Welcome Home Troops

Thanks for doing time/risking your ass in Iraq and Afghanistan, working to keep a post 911 USA safe & secure.

In The News

KCEN News Video:

‘Where’s the penalty to them?’ | Military, Veteran mental health providers face financial breaking point after months without payment from TriWest

By Julieanna Jackson

May 7, 2025

“Since January 1, when TriWest Healthcare Alliance took over as TRICARE’s contractor for Texas and five other states, providers report going unpaid for services, some for as long as four months.”

“The payment issues appear to stem from technical failures in TriWest’s new system. Providers across the region have reported similar problems — spending hours on hold with customer service, receiving inconsistent answers, and having no clear timeline for resolution.”

“The reason that we exist and work in conjunction with TRICARE and the VA is because the VA cannot support the sheer numbers,” Serfass said. “We were at war in Iraq for 9 years, in Afghanistan for 19 years. The VA can’t handle them all if they don’t have support from the civilian mental health side.”

A longer video is part of the article above. Shorter video here:

Questions for elected officials:

Any report of TRICARE up and running smoothly in 2025?

Does the new TRICARE contract include penalties for not running smoothly on Jan 1st?

Do they all get paid the same whether customers are happy or not?

Pick a decade anytime after the war in Vietnam. No matter what political party or personality is in the White House, Uncle Sam struggles to get veterans health care to work properly. Moms, Dads, Grandparents, and young people have access to this info.

Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials and top Pentagon Generals earned it.

Photo at top of page:

Symbol of Support The Troops nonsense rolled out for federal holidays.

Post-Vietnam guilt

The guilt doesn’t seem to work towards staying out of undeclared/unwon wars or managing federal contracts related to TRICARE.

A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.

Questions for elected officials:

Any report of TRICARE up and running smoothly in 2025?

Does the new TRICARE contract include penalties for not running smoothly on Jan 1st?

Do they all get paid the same whether customers are happy or not?

The TRICARE reputation is one of several areas that have declined for the US Armed Forces going back to the 1980s.

The 1980s was a decade that featured no recruiting crisis. The all volunteer military was working well, but the catastrophic military failure of 911 and decades of expensive/undeclared/unwon wars since then set things up for cutting back on the traditional benefits people thought they were earning when they reenlisted to go to far away places and maybe never come back again.

Back in 2014

American Legion:

“American Legion fights TRICARE increases Commander says troops, military retirees and their families should not be targeted in new efforts to cut federal costs. The leader of The American Legion says he strongly opposes White House pressures to raise the cost of TRICARE coverage for some military retirees. TRICARE is the Department of Defense’s health-care insurance program for uniformed servicemembers, military retirees and their family members.”

“As Military.com writer Richard Sisk reports, the White House, as part of 2014 defense budget discussions, is urging the Pentagon to slow the growth of TRICARE costs by phasing in an increase in the TRICARE Prime plan’s current enrollment fee for working age retirees as well as raising co-pays for military retirees under the age of 65.”

Camp Lejeune North Carolina

Local Tricare offices to see shift in services rendered

The Daily News

THOMAS BRENNAN Daily News Staff Jan 14, 2014

“Walk-in services at Camp Lejeune’s Tricare office soon will be a thing of the past.”

“Administrative tasks such as in and out-processing and changing primary care providers, all things that can be done on the Tricare website, will no longer be available as in-person services aboard local bases as of April 1, according to Pentagon officials. Beneficiaries will also be required to process their billing related questions online rather than in person. According to Tricare, this switch will allow them to save more than $250 million over the next five years.”

2025

Today, TRICARE has a reputation for broken web sites, tortuous internet protocols and long phone wait times at understaffed call centers.

Thousands of American families have now had a loved one who did one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Will they support new enlistments?

In the News

It’s time for a reckoning at Defense Health Agency over Tricare

Story by Kristi Cabiao – Air Force Times

April 10, 2025

“On Jan. 1, Tricare – the essential health care benefit serving millions of service members, retirees and their families – entered a new cycle of contracts for managing the military’s health care system. This transition, intended to improve efficiency and service, has instead exposed Tricare to systemic failure, mismanagement and what increasingly appears to be gross negligence.”

