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478 HR Co. Family Readiness Group

NEWSLETTER
Volume 3, Issue 8 January 2012

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Resilient Families
Why is it that some families seem to endure the worst things that life dishes out, while others seem to unravel at the first sign of trouble? In a word, the answer is resilience. Resilient families

What is reported on a credit record?

Your report includes basic information: your name, date of birth, Social Security number, current and previous address, and employment information. But the most important information is the report's record of all of the loans and credit accounts you've had for the past seven years, including every late payment. Bankruptcy is included as part of your credit record for ten years, as are other legal judgments against you. When you apply for a job that pays more than $75,000 or for a loan or life insurance policy of more than $150,000, there's no time restriction on your record -- the employer, lender, or insurer can get a report on your credit history for your entire life. So a bad credit record can keep you from getting a loan, an apartment, or a job for a very long time. Your credit record could be the determining factor in whether you get a car loan, an apartment, a mortgage, a new credit card, or even a new job. So it's a good idea to be familiar with what your record says about you. You don't want any surprises. It's also important to check your record for mistakes. Most financial experts recommend reviewing your credit report once a year.

are cohesive see problems as challenges that can be overcome hold on to hope in difficult times
Cohesiveness There are numerous positive adages about families who stick together, and rightfully so. Families with high cohesiveness count on each other to provide meaningful and tangible support, encouragement and even rebuke when appropriate. In other words, there is an assumed, unspoken level of trust and commitment to one another that seems to defy logic. Challenge While its true that there usually are enough challenges in daily living, resilient families seldom shy away from a challenge. In fact, what other families describe as a problem, resilient families, more often than not, describe as a challenge. Its their mindset. They tend to believe, in the humblest way, that they can overcome most obstacles in life. Hope Losing hope during difficult times often signals the beginning of the end. When hope is lost, we tend to throw in the towel. Resilient families are known for their sense of hope, and for even out hoping others. One explanation is that they continually find things they can control when other things are tilting out of control. To read the entire article visit: https://www.militaryonesourceeap.org/achievesolutions/en/military onesource/Content.do?contentId=6377

Inside This Issue

Resilient Families H & R Block TRICARE Pharmacy Services Reintegration takes teamwork, communication Kids Corner 1 2 3 4 5

Developing and Sustaining, Strong, Self-Reliant Army Reserve Families

Free Tax Filing Service

Through the Military OneSource program, you can complete, save and file your 2011 Federal and up to three State returns online for free with the H&R Block At Home tool. You must start your return from this link to access this free offer: Military OneSource H&R Block At Home. http://www.militaryonesourceeap.org/achievesolutions/en/mos /BufferPage.do?contentId=27597 If you have questions about this tax service or about your own tax returns, please call 1-800-342-9647 and ask to speak with a Military OneSource tax consultant. Trained tax consultants are available 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., EST. For online assistance with questions about deductions, exemptions and filing deadlines, send inquiries to TaxQuestions@militaryonesource.com. For technical support for H&R Block At Home, please call 1-800HRBLOCK (472-5625) and follow the prompts for H&R Block At Home. This is the same free tax preparation program you may have used before. If you created an H&R Block at Home account last year, your login credentials for that account will still work and you will be able to access last years personal tax information. To learn more about the H&R Block At Home service, please see the FAQs. This service is offered to those who are eligible for the Military OneSource Program: All Active-duty service members of the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force. National Guard and members of the Reserve (regardless of activation status), includes members of the Coast Guard Reserve activated as part of the Department of the Navy under Title 10 authority. Spouses and dependent children of the services noted above, and who are authorized in DEERS. A family member who is taking care of the affairs of a service member (in one of the services noted above) when the service member is deployed. A severely injured service member of one of the services noted above, or a designated family member of a severely injured member who is incapable of handling his or her own affairs. Medically retired individuals are eligible until 180 days past their End of Tour of Service, retirement date, or discharge date. Log into Military Onesource for more information

