Federal Daily - August 22, 2008
TRICARE Adds Subscriber Email Alerts
TRICARE beneficiaries can enroll in a new email alert system that will deliver news about changes
in coverage directly to their computers, TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) announced on Aug. 18. Subscribers
can choose alerts by topics or beneficiary category, TMA said. Subscribers also can opt to be notified
as soon as news or benefit changes are posted, or select daily, weekly or monthly updates. Subscribers
can enroll by clicking on the appropriate link at www.tricare.mil. “We
have offered some limited e-mail delivery options in the past,” said Army Maj. Gen. Elder Granger,
TMA deputy director, “but this new subscription service enables anyone interested in TRICARE
news to sign up for a wide range of topics. It’s one-stop shopping.” The new subscription
service also links users to similar alerts available on other Military Health System (MHS) Web sites,
including www.health.mil, which features MHS news,
debates, videos and blogs. To see more, go to: www.tricare.mil/pressroom/news.aspx?fid=442.
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Clinton Calls for Measures to Protect Servicemembers From
Foreclosure
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., called for federal regulators to adopt more aggressive measures to protect
servicemembers from the threat of foreclosure while they are deployed on active duty. In an Aug. 20
letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Benjamin Bernanke, Clinton expressed concern over recent reports
that deployed servicemembers continue to face foreclosure despite existing legal protections designed
to shield them and their homes. Lenders are exploiting loopholes in the Servicemembers Civil Relief
Act (SCRA) to take the homes of servicemembers, Clinton said. A spokesperson for the American Bankers
Association told National Public Radio that lenders “may be a little rusty” when it comes
to the laws protecting members, Clinton said, noting that the Federal Reserve and other oversight agencies
need to employ further steps to remind lenders of their obligations under the SCRA. Clinton also introduced
a bill, the Armed Forces Housing Security Act, that would ensure that any member of the armed forces
deployed to combat duty would have an ironclad protection against foreclosure regardless of when their
loan was originated. The legislation also provides a one-year foreclosure “timeout” so
vets returning from deployment will have time to get finances in order and seek counseling or other
assistance to keep their homes. To see more, go to: http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=302200&&.
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APWU Delegates Endorse Obama
American Postal Workers Union (APWU) convention delegates meeting in Las Vegas unanimously endorsed
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for president after the senator delivered a speech to the convention via
a live satellite video feed, the union said Aug. 21. Obama, the presumptive Democratic candidate for
president, has promised to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act, roll back the current administration’s
preference for outsourcing government services, and abandon other initiatives—such as the use
of private bill collectors to collect federal taxes—all issues that are of particular appeal
to unions. The convention delegates followed the example set in April by the APWU National Executive
Board, which also voted unanimously to endorse Obama. To see more, go to:
http://apwu.org/news/nsb/2008/nsb-conv-2008-3-080821.htm.
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