxiliary
Code:XV0215
Chaplain’s Corner
by Betty Love Chaplain
By APNP Doris Bryant, Awards
Chairperson
Soon all Chapter Presidents will
be receiving forms and instructions
to submit your chapter activities
and involvement in your commu-
nities. What better way to have
your Chapter recognized for your
contributions to TREA. Last year
six chapters participated. We want
the involvement of more chapters.
All Awards will be presented at the
convention in St. Louis this year.
AWARDS

Auxiliary 34
GlendaleH Az
Auxiliary 80
San Antonio H TX
The Chapter Auxiliary gives
homeless veterans a hand up. On
February 11, TREA members met
at the Arizona State Fairground to
support the Annual Maricopa
StandDown and gave a significant
monetary donation to the Home-
less Women Veterans. As a direct
result of their donation, 176 home-
less veterans in the Women and
Family Section were given a hand
up. The donation was used to pur-
chase essential personal items to
help these women.
The Arizona StandDown is the
state’s, singular outreach event for
homeless veterans and is held in
several counties each year. It relies
upon contributions from the pub-
lic. The goal of the Arizona Stand-
Down Alliance is to raise aware-
ness of the issue of homelessness
among veterans. TREA supports
military community outreach pro-
grams. For more information, call
623-849-2734.
The Chapter Auxiliary installed
their new Board of Directors. Pic-
tured are Sue Dye, Pat Kibler,
Mary Jane Mance, Sue Brooks,
Barb Kovacs, Kathy Long, Jenis
Cane, and Shirley Shallenberger.
The Auxiliary along with the
Chapter made donations of hand-
crocheted and knitted booties,
lovie bears and caps to Threads of
Love, a non-profit organization
created to provide admission bas-
kets to premature babies in hospi-
tals throughout the United States.
During the tour of the facility, the
chapter members learned more
about their mission. They saw the
beautiful items for the premies,
including christening gowns. They
also shed some tears when they
saw the exquisite burial gowns and
tiny caskets.
In 2014, the organization gave
the Auxiliary a new project – mak-
ing journals for the families of the
premies to document activities
from birth forward. The organiza-
tion provided material to create
journals with very specific instruc-
tions and kinds of materials used;
even provided schematics. The
auxiliary made over 100 of these
journals and donated them while
there.
President Elaine Moreland and
member Guadelupe Scott, made
and donated booties. The president
also collected patterns so that tal-
ented auxiliary members could
make more items for next year’s
visit. She also made and donated
Lovie Bears. These little bears are
placed against the mother’s breast
and then placed on the baby. The
mother’s scent on the bears helps
the bonding process between
mother and baby.
Member Anne Meyer donated a
basket filled with red/white caps
that she crocheted, that may be
used at any time and will be a spe-
cial treat for babies during Christ-
mas.
Auxiliary President
Elaine Moreland looks on
as the San Antonio Food
Bank takes 792 boxes of
cereal that were donated
by the chapter.
Auxiliary 98
Acme H PA