How to correct a mistake in your credit record

If you find a mistake in any of the reports, you have the right to dispute it and try to have it corrected. Ask the credit bureau for a dispute form, fill one out online through the credit bureau's website, or send a letter with the correction you are suggesting. Attach copies of any supporting documentation (not original documents). Clearly identify each item in the report that you think is mistaken and explain why you think it is wrong. Keep copies of your letters and backup documentation in case the correction isn't resolved smoothly. The bureau will respond in writing in about four weeks. It is the credit bureau's responsibility to prove that the information is correct, not your responsibility to prove that it is wrong. If the bureau investigates and finds that a mistake has been made on your record, the bureau will correct it. You can then ask the bureau to send a corrected version to anyone who has received your report within the past six months -- and to any employer who requested a copy of your report as part of a job application process in the past two years. You can also ask the bureau to identify the source of the mistaken information, and you should send a letter explaining the mistake to that source, too. If there is a dispute over an error, or if you think that someone has stolen your identity and is using your credit, be prepared for a long period of back-and-forth communication with the credit bureau and your creditors. While the burden of proof lies with the bureau -- if it can't prove that the information in question is correct, then it has to delete it -- the process of resolving a dispute or unraveling a case of identity theft can be complex and lengthy. If you get involved in this situation, it's important to keep detailed records of letters and conversations, and to be assertive about following up with everyone you contact.

Developing and Sustaining, Strong, Self-Reliant Army Reserve Families

TRICARE Beneficiaries Reassured of Robust Pharmacy Service

The expiration of the retail pharmacy contract between Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI) and the Walgreens pharmacy chain means Walgreens is no longer a TRICARE pharmacy network provider as of Jan. 1, 2012. The majority of beneficiaries have access to another network pharmacy very close to home as our pharmacy contract requires ESI to maintain high access standards, said Rear Adm. Thomas McGinnis, chief of the TRICARE Pharmaceutical Operations Directorate. There are still 56,000 network pharmacies nationwide easily meeting or exceeding our access requirements. In addition to 56,000 network pharmacies, TRICARE beneficiaries have other pharmacy options including military pharmacies at no cost and convenient TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery. Generic medications are available at no cost through Home Delivery. Beneficiaries who use non-network pharmacies, including Walgreens, pay full prescription costs upfront and submit their own claims for reimbursement. Reimbursement will occur only after the non-network deductible is met. Out-of-network costs include a 50 percent point-of-service cost share for TRICARE Prime, after deductibles are met. All other non-active duty TRICARE beneficiaries pay the greater of a $12 copay or 20 percent of the total cost for formulary medications and the greater of $25 or 20 percent of the total cost for non-formulary medications, after deductibles are met. For more on pharmacy costs go to www.tricare.mil/pharmacycosts. TRICARE beneficiaries changing from Walgreens pharmacy can simply take their current prescription bottle to their new network pharmacy to have the prescription transferred. To find a nearby network pharmacy, use the find a pharmacy feature on www.express-scripts.com/tricare. Beneficiaries who want help finding a pharmacy, changing their medications to Home Delivery or who have other questions can contact Express Scripts at 1-877-885-6313. The issues between ESI and Walgreens are not specific to TRICARE. Other employer-sponsored and some Medicare Part D pharmacy plans are also affected. Beneficiaries with questions and concerns about this issue can go to www.tricare.mil/walgreens for more information. We are committed to ensuring all our pharmacy beneficiaries are aware of the many options that TRICARE makes available to them, said Brig. Gen. Bryan Gamble, TRICARE Deputy Director. By now, all of our beneficiaries who use Walgreens to fill

prescriptions should have been contacted to advise them of their pharmacy options and to take action to ensure their pharmacy benefit remains uninterrupted. The health of our Service members, retirees and their families remains my number one priority. In addition to the letters already mailed to each beneficiary who uses Walgreens, ESI has contacted many beneficiaries by telephone and followed up with reminder letters over the last few months of 2011. Beneficiaries taking medications to treat hemophilia, multiple sclerosis, and some rheumatoid arthritis and cancer drugs have also been contacted. TRICARE pharmacy information and updates can be found at www.tricare.mil/pharmacy.

