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BULLSEYE News 3August 28, 2015
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SECDEF
visits
Nellis
U.S. Air Force photo by Lawrence Crespo U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash
Carter speaks with Airmen
from Nellis and Creech Air
Force Bases during an all-
call at the Lightning Aircraft
Maintenance Unit hangar
on Nellis AFB, Nev., Aug.
26. Carter’s department
is responsible for policy
development, planning,
resource management, fiscal,
and program evaluations for
the U.S. Armed Forces. A full
article of Carter’s visit to Nellis
AFB will be published in the
Sept. 3 edition of the Bullseye.
Air Force extends SAPR services to AF civilians
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. SARC services, with the exception of le- help civilians identify and contact ad-
“Our civilian Airmen are valuable gal and non-emergency medical services, ditional off-base support organizations
WASHINGTON — The Air Force re- which are restricted by law. Prior to this as needed.
leased a policy memo today allowing Air members of our team, and we’re going to exception, only civilian employees at
Force civilian employees who are victims support them,” said Secretary of the Air overseas locations and their dependents “Our SARCs and victim advocates
of sexual assault to file restricted and un- Force Deborah Lee James. “While this 18 years old or older were eligible to use provide invaluable support and assis-
restricted reports with their installation’s is a huge win for the Air Force and our SARC services, and they could only file tance to our uniformed Airmen who
sexual assault response coordinator. civilian force, we will continue to work unrestricted reports. have suffered from this horrible crime,”
at all levels to prevent sexual assault.” said Maj. Gen. Gina Grosso, the Air
The policy is effective immediately SARCs and SAPR victim advocates Force SAPR director. “We knew we could
and allows SARCs and sexual assault The Department of Defense recently will assist in contacting the appropriate do more to help our civilian Airmen, so
prevention and response victim advo- signed an exception to policy, grant- law enforcement agency for Air Force we sought an exception to policy to allow
cates to assist Air Force civilians who ing the Air Force the authority to ex- civilians who file unrestricted reports to the Air Force to extend the same care and
report sexual assaults by providing cri- tend SAPR services. Air Force civilian ensure reports are properly investigated support to civilian victims as we do to
sis intervention and advocacy services employees will now receive the same and prosecuted. They will also be able to our military Airmen and their families.”
services as those already eligible to use
TRICARE pharmacy rules changing for maintenance, brand-name drugs
By Terri Moon Cronk insurance that has a prescription-drug tember, with instructions on make the and taxpayers money, Jones explained.
program. In certain circumstances, transition from retail pharmacies to a “Based on estimates, the program is
DOD News, Defense Media Activity he added, some beneficiaries might be military pharmacy or the Express Scripts
waived from the program on an indi- mail-in program, he said. expected to save beneficiaries $16.5 mil-
WASHINGTON — TRICARE ben- vidual basis. lion in reduced copays, and projected
eficiaries who take certain brand-name Those with questions about medica- Defense Department savings is $88 mil-
medications on a regular basis will be The brand-name, regularly used, or tions in the brand-name maintenance lion during the first year,” he said.
required to fill prescriptions at a military “maintenance” medications could in- category can call Express Scripts custom-
treatment facility or through a mail-in clude those to treat chronic conditions er service at 1-877-363-1303 or look up That translates into a savings of about
program beginning Oct. 1, a Defense such as blood pressure or cholesterol the drug online at TRICARE’s website. $176 per medication per year, he added.
Health Agency official said here Aug. 20. issues, Jones explained.
Beneficiaries can track their medica- A pilot program on the new pharmacy
George Jones, DHA’s pharmacy opera- Generic medications are not affected tion status and expected delivery date by initiative was conducted in 2014, and was
tions division chief, said the new policy by the new policy, he said. calling or going online to Express Scripts. “very successful,” he added.
does not apply to active-duty troops,
overseas beneficiaries, nursing-home TRICARE pharmacy beneficiaries The new TRICARE policy stems from “It was very well received by beneficia-
residents and those with other health who will be affected will receive a letter the 2013 National Defense Authorization ries and met reductions in beneficiary-
from TRICARE in early to mid-Sep- Act and is designed to save beneficiaries put-of-pocket costs and reduced costs to
the government,” he said.
