Tricare and Military Retirement Issues

Military Compensation Report Released

August 5th, 2008

Today the second volume of tenth quadrennial review of military compensation has been released for all to see. This document is a series of recommendations used to help form policy - volume one dealt with cash compensation areas such as pay comparability, special and incentive pays, pay for performance and housing.

Volume two deals with, among other things, military retirement and Tricare. Both are hot topics - the report suggests some changes that could/would be more costly to the service member.

One example for Tricare again figures to raise the premiums when in most retirees eyes there should not be a premium at all - “what happened to free medical for life?”

The QRMC recommends that TRICARE Prime premiums for single retirees
under age 65 be set at 40 percent of the Medicare Part B premium, with the
family rate set at twice the single rate, regardless of family size. TRICARE
Standard/Extra premiums for single retirees should be set at 15 percent of
the Part B Premium, with the family rate set at twice the single rate.

Retirement? You need to read the report to grasp it all, well read as much as you can, take a couple of aspirin and continue - here is an excerpt I can see much debate over;

…results suggest that separation pay would be an effective tool for reducing
career lengths in certain “youth and vigor” occupations where shorter careers are
desirable. Separation pay could also be offered to personnel in professional fields
where longer careers are preferable, as long as gate pays or other current incentives are
in place to encourage retention.

What the heck is a “youth to vigor” occupation? Whatever occupation that is do you strip it of all its wisdom and experience?

If you were King for a day, what would your solution be to military retirement and health care?

You can read the full recommendations, in much greater detail, in the QRMC report (3.9MB PDF).