RETREATS
Strong Bonds is a Regional Readiness Command and Direct Reporting Commands, chaplain led program that helps Soldiers and their families build strong relationships. The programs mission is to build soldier readiness by providing skills the Soldier can use to strengthen his or her marriage and other relationships. Initially, Strong Bonds was intended solely for married couples, but it has now been expanded to include single Soldiers. Each Strong Bonds program is targeted to meet Soldiers where they are in their relationship cycle and is administered through a training process that culminates in an off-site weekend retreat. Strong Bonds Couples Strengthens the marital bond, giving couples the tools information they need for better communication and relationship building. Originally referred to as Building Strong and Ready Families. Strong Bonds Single Soldiers Focuses on the skills of finding the right partner and building a great relationship. Strong Bonds for Pre and Redeployment It is undeniable the Global War on Terrorism has compounded the trials of routine separation that Army life has always entailed. The recent, perpetual cycle of deployment and redeployment, in and out of combat, has placed especially difficult burdens on all Family relationships. Soldiers frequently struggle with transition from battlefield to home front, and their Families struggle to adjust to disrupted routines and the challenges of reintegration and reconnection.

Developing and Sustaining, Strong, Self-Reliant Army Reserve Families

The Strong Bonds Pre- and Redeployment Program is designed to help single Soldiers, couples, and Families cope with this struggle. The program is offered through an off-site weekend retreat. In addition to relevant teaching and skills training, Strong Bonds weekends include time for relaxation, recreation, fellowship, and fun. Strong Bonds programs are offered by Army Chaplains with the full support of your Commanding Officer. Youll attend with others from your unit and gain practical, useful information based on material designed especially for Soldiers and Families. Through small group and individual activities, youll learn how to transition more effectively from separation to togetherness. To locate an event and register visit; www.strongbonds.org

"When society puts Soldiers into war, they have always had challenges with what to do with those Soldiers and how to handle them and what their experiences are like after they return," Davis explained. Davis went on and compared the Iliad and the Odyssey to illustrate how warriors from the past and the present share the same struggles and challenges. "If you strip away all of the fantasy parts of it, it deals with the theme that war veterans return," he stated. The reality of a time for reintegration and resources available to Soldiers is something that cannot be measured accurately because each Soldier's experience is different. Soldiers train up to two years in preparation for their deployments, and in those two years they and their families go through significant transformations as they prepare for time apart. "If it takes two years for you to prepare, how long you think it should take you to reintegrate back into society?" asked Davis. "It's not going to happen in 90 days." "Our great nation is providing you with a lot of resources to help you," he continued. "Don't be impatient. Take the time to work through the issues, understand what you have gone through, understand that you are different, more importantly your family is different." Reintegration when Soldiers return takes teamwork from everyone. "War is won by small cohesive teams who look out for each other that are highly proficient and well trained," he explained. "Integration is a team sport. It's a team of your family, your battle buddies, your fellow veterans, and other peers. Use that team!" Recalling his own experiences, Davis urged everyone to communicate. "Talk about your experiences. Talk, share, communicate, even through the people and audiences you are talking to may not understand or comprehend. It gives you a sense of therapy and will help you through this," he said. "You stand out from America and other Americans because of where you have been, who you are, and the great Soldiers that you are," explained Davis. "You are unique individuals. Each of you is a hero in your own way." For the full article, visit www.army.mil. Source: www.arfp.org By Sgt. 1st Class Alyn-Michael Macleod, 99th Regional Support Public Affairs .

Reintegration takes teamwork, communication

ATLAN TIC CITY, N.J., Feb. 26, 2011 -- Army Reserve Ambassador

Alan V. Davis spoke with more than 400 Soldiers and family members at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, N.J., during a Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Event, hosted by the 99th Regional Support Command. "Going to war, training, deploying, executing a mission in a war is a transformative event," said Davis, a retired brigadier general who has seen time on the ground in Vietnam and has more than 32 years of combined active and Army Reserve service. Davis knows how these events alter Soldiers, and went on to explain that a deployment is life-changing, "not only for you the Soldier, but for you your family." "One of the purposes here today is to now prepare you, as we say, to reintegrate you back from that experience into America as you find it today," he continued. One of the ways this process is accomplished is through the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. The program, which the Secretary of Defense initiated in 2008, provides information, services, referral, and proactive outreach programs to Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen in the Reserve Component and their families through all phases of the deployment cycle. The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program consists of seven events that take place at intervals before and after mobilization, which give the Soldiers and family members information, counseling, skills and techniques for upcoming deployments and re-deployments. Any deployment or mobilization that takes a Soldier away from their home has an impact on their life that can present issues.

Developing and Sustaining, Strong, Self-Reliant Army Reserve Families

Kids Corner

Developing and Sustaining, Strong, Self-Reliant Army Reserve Families