“Since the launch, families across the country have experienced a catastrophic disruption in care. Enrollment errors have left beneficiaries uninsured. Surgical procedures have been canceled when hospitals couldn’t verify prior authorization. Chronically ill patients have struggled to find providers to maintain life-sustaining treatment. For many military children with disabilities, years of hard-fought progress are at risk of being erased because therapy appointments were abruptly stopped.”

“The source of these failures lies not only with the regional contractors – Humana Military (East) and TriWest Healthcare Alliance (West) – but with the Defense Health Agency (DHA), which bears full responsibility for contract oversight and system accountability.”

“It is clear DHA either ignored the lessons of the past or failed to learn from them. In 2019, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) warned that the previous Tricare transition in 2017 was marred by weaknesses in transition guidance and oversight. GAO’s recommendations were either poorly implemented or ignored – and now military families are paying the price.”

Welcome Home Troops

In a recent survey conducted by Mission Alpha Advocacy, families report spending hours on hold with Tricare contractors – only to be disconnected or told to “call back later.”

“And what has been lost in the chaos is trust. Trust between families and their health care system. Trust between providers and the military medical infrastructure they have long supported. And perhaps most critically, trust between the force and the leaders responsible for ensuring military readiness.”

“Resilience – the ability of military families to withstand constant relocations, deployments and separation – relies on predictable support systems. When families move to a new duty station and discover their Tricare benefits are inaccessible, resilience becomes even more difficult.”

“And retention? It evaporates when military families feel neglected. No incentive pay or patriotic appeal can convince a family to stay if the health care system that serves them is broken beyond repair.”

What became of enlisted leaders?

Not here to say that military benefits are inadequate. Just stick with whatever was offered when people signed up to stay on for multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and we’re good.

If you did your homework back in May of 2024, you remember:

“We are committed to keeping all of our military families informed about your health plan, your choices, and ensuring a seamless transition to new contractors,” said Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, director of the DHA.

Source:

TRICARE Newsroom May 15, 2024

Q&A: What To Know as New TRICARE Contracts Begin in 2025
By TRICARE Communications

Original deadline:

The Defense Health Agency (DHA) and the two regional contractors in the East Region and West Region are currently transitioning to these new contracts to ensure health care delivery is ready for all beneficiaries on Jan. 1, 2025.

“…new contracts will improve health care delivery, quality, and access for beneficiaries living in the United States.”

It would be good to hear from the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on this.

1980s

Taking care of the troops was a big deal at one time. No recruiting crisis. What the hell happened?

Currently serving leadership brought us:

Military Barracks Blasted Over Horrid Living Conditions, Lack of Accountability

MOAA SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

From a Jan 14th blog

Elected officials:

Stop kissing veteran ass on Armistice Day and every other chance you get. Stop with the “Thanks for your service” nonsense.

People volunteered to go to far away places and maybe never come back again.

Go to work to smooth out the process they face when they need to call and manage whatever benefits they earned.

Older veterans have influence with kids, grandkids and younger members of the community. Do right by them if you ever hope to dig out of your US Armed Forces recruiting crisis.

This whole thing should be no more tricky to use than an Amazon account.

Photo at top of page:

Symbol of Support The Troops nonsense rolled out for federal holidays.

Post-Vietnam guilt

The guilt doesn’t seem to work towards staying out of undeclared/unwon wars or managing federal contracts related to TRICARE.

A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.

Welcome Home Troops

The TRICARE program has been allowed to crash and burn this year. Sorry about that.

Questions for elected officials:

Any report of TRICARE up and running smoothly in 2025?

Does the new TRICARE contract include penalties for not running smoothly on Jan 1st?

Do they all get paid the same whether customers are happy or not?

Pick a decade anytime after the war in Vietnam. No matter what political party or personality is in the White House, Uncle Sam struggles to get veterans health care to work properly. Moms, Dads, Grandparents, and young people have access to this info.

Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials and top Pentagon Generals earned it.

