Editor’s Note: The “People First” section is compiled from information from the Air Force Personnel Center, TRICARE, 56th Force Support Squadron, Airman and Family Readiness Flight, Veterans Affairs, the civilian personnel office and armed forces news services. For the complete story, go to the web address listed at the end of the story.
AF releases Form 910, implements forced distro
The revised Air Force Form 910, Enlisted Performance Report (airman basic through technical sergeant); and interim change 3 to Air Force Instruction 36-2406, “Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems,” have been published on the Air Force e-Publishing website.
The interim change codifies forced distribution of promotion recommendations for technical sergeants and below (including staff and technical sergeant-selects), which was implemented using Air Force Form 910 for the Nov. 30 technical sergeant and technical sergeant-select EPR static closeout date.
The new form and interim change, with the associated forced distribution process, are the latest significant changes to the Enlisted Evaluation and Weighted Airman Promotion Systems since the transformation began last summer. The promotion recommendation restrictions associated with forced distribution only apply to the regular Air Force.
For technical sergeants and below, forced distribution limits the top two promotion recommendations a commander is authorized to give to time-in-grade/time-in-service promotion-eligible Airmen.
Overseas members entitled care stateside
Overseas military families may face a problem when they return home to the United States for the holidays.
Service members and their families enrolled in the TRICARE Overseas Program Prime Remote are entitled to visit hospitals and clinics stateside and receive the same priority status as stateside enrollees. However, many of these overseas members are being denied access to care at medical treatment facilities simply because they are not enrolled to the MTF where they are seeking care.
The Health Affairs Policy 11-005 provides guidance for the access to care standards for health care benefits under the TRICARE program for beneficiaries. Priority access to MTFs is based on enrollment status, and Prime/Prime Remote enrollees have priority access for care ahead of non-enrolled beneficiaries in all MTFs, according to the policy.
If TOP Prime/Prime Remote enrollees need care at a stateside MTF, TRICARE reminds those MTFs that this is an opportunity to support military readiness, recapture patients and keep costs low for the Military Health System.
SecAF implements security measures after attacks
In response to the defense secretary’s call to improve the security and force protection of defense personnel after the tragic events in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James introduced more stringent security measures to reduce the possibility of violent acts directed toward Airmen on and off installations.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter initially charged the secretaries of the military departments with improving physical and procedural security, mass warning and alert notification capabilities and augmenting security.
In addition, off-installation facilities will establish and maintain emergency action plans and practice these plans through training exercises at least twice a year.
“We are working with (the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence) toward an armed contract solution for off-installation facilities like our recruiting stations, and we are strengthening relationships with local law enforcement agencies and partnering on exercises to ensure all personnel are prepared to respond to future incidents,” James said.
Avoid paying more for prescription drugs
This December, TRICARE beneficiaries can take action to avoid paying more for some prescription drugs. Beneficiaries filling a prescription for a select brand name maintenance drug at a retail pharmacy may need to move their prescription to either a military pharmacy or TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery. If not, they may have to pay full cost for their prescription.
Beneficiaries can move their prescriptions by contacting the TRICARE pharmacy contactor, Express Scripts (ESI) at 1-877-363-1303 or by using ESI’s secure online portal.
If beneficiaries are an active-duty service member, live overseas or have other prescription drug coverage and can continue using retail pharmacies with no changes to their current copays.
The new rule began Oct. 1, but allows you to get two 30-day refills of an affected drug from a retail pharmacy. For many, those two refills will run out in December and their next prescription refill needs to be through Home Delivery or at a military pharmacy.
