Pat Green

Dear members, many of you are preparing for your summer travels. After my recent experience, I want to mention a few things for your consideration before you travel.

If you have purchased travel insurance, read the policy and make sure you understand your coverage. If you have a mishap, is there a consultant who will coordinate the new arrangements that must be made. Does coverage for health issues pay for your total costs or just those that exceed your normal coverage?

Beware, unless you have a special Medicare advantage plan, Medicare does not cover overseas medical treatments or hospitalizations. Luckily, Tricare for Life does. Except for a $3,000 catastrophic annual deductible, Tricare for Life covers you and your spouse when you are abroad. This is a tremendous benefit, so do your part to protect it when it is threatened.

Even if you are covered for medical expenses, do you have coverage for the expense of changing you plans…hotel reservations, airline tickets or catch-up costs to resume a cruise. These can be costly oversights. Is the expense of repatriation of a body and those special expenses included in the coverage?

Some insurance policies must be purchased at the time of trip commitments. Others can be purchased up to the date of the beginning of your trip. Some policies cover cancellation fees and rebooking expenses and refund money…others only offer credit to be applied toward another booking. Does the policy cover a specific event or travel for a length of time?

Before purchasing travel insurance decide what coverage is important to you and/or your travel companion. Read the policy carefully with lots of difficult circumstances in mind while you are considering if the policy suits your circumstances.

Before you go, go to the web and search for the Tricare Important Contact Information. It is a trifold business card that lists Tricare stateside Contacts, Tricare Overseas Program, Tricare area offices. Also listed are Tricare Pharmacy and Dental programs. For our membership, most important is the TRICARE FOR LIFE (TFL) 1-(800)-538-9552. Always carry your military ID card with you. If you need suggestions, you can consult the Nurse Advice line. You may have a conversation with a registered nurse via Web chat, Video chat using MHSNurseAdviceLine.com. Or you can call 1(800)-874-2273 option 1. Your benefits number is on your ID card.
Bon Voyage!

As I wrote this column last Monday, we were under a threat from Hurricane Idalia. I spent the day moving patio furniture and tying down small trees and putting loose things in the garage.

When you read this I hope you are well and suffered minimal damage. I have a few recommendations looking forward (for the next one):

Keep in touch with friends and family. Super charge your phone and keep those charging bricks at full power. If you don’t have one, buy one…about $30. Communicate to loved ones about your safety and location.

Find a handyman or strong teenager who can help you move things.

If you have large trees on your property, have them trimmed. I contacted a tree firm two months ago. My scheduled trim date is September 28. Fortunately, that tree was not impacted by Idalia. I should have made plans earlier. Hurricane storms peak in late September and October.

If you don’t have a generator, get extra industrial strength extension cords. In my tree canopied residential area, neighbors often share electricity using those orange cords.

If your freezer is full, start cooking. As you remove food, pack it with ice.

There are lots of other suggestions at various sites, but these are helpful if you live alone.

Virtual Chapter information…

The next meeting is September 19th at 1 pm. The program is about storing important documents in the cloud. Timely topic! The same day, at 5 pm, the BOOK CLUB will meet. This month’s selection is THE PELL HEIST by Norb Vonnegut. The author will attend the discussion.

If you would like to become a member, contact me. I am the Membership Chair and will send you an invitation to the Zoom meeting.

SBP Recipients, please check that FICA withholding is the appropriate amount!

This has been an issue in 2022 and 2023. I recently double checked my deductions and found that the amount still was not correct. Luckily, I have 4 months to make up the deficit.

Hello, today it feels like spring. I want to go outside and feel the warmth of the sun on my face. If that Punxsutawney rodent is correct, it will be Spring in two more weeks. This is a time of renewal. If you haven’t paid your dues YET, do it today. Come to the next meeting and greet old friends, and make some new ones.

A month ago, a few from your Board gave a presentation about the works of our Chapter. Afterward three members from the audience joined our Chapter. They are Billie Sue Giffen, Bonnie Callahan, and Rhoda Spang. We are so happy to welcome you into our group. These ladies all live in the Winter Park area. Rhoda attended the last luncheon, and was introduced by our President.

The Chapter has great plans. We need more members to share in the accomplishments and the work of running this Chapter. If you have a neighbor who is eligible for membership, or a friend who is a Surviving Spouse bring them to the next meeting. Our Board will be happy to greet them and explain the organization. Surviving Spouses are also invited to join the MOAA Surviving Spouse Virtual Chapter. This organization has no dues and meets virtually every Third Tuesday of the month. Almost two hundred Surviving Spouses meet via zoom meeting. The next meeting is March 15 at 1 pm. The agenda in March is formal with speakers explaining the Advocacy in Action effort that will attempt to persuade Congress to adopt bills that will support military issues.

The key issues for focus are the Major Starr Act, a pay raise for our service men and women, and the Tricare Mental Health Copayment.

It’s easy to join. There are no dues. You can do it on the MOAA.org website. If you have problems with the website, I can help. My contact information is on the first page of this publication.