DoD Announces Expansion of the Disability Evaluation System Pilot

DoD Announces Expansion of the Disability Evaluation System Pilot

The Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) announced last week the expansion of the Disability Evaluation System (DES) pilot program to include 19 additional military installations across the country. The program, which began at the three major military treatment facilities in the national capital region in November 2007, now includes Fort Meade, Md., and Fort Belvoir, Va.  The remaining 17 installations will be added upon completion of site preparations and personnel orientation and training, which will occur through May 2009. 
 
The DES program is a test of a new process eliminating the duplicative, time-consuming, and often confusing elements of the two current disability processes of the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs (DoD and VA). Key features of the DES pilot include one medical examination and a single-sourced disability rating. These reforms to ensure a "seamless transition" between the departments are strongly supported by FRA.

Over the next seven months, the program will be expanded to include:

• Army: Fort Carson, Colo., Fort Drum, N.Y.; Fort Stewart, Ga.; Fort Richardson, Alaska; Fort Wainwright, Alaska; Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas; and Fort Polk, La.
• Navy: Naval Medical Center (NMC) San Diego and Camp Pendleton, Calif.; NMC Bremerton, Wash.; NMC Jacksonville, Fla.; and Camp Lejeune, N.C.
• Air Force: Vance Air Force Base, Okla.; Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.; Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; and Travis Air Force Base, Calif. 

Foundation Opens Second Fisher House in San Diego
Wounded warriors and their families will have a second "home away from home" during the recovery process now that Naval Medical Center San Diego recently opened Fisher House II in San Diego, Calif.

FRA’s strong and continuing commitment to wounded service members and their families includes participation in WMAL Radio’s 2008 Operation Fisher House. The eight-week campaign encourages Washington, D.C., residents to donate to Fisher House, a private-public partnership that constructs housing near military hospitals for use by injured personnel and their families. The campaign, which began this week, will continue through early January and reference FRA’s support in 60-second radio ads, website commercials, e-mail messaging, and print ads. Additionally, FRA will be recognized during a special December 6 radio-thon.  Visit www.WMAL.com for additional information. 

The Fisher Houses provide respite and accommodations for families of active and retired military patients who have been admitted for medical care. Fisher House II will mark the fifth house donated to the Navy by the Fisher House Foundation and will more than double the number of available rooms for families at Naval Medical Center San Diego. Built adjacent to Fisher House I, Fisher House II is an 8,000 square-foot, two-story house that is fully furnished and accessible under American Disabilities Act regulations.  It provides private bedrooms, a common kitchen, living room, dining room and laundry room. In addition, Fisher House II will offer wireless Internet access and cable service.

TRICARE Implements New Fee Schedule in the Philippines
A new TRICARE provider fee schedule for medical services and procedures took effect on 1 November 2008 for beneficiaries in the Philippine Islands.  TRICARE officials expect the new fee schedule to better reflect actual medical costs.  Beneficiaries and providers in the Philippines who filed TRICARE claims during the past two years are receiving letters from TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) notifying them of the fee schedule change. The new allowable charges and inpatient per diem rates are available on the TRICARE Web site at www.tricare.mil/CMAC.

TRICARE Standard deductibles and cost-shares will not change for beneficiaries in the Philippines under the new schedule.  Annual out-of-pocket caps for active duty family member costs will remain at $1,000 and $3,000 for retirees and their eligible family members.  TRICARE beneficiaries living in, or traveling to, the Philippines must use TRICARE-certified providers to receive claims reimbursement.  A list of certified providers for the Philippines is available on the Pacific Area Office page in the TMA portal at www.tricare.mil.

Pharmacy Data Security Breach
Express Scripts Inc. (ESI) announced this week that a small number of its clients (pharmacies) have received letters threatening to expose the personal information of their pharmacy customers. The letters are believed to be connected to an extortion threat the company made public last week, and ESI is notifying affected members.  It is still unclear if any DoD patient information was breached. 

Express Scripts immediately informed the FBI and is offering a $1 million reward for the person or persons who provide information resulting in the arrest and conviction of those responsible for these criminal acts. Anyone with information about the extortion threats should contact the FBI at 800-CALL-FBI. 

Although Express Scripts is not aware of any actual misuse of its members’ data, the company is offering free identity restoration services for members if they become victims of identity theft because of this incident.  Details about the identity restoration offer can be found at www.esisupports.com.

Walgreens Remains in TRICARE Network
This week Express Scripts Inc. (ESI) also announced that Walgreens drug store chain and ESI have reached an agreement and ESI is no longer terminating them from the network as reported in last weeks Newsbytes.  ESI is in the process of advising those beneficiaries who received letters announcing the termination of Walgreens from the network. ESI is a Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) Company that has processes TRICARE pharmacy claims and manages TRICARE’s Mail Order Pharmacy Program (TMOP).