A special website has been prepared by the Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas for signing a voting reform petition online. It only takes one minute to click on this petition website and sign your name. Your name will not be used for any sollicitation.

A number of groups representing Overseas Americans have been trying to get the election laws amended to make it easier and more effective to vote from abroad. Please sign the petition and encourage others to do so. With a joint House/Senate committee about to meet to reconcile two different versions of reform bills, we need to urge then to get on with this task and get a good bill passed.

Back to the top

ACA, in partnership with AARO (Association of Americans Resident Overseas), ALLAMO (Alliance of American Organizations--Spain & Portugal), FAWCO (Federation of American Womens Clubs Overseas), and the ABCGC (American Business Council of the Gulf Countries), has been working for the last several months on preparing an exciting first ever "Overseas Americans Week" in Washington.

This celebration will take place in the nation's capital from May 6-9, 2002. Cocktail parties, working breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and lots of meetings have been arranged so far with:

• The State Department,
• The General Accounting Office,
• The Voice of America
• The Association of American Retired People,
• National Public Radio, and others.

There will be working sessions with leading lobbyists to discuss the most effective techniques for making things happen in the Administration and in the Congress. A welcome cocktail party and farewell dinner are planned at the Cosmos Club. There will also be a Press Conference on "What 4 million Overseas Americans Mean to America" at the National Press Club.

Further on the agenda is a Foreign Policy Dinner debate on "America's Role Overseas, and the Role of Overseas Americans in the Coming Decade", also at the National Press Club. Dinner guests so far include former Congressman Bill Alexander, former Presidential Advisor Bill Cable, and former CIA Director Jim Woolsey.

There is still time to join in the fun! The participation fee is $350 which will cover some of the meals. For more information, please contact the ACA office at acage@aca.ch.

Back to the top

Following is a recent News Release from the TRICARE Management Activity.

Since the implementation last year of expanded pharmacy and medical benefits under TRICARE Senior Pharmacy and TRICARE For Life, many Medicare-eligible uniformed services beneficiaries, age 65 and over, are now enjoying a peace of mind that comes with having a robust health care benefit. They no longer have to pay expensive supplemental insurance premiums, higher co-payments, or entire prescription charges because the TRICARE For Life program acts as second payer to Medicare, and the pharmacy program provides coverage they don't have from Medicare.

"Beneficiaries have reported savings of $3,000-$4,000 on their prescriptions, alone. With most prescriptions available to them for a $3 or $9 co-pay, some can now purchase prescriptions they didn't feel they could afford before. Not only are they saving money, but many are enjoying a better quality of daily living," states Thomas Carrato, Executive Director of TRICARE Management Activity (TMA).

While most of the 1.5 million TRICARE For Life-eligible beneficiaries have been located through extensive outreach communications efforts by TMA, regional lead agents, managed care support contractors, and various beneficiary associations, many still do not know they have this coverage. Their files in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) have not been updated, and they have not renewed their military identification (ID) cards. Continued eligibility for military benefits must be established periodically, because certain events (like divorce from a military retiree, or remarriage of a widow) may cause eligibility to end.

As a result, when Medicare "automatically" sent its first 5 million claims to TRICARE for its newly eligible over 65 beneficiaries, it became evident that some of these claims belonged to beneficiaries whose information had not been updated, and whose ID cards had expired. These claims initially were denied by TRICARE, but agency officials announced that they will pay these claims temporarily, without requiring beneficiaries of providers to resubmit them. "We will use this opportunity to advise people on their Explanations of Benefits that they must update their information and ID cards. Those who fail to do so will have future TRICARE claims denied," explained Mr. Carrato.

After Aug. 1, 2002, all claims for beneficiaries with expired eligibility will be denied until their eligibility information is updated. During March, DEERS will notify many of the people with outdated information and expired ID cards with a letter.

DEERS also sends an "age in" letter to newly eligible beneficiaries 90 days before their 65th birthdays, explaining how they can remain eligible for TRICARE benefits. The best way to verify TRICARE eligibility in DEERS and to obtain a current ID card is to go to an ID issuing facility. Its personnel can provide information about the deocumentation that is necessary, its address and hours of operation. If it is not possible for a beneficiary to go to an ID card facility, he or she should call the DOD Reverification line, +1-800-361-2620. for guidance. Information about the nearest ID card facility can be found on the World Wide Web at: www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl, or by calling TRICARE's toll free number, +1-888-DOD-Life (+1-888-363-5433).