In The News

Troops need better health care access, top enlisted tell lawmakers
By Karen Jowers
Apr 8, 2025 – Marine Corps Times

“When care isn’t available in the military treatment facilities, beneficiaries rely on civilian networks. However, limited resources have affected care delivery, provider recruitment and Tricare’s ability to compete in the civilian insurance market, Honea said, adding that Tricare’s reimbursement rates are tied to Medicare rates and are often too low for providers.”

Uncle Sam is not paying the bills:

“Honea also noted complications with the new Tricare contracts have delayed claims processing and damaged civilian medical providers’ trust in their timely payment.”

TRICARE has earned a reputation:

“Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., said the continued payment problem could result in some providers leaving the Tricare network. He cited one provider who is owed about $100,000 from Tricare.”

Welcome Home Troops

“Military families have reported extensive issues with health care access since the new Tricare contracts began in January, which have caused medical shortfalls for some families and some providers dropping Tricare patients because of the difficulties, Military Times previously reported.”

Military suicide has been a thing for years now and this is what you get:

“For instance, some Marines are having to seek out mental health care from civilian providers because there aren’t enough mental health providers in military treatment facilities, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz told lawmakers. Because there are few providers and appointments available in the civilian community, they may have to wait 45 to 60 days to get the help they need, Ruiz said.”

Notice that elected officials have not taken the initiative to fix TRICARE problems that have dragged on since Jan first. They sit and listen to requests to take e action in April of 2025.

Not here to say that military benefits are inadequate. Just stick with whatever was offered when people signed up to stay on for multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and we’re good.

The US Dept. of Defense has really taken a dive since the 1980s. I’ll do a blog on that later.

Naval Hospital Bremerton in the news:

Decade of reductions at Naval Hospital Bremerton push out retirees, beneficiaries

Conor Wilson – Kitsap Sun April 3, 2025

“Over the last decade, the hospital has been gutted, leaving a major gap in the local health care sector and bogging down local providers. As large numbers of military retirees and beneficiaries are forced out of the military system, they increasingly find themselves searching for care in an overburdened civilian sector desperately short on providers and struggling to provide access to routine care.”

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray:

“This pattern of declining care and personnel mismanagement at one of the largest Naval bases in the nation suggests a lack of attention to the healthcare needs of servicemembers, veterans, and their families in Kitsap County.”

“Naval Hospital Bremerton did not make a member of its leadership available for an interview as part of this story, despite multiple requests since late February.”

“Kitsap County has a shortage of primary care providers, with about half as many per capita as the state average in 2023, according to Washington Health Care Research Center.”

Ask A Recruiter

“Reductions at Naval Hospital Bremerton over the last decade come as the Department of Defense, the federal agency that runs the military health system, has reduced spending on health care. As part of a major realignment designed to shed costs, it has prioritized operational readiness for wartime missions and care for those on active duty over that of beneficiaries and retirees.”

“Civilian providers say they are increasingly shouldering the load left by the Navy. The result is worse access across the board for primary, maternal and specialty care for all residents, including those not connected to the military. Shortages are driving up hospital bills, as more people depend on emergent care, and likely leading to worse outcomes for Kitsap patients.”

“Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, who own St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale and St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor, has seen “increased demand as military health care facilities have adjusted their offerings over the years,” St Michael President Chad Melton wrote in an email.”

“…military health care facilities have adjusted their offerings…”

Politician speak will take you to the highest levels.

Thousands of men and women who did time in uniform over the past 25 years did one or more tours in places like Syria, Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo. Some stayed for 20.

Now, these people are told that the benefits they thought they were earning when reenlisting for another tour are going away in order to save money. WTF?

Same country that sent big cash to Ukraine several times over in 2024.

Today, Uncle Sam needs more people to volunteer to go to far away places and maybe never come back again.

Good luck with your US Armed Forces recruiting crisis.

Mixed Messages

Photo-

Symbol of the world’s most powerful military force and elected officials promoting “Thanks for your service” nonsense in place of taking care of business.

Post-Vietnam guilt

The guilt doesn’t seem to work towards staying out of undeclared/unwon wars or managing federal contracts related to TRICARE.

A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.