Reprinted from Stars & Stripes,
by Heath Druzin - One year after
revelations that a VA hospital was
denying veterans care and falsify-
ing data to hide it, the federal
agency tasked with looking after
Americans who have served in the
military is under more scrutiny
than ever, with many growing
impatient with pace of the agency’s
overhaul. “I’m incredibly disap-
pointed with the lack of progress,”
said Katherine Mitchell, a Phoenix
VA doctor whose reporting last
spring helped expose what turned
out to be a nationwide crisis in vet-
erans’ health care. The scandal
started in earnest last April, when
House Veterans Affairs Committee
Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL)
said during a hearing that veterans
may have died while awaiting care
in Phoenix and that the hospital
may have two sets of records to
conceal wait times. Both allega-
tions turned out to be true.
Phoenix, though, was just the
beginning. News of that hospital’s
malfeasance led to the discovery of
similar horror stories at VA hospi-
tals throughout the country: poor
care, unexpected deaths, under-
staffing, over-prescription of nar-
cotics, construction debacles. One
year later, new failures are
documented every week.
� As the VA chips away at a
long-standing backlog in disability
claims, the backlog for appeals of
denied claims is growing. More
than 300,000 appeals are pending
as of January, according to the VA.
Nationally, the average length of
time to receive a decision on an
appeal is 1,255 days — nearly 3½
years.
� The wanton dispensing of nar-
cotics at a Wisconsin hospital
earned it the nickname “Candy
Land.” Patients at the Tomah Med-
ical Center were 2.5 times more
likely than the national average to
receive high doses of opiates. Six
congressional hearings have been
held this year to discuss overmed-
ication and abuse of authority at
the Tomah VA.
� The Choice Card program that
enables veterans who live far away
from a VA or face 30-day or more
wait times to access private care
was quickly labeled as flawed. The
restrictive 40-mile rule has already
been eased.
� Construction of a medical cen-
ter in Aurora, Colo., is more than
$1 billion over budget, costing
more than twice as much as the
heavily fortified U.S. Embassy in
Baghdad. Congressional leaders
are threatening to withhold funding
until someone takes responsibility
for the overruns and delays. Just
this week, Miller suggested the VA
should consider selling the
hospital.
� Reports of retaliation against
VA whistleblowers continue,
despite VA leaders saying that
retaliation will not be tolerated.
More than 25 whistleblowers have
received legal settlements, but 120
active investigations remain,
according to Miller’s office.
The scandal cost former VA Sec-
retary Eric Shinseki his job, and
former Procter & Gamble CEO
Bob McDonald replaced him in
late July, accepting what some see
as the most unforgiving job in gov-
ernment — reform and reorganiza-
tion of the second largest and most
dysfunctional department in the
federal government. When he’s not
being hauled in front of occasion-
ally hostile lawmakers to discuss
the VA’s myriad problems, he faces
an entrenched bureaucracy that is
resistant to change and rules that
make it difficult to fire people in
his own department. “He came into
one of the most difficult jobs in the
federal government at one of the
most difficult times to be in the
job,” said Ryan Gallucci, Veterans
of Foreign Wars’ deputy director
for national veterans service.
In an interview with Stars and
Stripes, McDonald acknowledged
that his department still has a long
way to go in its reforms, but he
pointed to shorter wait times, a
shrinking disability claims back-
log, and an effective effort to lower
veterans’ homelessness as signs of
success. “Give us a try,” he said.
“In my first national press confer-
ence last September I gave out my
cell phone number and I get calls
from hundreds of veterans every
single day. Now, I’m getting
roughly 35 percent of the calls
…where the message I’m getting
is, ‘You changed my life, you
helped me get in.’” So far even the
staunchest critics of the VA’s
reforms are sticking by McDonald,
though there’s a rising call for him
to fire more of those responsible
for the problems. “No one thought
the department’s problems would
magically disappear upon the
appointment of a new secretary,”
Miller said in an email response to
Stars and Stripes. “But it’s been a
year since the scandal broke, and
the department is still facing chal-
lenges with transparency, protect-
ing whistleblowers and conveying
accurate information to the public.
It’s simply naïve to think these
issues will subside in the absence
of the thorough housecleaning the
department desperately needs.”
Mitchell, who was given com-
pensation and a new job from the
VA after administrators at the
Phoenix VA retaliated against her
for speaking out, has become a go-
to person for VA employees who
want to report wrongdoing.
“They’re very scared of retalia-
tion,” she said. “The culture has
VA Scrutiny
Higher than Ever After
One Year
>>> Scrutiny, Page 46 >>>

not changed. Asked about that per-
sistent fear, McDonald said he
expects more employees to receive
compensation for maltreatment, and
he encouraged whistleblowers fac-
ing retaliation to call him on his cell
phone, a number he has given out
publicly. “We will not tolerate retri-
bution,” he said. “We cannot
improve unless we have people crit-
icizing [us].” Much of the leader-
ship implicated in wrongdoing
throughout the VA system is still in
place or on paid leave, which has
been especially irksome to veterans
advocates, lawmakers and whistle-
blowers. Only a handful of those at
the center of the scandal have left,
and many were able to retire, keep-
ing generous pension packages.
“Sometimes I think there’s a little
more damage control than appetite
to overhaul the system,” said Pete
Hegseth, CEO of the conservative
veterans group Concerned Veterans
for America and one of the
staunchest critics of the VA’s han-
dling of the crisis. While senior
leaders played a large role in fuel-
ing the toxic atmosphere of the VA,
some advocates worry the misdeeds
of relatively few leaders is taking
focus away from a dire need to
reform the culture of the midlevel
bureaucrats and administrators who
have more direct interaction with
patient care. “The secretary has
made an attempt to do that at the
higher levels, but we find the prob-
lem really lies in what we call the
frozen middle,” Veterans of Foreign
Wars senior legislative associate
Carlos Fuentes said. “Some of them
even feel they can wait out the sec-
retary or the [public] focus on the
access crisis.” One year later, veter-
ans are still waiting too long for
care, but the ongoing scrutiny has
forced even reluctant administrators
to improve their practices. Keeping
up that pressure is key to continued
improvement, American Legion
Executive Director Verna Jones
said. “The curtain’s been lifted,”
she said.
z
New VA Surviving Spouse Website
The Department of Veteran Affairs has created a new internet web-
site for surviving spouses and dependents of military personnel who
died on active duty and for survivors and dependents of veterans who
died after leaving the service. The site is organized into two broad cat-
egories-death in service and death after service. It provides visitors
with information and about a wide range of benefits for surviving
spouse, dependent children, and dependent parents of diseased veter-
ans and active duty personnel. The site also has information from, and
links to, other federal agencies and organizations that offer benefits
and services to survivors and dependents. Several options also apply
to surviving retirees participating in the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP),
where the spouse is lost through death, divorce or annulment, and the
retiree later remarries. Unless the former spouse coverage elected as
part of the divorce, retirees who remarry have two choices. They can:
Resume the prior level of coverage; Elect not to resume spouse SBP
coverage, (this election is irrevocable), this election will not affect
child coverage; or if the original election was for reduced coverage,
the retiree may request the base amount be increased. There is also a
link to frequently asked questions, and answer most questions. For
more specific questions the site tells how to contact the VA directly.
The new website can be found at http://www.vba.va.gov/survivors.
Some of the topics found on this page include:
 Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
 Parents’ Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
 Survivors Pension
 Home Loans
 Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program
 Educational and Vocational Counseling
 Beneficiary Financial Counseling
 Civil Service Preference
 Commissary and Exchange Privileges
 Children of Vietnam Veterans with Certain Birth Defects
 Fiduciary Services
z
<<< Scrutiny, from page 44 <<<