Back to the top

In ACA News Updates 91 and 95, the subject concerning the Class Action Lawsuit being pursued by Colonel (Retired) Medal of Honor recipient "Bud" Day was addressed. Although the preceeding subject (Tricare) may appear to have resolved this lawsuit, in reality, it is far cry from such. Before a 65-year-or-older military retiree and/or his 65-or-older living spouse can enroll in the Tricare for Life program both must first be enrolled in Medicare, Part B. Presently this coverage will cost them a minimum of $1296 per year.

Prior to June 1957 and as an incentive to encourage military members to make the military a career by staying and serving for at least 20 years, without a break in service, they were promised health and medical benefits for themselves and their spouses for life without any cost to them whatsoever. Many military personnel were encouraged by this promise and by virtue of such, elected to remain in the armed forces for 20 or more years and endure the many hardships, separations and sacrifices that are an inherent part of the military rather than seek a career elsewhere.

Since July 1996 Colonel George "Bud" Day, also an attorney, has been pursuing a Class Action lawsuit against the United States government in an attempt towards rectifying this broken promise made to those "who joined before June 1957" retirees. On March 6, 2002 a hearing was held on the Military Retiree Medical Care. Day stated that after reviewing the questions that were posed by the court members and the general thrust of the court's questions, the en banc panel was approaching the case the same way the three-judge panel did when they held for plaintiffs Robert Reinlie and William O. Schism in February 2000, which was in their favor. He noted that since the court had already ruled in his favor with a long written opinion, this 12-judge panel would probably adopt some version of that order in the very near future.

Day also noted that the court did not seem too impressed with the government's claim that this order could cost the U.S. some $15 billion for the 1,500,000 WWII/Korean retirees/veterans. Bud says that the Little Tucker statute caps each claim at $10,000 for the service member, and, if the court acts favorably to his motion to include spouses as plaintiffs, $10,000 for his/her spouse, if both are paying Medicare Part B premiums. It appears apparent to all, except perhaps to the Department of Justice, that the court is suggesting the United States Government cease fighting her warriors and right the wrong.

The Federal District Appeals court, Washington, D.C. reported cases out last week (April 1-5, 2002) but NOT THE CLASS ACT CASE. We do expect an early decision and would not be surprised if the court renders its decision in the next few weeks.

Return to the top

ALLAMO--the Alliance of American Organizations Iberia is a formal grouping of American Clubs in Spain and Portugal established in 2001 after three years of informal cooperation. It seeks to give Americans living in these two key countries an opportunity to speak with one voice in support of efforts to improve the treatment of overseas Americans by the U.S. Government in several important areas. For example, having Medicare apply to overseas Americans, having overseas Americans included in the census, and making sure that absentee ballots in elections are handled correctly and are included in the final tally.

ALLAMO has associate organization members such as American Citizens Abroad, founded in 1978, which is the main lobbying arm for overseas Americans vis - à - vis Congress, government agencies such as the State and the Treasury Dept, and the media. ALLAMO is participating actively in the "Overseas Americans Week" being organized by the ACA in Washington, DC, from May 6-9, 2002 to bring about a fundamental change in the attitude of the government toward the estimated 4 million Americans living abroad--a population exceeding that of 24 states of the Union.

Return to the top

Americans Living Abroad in Our Changing World is the theme of the Allamo-Iberia Conference V to be held in Porto, Portugal May 17-19, 2002. There will be panel discussions on American Citizens and American Embassies: Security Relationships in the 21st Century, a summary of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and treaty issues regarding social security benefits in Iberia. The Consul Generals in Madrid and Lisbon will participate in a discussion on consular services. A visit of a port wine cellar with wine tasting and a boat trip on the Douro River round off the program. For information about hotels, registration and fees, please contact Ralph Schwartz at ralmarschwartz@gbim.org.

Return to the top

ACA is pleased to announce that joining is easier than ever. To join or send donations by credit card using VeriSign's encrypted secure server, click here. ACA guarantees that your name, address and credit card details will be held in strictest confidence.

Return to the top

   World headquarters: 

   American Citizens Abroad ACA
   5 rue Liotard
   CH-1202 Geneva
   Switzerland
   Phone: +41 22 3400233
   Fax: +41 22 3400448
   email: acage@aca.ch

   In the USA:
    
   American Citizens Abroad
   1051 N. George Mason Drive
   Arlington, VA 22205
   USA
   Fax: +1 (703) 5273269
   email: jacabr@aol.com