DoD needs to improve the way it calculates troops’ BAH rates, auditors say Privatized housing at Trumbo Point, an annex of Naval Air Station Key West. (Photo by Chris Carson) A new report on Basic Allowance for Housing supports some service members’ suspicions that they may be getting the short end of the stick when it comes to how much of their rent is covered by the military, says one advocate. The report, released by the Government Accountability Office, says defense officials need to do a better job collecting and monitoring the data used to set rates for Basic Allowance for Housing, to make sure the rates accurately reflect the cost of suitable housing for service members.
Here’s how much you’re saving in military commissaries January 26 Socially-distanced, masked shoppers wait to pay for their groceries April 16, 2020, inside the commissary at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. (Tech. Sgt. James Hodgman/Air Force) After a couple of years of increases, commissary savings slipped in U.S. stores in 2020, according to results from the most recent commissary savings report. Savings in U.S. commissaries decreased by 1.2 points down to 21.1 percent in 2020 from the 22.3 percent savings calculated in 2019. Commissary officials compare prices in each geographic area to determine how much, on average, a commissary shopper could expect to save on grocery purchases compared with local commercial grocers in that area outside the gate.
Tricare fraud ‘mastermind’ sentenced to 18 years in prison Pharmacy owner sentenced for role in Tricare fraud. (Image by serggn) A Mississippi man described as the “mastermind of the largest health care fraud scheme” in that state’s history has been sentenced to 18 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $350 million in connection to his role in a scheme to defraud Tricare, Justice officials said. Wade Ashley Walters, 54, of Hattiesburg, Miss., who earlier pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, was sentenced Jan. 15 in federal court in Mississippi, according to an announcement from the Justice Department. He is co-owner of numerous pharmaceutical distributors and compounding pharmacies companies that make individualized medications for people.
USO brings drinks, snacks and a ‘warm welcome’ to Guard troops at the Capitol
USO mobile units with National Guard troops at US Capitol As more than 25,000 National Guard troops have been called in to help law enforcement with security surrounding the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, a familiar face has joined them: the USO. In three different locations near the U.S. Capitol, USO workers are on the ground with their mobile units providing a variety of grab-and-go snacks, coffee, drinks, and hygiene items for the troops when they have a break. As of Friday afternoon, they had provided items to around 12,000 troops, but that increased Friday night when they saw such a surge that the team was on the ground until 2 a.m., Sweeney said.