Arrived in email:

“Notification of Pending DS Logon Account Deactivation”

I had abandoned use of this account a long time ago because keeping it turned on was a tortuous process.

TRICARE seemed to work OK a few years back, so I didn’t feel a need to log in and look at my payment record.

TRICARE crashed and burned on Jan 1st this year.

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?

Months ago, I wrote to both senators and my congressmember to share my TRICARE concerns:

Make it easy to pay the annual fee.

Allow people to opt in for a mailed statement if requested.

Make a TRICARE account just as easy to use as my local PUD account.

I always want the option to see a written statement.

No money should change hands/go to TRICARE without a written or emailed invoice.

TRICARE does not send out a bill. TRICARE wants you to set up an automatic payroll allotment. No, thank you.

I have been paying bills for decades. I have never used a payroll allotment or a credit card subscription to pay recurring bills-still don’t want to. This ongoing clusterfuck with TRICARE is a very good example of why.

My local PUD mails out a statement each month. I could call them if I need to, but I never have a need. The PUD offers multiple payment options. Pick whatever one is best for you.

The PUD does not care about my user name and password. I need none of that to happily use their services for years on end.

TRICARE:

Want to see an updated statement of your payment history?

TRICARE has a customer portal page on the web. Tried to use this in the past. It is a tortuous process. Tricky to set up and update passwords over and again. They will treat you like a hacker, even if you have done nothing wrong. Super complicated.

TRICARE requires you to create a user name and password. Whatever password you like will only be temporary, because it must be changed on schedule and it is required to be complicated.

Did you forget your password? No problem, just provide answers to a few simple questions:

What was the house number across the street from where your best childhood friend grew up?

Way too complicated. Why should this be any more tricky to use than an Amazon account?

As a last resort, you call to speak to a human at the understaffed call center. Broken web protocols at TRICARE drive up the number of people who want to call and speak to a human. You may be passed around to several different call operators.

Back in early December, I was passed along to a total of four humans.

All layers of questions to verify every possible means to ID customer are repeated again prior to speaking to each human.

Add in some call wait times too.

Paid annual fee in Dec, 2024 on the phone, with a credit card. Never received any payment confirmation or invoice from TRICARE.

Filled out recurring credit card TRICARE payment authorization form in Dec, 2024. Placed form in the mail. Never received any payment confirmation or invoice from TRICARE. No verification of payment authorization from any federal source. It’s all a mystery.

None of my elected officials ever acknowledged my letter.

Today

Made the attempt to update my PW today:

DS Logon wanted me to enter my old PW and create a new one. The old PW was a simple one. DOD protocols no longer allow that.

Today:

“Password Requirements:

Passwords must be at least 15 characters but no more than 128

At least 1 lowercase letter

At least 1 uppercase letter

At least 1 number

At least 1 special character, no spaces allowed: @_#/,;~`%&=’:!$*+().{}|?><^[]-“\

You cannot use your birthdate, SSN, name, phone number, or ZIP code

When changing a password, your new password must have at least 8 characters be different

When changing a password, your new password must be different than the current and 10 previous passwords

You cannot change your password more than once every 24 hours”

You Will Do It Again Every 60 Days

“Enter your password below. Note that:

All passwords expire in 60 days and will need to be changed prior to expiration. You may want to note your password expiration date on a calendar. As a security precaution, your password should never be written down.

When entering your password below, you will know your password meets the password requirements when all lines above are green. If there are any red lines, go back and adjust the password to meet the requirement identified.

You are required to sign in at least once every 180 days to prevent your account from being deactivated.

When finished, always log off and CLOSE all tabs and browser windows to prevent PII loss.”

DOD Has A New/Easier Way

MyAuth

I’m not able to use MyAuth/the new way until I update my PW with the old way. Tried that today and had no success.

If you have questions, just read this:

DSLOGON_FAQS

Why does the US Dept. of Defense make the use of web pages much more difficult than the 2025 version of online banking, having an Amazon account, or renewing a passport?

Recently renewed a passport on the web. No hassles. They did not seem to care what browser I was using. All went well.

Same federal government that makes TRICARE very tricky to work with on the web.

TRICARE already has your money. They profit if they keep the cash without providing services.

Welcome Home Troops

Redditt TRICARE comments/ask a recruiter:

Posts are here.

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.

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.

Photo-

Something from the last century

Post-Vietnam guilt

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

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

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.