TREA: THE ENLISTED ASSOCIATION
Membership Application
YOU CAN NOW JOIN ON LINE THROUGH OUR SECURE SERVER:
https://www.trea.org/NewOnlineApp.pdf
Membership Categories:
Regular Members - Any enlisted person -- retired, active duty, National Guard or Reserves -- shall be eligible for regular mem-
bership. Any Active Duty Enlisted person shall enjoy the privileges of regular membership, including attending conventions,
making motions, and holding office.
Veteran Members - Any honorably discharged person (as noted on a DD214 or NGB-22) may apply for membership. They may
attend convention, vote, and make motions. They must be a member in good standing for three years to eligible to run for Nation-
al office. The term “regular member” encompasses both charter and life members of TREA.
Associate Members - Widows/widowers of members and non-members, who were eligible for membership at the time of their
death, are eligible to join TREA: The Enlisted Association as associate members. Associate members are not eligible for life mem-
bership. Associate members shall enjoy the privileges of regular membership, except the right to make motions, vote, or hold
office.
£ Yes, I want to take advantage of the great benefits that TREA: The Enlisted Association offers and be a member of an
organization that is fighting to protect the benefits of all military enlisted personnel of the Armed Forces.
Name: ________________________________________________________________ DOB: __________________________
Address: ______________________________________ City: ___________________ State: ______ Zip: ____________
Phone: ( )______________________________ Branch of Service: ___________________ Grade: ________________
Years of Service: ________ to ________ Date of Retirement: __________ VA Disability Rating, if applicable: __________
Email: ________________________________________________ TREA Chapter (if applicable): _____________________
Spouse Name: ________________________________________________
Recruiter (if applicable): _________________________________ Recruiter Member No:____________________________
RECRUITERS -- IT IS IMPORTANT TO USE YOUR MEMBERSHIP NUMBER IF YOU WANT CREDIT FOR A RECRUIT!
£ 1 Year - $30 £3 Years - $55 £ Lifetime - $400* £- Age 70+Lifetime - $325*
£ *Lifetime, paid in 10 quarterly payments (attach first payment of $42 - (Total $420)
£ *Age 70+Lifetime, paid in 10 quarterly payments (attach first payment of $34.50 - (Total $345)
Member Type: £ Regular £ Veteran £ Associate Renewal of Membership No.: _____________________
Charge my dues to: £VISA £Mastercard £Discover £AMX No.: ______________________ Exp: _____________
If paying by check, make checks payable to TREA. If your payment is returned for Non Sufficient Funds (NSF),
you acknowledge that you will be charged a $20 NSF fee.
Send completed application to: TREA, PO Box 473280, Aurora, CO 80047-3280
TREA HQ: 800-338-9337
HELP US TRACK OUR RECRUITMENT EFFORTS. PLEASE CHECK THE BOX BELOW IF APPLICABLE:
£ - I got this application from a free copy I picked up at the BX, Pharmacy, VA or other site:________________________
CHANGE OF ADDRESS/CHAPTER ASSIGNMENT
Name: ____________________________________________ Member No: ____________________________________
Old Address: _______________________________________ New Address: ___________________________________
City, State, Zip: _____________________________________ City, State, Zip: __________________________________
Phone: ( )_______________________________________ Phone: ( ) ____________________________________
Email: ____________________________________________
Change of Assignment:
£ - Member-At-Large to Chapter # _____
£ - Chapter #_____ to Chapter # _____
£ - Chapter # _____ to Member-At-Large
Signature: _____________________________ Date: _________________
Code: TV0515
TREA Form 100-8 - 10/99
TREA Form 100-85

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