In the News

Ask a recruiter:

Army fixes barracks issue, after soldier turns to social media

JEFF SCHOGOL
Task & Purpose FEB 26, 2025

“Although the Army has urged soldiers to go through their chain of command and submit work orders to resolve barracks issues, time and time again such problems have not been fixed until soldiers have raised their concerns on online forums such as Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, or other platforms.”

“At Fort Liberty, North Carolina – soon to be renamed Fort Bragg – a soldier-run Instagram account posted complaints in early 2023 that uncollected garbage had been piling up on base for weeks. After news outlets covered the problem, the garbage was finally taken away.”

TRICARE – Giant Federal Program

Mar 1, 2025 NBC Chicago

Three-star general was in charge of TRICARE until Friday morning:

Defense Health Agency director retires abruptly

By Karen Jowers
Feb 28, 2025

Army Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland has retired as director of the Defense Health Agency, officials announced Friday.

“In a statement issued Friday, Dr. Stephen Ferrara, the acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said Crosland, who served in her post since January 2023, was “beginning her retirement” effective Friday morning.”

“DHA provides health care services to more than 9 million service members, military retirees and their families, including the military’s Tricare health plans.”

“This year, many military families have faced challenges with the transition of DHA’s Tricare contracts in the East and West regions. In a Jan. 31 message to beneficiaries in the West Region, where TriWest Healthcare Alliance now manages the contract, Crosland described steps DHA and TriWest have taken to address the issues.”

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.

Still no 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?

History of problems in 2025:

TRICARE “…a seamless transition…”

My TRICARE Concerns:

Make it easy to pay the annual fee.

Allow people to opt in for a mailed statement if requested.

Make a TRICARE account just as easy to use as my local PUD account.

I have been paying bills for decades. Used to mail in a check, now it is mostly done with online banking.

I always want the option to see a written statement.

No money should change hands/go to TRICARE without a written or emailed invoice.

TRICARE does not send out a bill. TRICARE wants you to set up an automatic payroll allotment. No, thank you.

I have never used a payroll allotment or a credit card subscription to pay recurring bills-still don’t want to. This ongoing clusterfuck with TRICARE is a very good example of why.

My local PUD mails out a statement each month. I could call them if I need to, but I never have a need. The PUD offers multiple payment options. Pick whatever one is best for you.

The PUD does not care about my user name and password. I need none of that to happily use their services for years on end.

TRICARE:

Want to see an updated statement of your payment history?

TRICARE has a customer portal page on the web. Tried to use this in the past. It is a tortuous process. Tricky to set up and update passwords over and again. They will treat you like a hacker, even if you have done nothing wrong. Super complicated.

TRICARE requires you to create a user name and password. Whatever password you like will only be temporary, because it must be changed on schedule and it is required to be complicated.

Did you forget your password? No problem, just provide answers to a few simple questions:

What was the house number across the street from where your best childhood friend grew up?

Way too complicated. Why should this be any more tricky to use than an Amazon account?

As a last resort, you call to speak to a human at the understaffed call center. Broken web protocols at TRICARE drive up the number of people who want to call and speak to a human. You may be passed around to several different call operators.

Back in early December, I was passed along to a total of four humans.

All layers of questions to verify every possible means to ID customer are repeated again prior to speaking to each human.

Add in some call wait times too.

Paid annual fee in Dec, 2024 on the phone, with a credit card. Never received any payment confirmation or invoice from TRICARE.

Filled out recurring credit card TRICARE payment authorization form in Dec, 2024. Placed form in the mail. Never received any payment confirmation or invoice from TRICARE. No verification of payment authorization from any source. It’s all a mystery.

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.

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.

Maybe the new administration will get this all cleared up soon, but we’re not there yet.

Photo-

Something from the last century

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:

Giant Federal Program/Contractor Update:

Tricare snafus cause medical shortfalls for military families

Feb 19, 2025 – Marine Corps Times

By Karen Jowers

“Since Jan.1, beneficiaries and providers alike have had problems with TriWest’s online portal, and many have waited hours on hold with the TriWest call center for multiple days.”

“In addition to widespread problems with TriWest’s web portal and call-center wait times, other problems reported to Military Times include: receiving incorrect information from TriWest; TriWest taking months to approve contracts for Tricare providers; and providers not being reimbursed for the care they’ve provided to Tricare beneficiaries.”

“Because the providers are having these difficulties, some of them are not taking new Tricare patients – and dropping the ones they did have.”

Welcome Home Troops

The purpose of this blog is not to say that military benefits are inadequate.

You have earned health care benefits with your career/job. You have made whatever payments/co-pays are required during the year to keep your health care turned on. Making use of what you earned should not be a tortuous process.

Elected officials:

No money should change hands/go to TRICARE without a written or emailed invoice being provided to the servicemember. Please fix this.

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.

US Armed Forces Recruiting Crisis

It will be interesting to see how things play out in the months ahead.

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?

Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.

Understandable why young people and their parents and grandparents would take a dim view on all this.

If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:

The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.

Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over for what DOD has done with the US Armed Forces during the fake GWOT era.

Flag officers and high level DOD civilians built careers made of undeclared/unwon wars. Now they must mastermind ways to recruit a new generation.

Related:

TRICARE Reaction Mode

More here:

Welcome Home Troops

TRICARE “…a seamless transition…”

TRICARE – 2025

Pay TRICARE Annual Fee

Recruiting Crisis? DS Logon (DSL) Account Rants

Photo-

Something from the last century

Over $151 Million Taken from Soldiers’ Paychecks for Food Costs Spent Elsewhere by the Army

Military.com | By Steve Beynon
Feb 14, 2025

Ask A Recruiter

“Reports from service members frequently describe undercooked meat, unseasoned meals, a lack of fresh ingredients, and unhealthy menu options. The substandard, and sometimes dangerous, food in turn leads to fewer soldiers using the facilities — a downward spiral that results in even less money being spent on meals.”

“In the past, service officials have pointed to a lack of attendance at Army dining facilities, saying resources are continually stripped because of a perception of dwindling interest.”

“Army officials declined to answer detailed, or even broad, questions about how so much money is diverted and how budgets for food are decided. The service also declined to make any senior officials available on the record for interviews.”

The 1980s were sort of the glory days of recruiting for the all volunteer force. What were they getting right about chow halls back then?

Prior To Student Loan Forgiveness Programs

Uncle Sam wanted people to do time in the US Army to earn college money:

1980s Army College Fund – Dad Shows Support

TRICARE – Weeks of Unpaid Insurance Claims

In the news:

Kiggans inquires after TRICARE East reimbursement failures

WVEC Feb 14, 2025

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.

US Armed Forces Recruiting Crisis

It will be interesting to see how things play out in the months ahead.

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?

Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.

Understandable why young people and their parents and grandparents would take a dim view on all this.

If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:

The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.

Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over for what DOD has done with the US Armed Forces during the fake GWOT era.

Flag officers and high level DOD civilians built careers made of undeclared/unwon wars. Now they must mastermind ways to recruit a new generation.

Photo-

Something from the last century

In the news:

In One of the Marines’ Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Military.com | By Kelsey Baker and Drew F. Lawrence
Feb 11, 2025

“Logan Sowell’s suicide in July 2021 is one of at least seven in the past five years involving the Marine Corps’ stable of drill instructors, according to military casualty reports obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests. In 2023, three occurred at Parris Island within less than three months.”

“A study completed by the Marine Corps in 2019 found that during the previous decade, 29 drill instructors either ended their lives or openly acknowledged they had contemplated doing so — an aberration the study’s authors characterized as startlingly high compared with the occurrence of suicidal ideation among Marines who had never held that job. Rates of addiction and divorce among drill instructors also were higher, researchers found.”

Possibly of interest:

Marine Corps Drill Instructors

Welcome Home Troops

Some mental health providers in Hampton Roads pause taking military clients after payment delays

WHRO | By Steve Walsh
Feb 11, 2025

“We acknowledge that our typical timeframes for processing claims have been delayed as a result of this major system transition, however, a very small percentage of claims submitted have gone beyond our contractual payment timeframe of 30 days,” said Nan Frient, a spokesman with Humana.

“Ashworth remembers in 2017, the government revamped its contracts with private healthcare services, which created payment delays that went on for more than half of the year.”

Task & Purpose

PATTY NIEBERG, JEFF SCHOGOL
Feb 10, 2025

$571 million in VA spending on suicide prevention isn’t working, vets groups say

“Veteran advocates are asking for accountability on how the Department of Veterans Affairs uses its $571 million suicide prevention budget, and whether those efforts are working.”

Several comments are posted with the article above.

From comments:

“1 many Drs are focused on pushing meds instead of seaking alt. treatments. Until that changes nothing changes. I had to fight the battle alone as I didn’t want meds and the Drs kept pushing meds and I refused them. I just gave up on seeing Drs as we were never on the same page”

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Something from the last century

Welcome Home Troops

Not here to say that military benefits are inadequate.

You have earned health care benefits with your career/job. You have made whatever payments/co-pays are required during the year to keep your health care turned on. Making use of what you earned should not be a tortuous process.

Elected officials: Stop with your salute the troops nonsense on Armistice Day if you are not willing to take action to fix the situation described below.

In the news:

Mental Health Providers in Tricare East Go Unpaid After Claims Processor Switch

Military.com | By Patricia Kime
Feb 4, 2025

“Some health providers across the Tricare East Region have gone unpaid since the beginning of the year, leading them to wonder whether they can continue to treat military members or their families.”

“Mental health counselors, physical therapists, autism specialists and others say they haven’t been paid since Dec. 31, when Humana Military, the contractor for Tricare East, switched claims processing companies.”

Ask a recruiter:

“Megan Numbers, a therapist who runs a practice treating children in Southern Pines, North Carolina, said 90% of her patients are Tricare beneficiaries, mostly children of Special Forces troops who need mental health support.”

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.

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 use and manage whatever benefits they earned.

Related:

TRICARE “…a seamless transition…”

TRICARE – 2025

Pay TRICARE Annual Fee

Recruiting Crisis? DS Logon (DSL) Account Rants

Possibly of interest:

New Orleans – Armed Forces Recruiting Crisis

Most And Least Meaningful Federal Holidays

DOD Recruiting 2025

Homeland Security Is A Scam

The Invisible Veteran

Veterans Day Reflection 2023

Busiest Air Travel Day – Security Theater

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Something from the last century

Image above: Somebody shared this on the web.

TRICARE

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

People have been using the web at home for 25 years. Any changes during this time should have been for the purpose of making things more simple, faster, easier, etc.

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.

You have earned health care benefits with your career/job. You have made subscription/dues payments during the year to keep your health care turned on.

It almost seems like they create steps to make it difficult and confusing to use the benefits you have already earned and paid for.

High level politicians from both major parties have been talking for decades about fixing/supporting veterans health care benefits.

Dec 21st update:

A letter from TRICARE came in the mail today. It is not a statement for my account, it is a general reminder that fees for 2025 are going up. The fee stated does not equal the fee I paid on 12/03/24.

Wondering now, why I was not charged for the entire fee when I called and asked to pay the 2025 annual fee on 12/03/24.

Not here to hassle about the fee, just wanted to pay the total once and for all on 12/03/24.

Easy versus Hard

The task: Pay in advance for a 12 month fee to keep TRICARE turned on.

Preferred method:

Mail me a statement/bill me on the web, and I will use my online banking account to pay as I do with a hundred other bills.

TRICARE does not send out a bill. TRICARE wants you to set up an automatic payroll allotment. No, thank you.

TRICARE has a customer portal page on the web. Tried to use this in the past. It is a tortuous process. Tricky to set up and update passwords over and again. They will treat you like a hacker, even if you have done nothing wrong. Super complicated.

Today:

TRICARE is moving from one contractor (this year) to a new contractor (next year). Called one-800 current contractor to pay today with credit card. Layers of questions to verify all possible means to ID customer. Finally was able to speak to a human after the robot was asking questions I do not know how to answer.

Human comes on and wants to know what I want to do.

Use credit card to pay annual fee for 2025. “OK, I will transfer you to billing.” All layers of questions to verify every possible means to ID customer are repeated again.

Second human asks:

What do you want to do? Use credit card to pay annual fee for 2025.

“You may not do that because a new contractor is taking over for next year.”

Human provides one-800 number for new contractor. Called that number. Phone tree advises to hang up and call 911 if this is a medical emergency. Press 3 if you are experiencing a mental health crisis (heading that way now).

All layers of questions to verify every possible means to ID customer are repeated again.

Human comes on:

What do you want to do? Use credit card to pay annual fee for 2025.

“OK, I will transfer you to billing.”

Extended phone holding time now takes place.

All layers of questions to verify every possible means to ID customer are repeated again.

Human number four this morning comes on:

What do you want to do? Use credit card to pay annual fee for 2025.

Looks like it all worked out. Fee is paid.

Many companies will forward an email receipt/payment confirmation when you complete business with them. This does not happen with TRICARE.

No money should change hands/go to TRICARE without a written or emailed invoice.

All people I spoke with on the phone today were making a positive effort to do a good job. No problem with any individual I dealt with.

What people have said in the past:

Can I rant about how much I hate tricare?

Last year:

Recruiting Crisis? DS Logon (DSL) Account Rants