Page 2 - Desert Lightning News Tucson 7-31-15

2 July 31, 2015 Desert Lightning News

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TRICARE now provides breast pumps, lactation counseling

Airman First Class Cheyanne Morigeau

355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

NEWS Mothers that choose to breast feed their infants might be sur- (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Angela Ruiz)
prised to learn that TRICARE updated its coverage to include breast
pumps and supplies as of July 1. Airman 1st Class Cheyenne Morigeau bottle feeds her daughter at Davis-Monthan Air
Force Base, July 21. TRICARE is now covering breast pumps for expecting mothers as well
TRICARE can aid expecting Desert Lightning Team mothers as reimbursing moms who purchased one after Dec. 19, 2014. Expecting mothers are
through the process to obtain a breast pump and supplies. There are authorized one standard or electric breast pump per birth. Hospital grade breast pumps
multiple methods to receive a pump or to be reimbursed for one that are available for mothers who have a medical reason requiring one.
was purchased after Dec. 19, 2014.
der their coverage you can still be reimbursed.
Expecting mothers who have TRICARE, to include adoptive Not only did TRICARE add breast pumps to their coverage but
mothers who plan to breastfeed, can request one standard or electric
breast pump per birth. Hospital grade breast pumps are available for they also included lactation counseling services.
those who have a medical reason requiring one. Mothers can receive an additional six outpatient counseling ses-

Breast pump supplies can be purchased up to three years after the sions per birth event.
birth event. These supplies include: bottles, bottle caps, storage bags, If the mother saw a TRICARE authorized provider for lactation
shield and splash protectors, locking rings, tubing and tubing adap-
tors, and standard power adapters. counseling they can be reimbursed through the same claims process
as the breast pumps.
TRICARE however doesn’t cover: breast pump batteries, breast pump
cleaning supplies, baby bottles, travel bags, baby weight scales, over the For additional information and to find and submit the DD form 2642 visit
counter ointments, or nursing bras and other similar products. www.tricare.mil/CoveredServices/IsItCovered/BreastPumpsSupplies.aspx.

“To obtain a breast pump, expecting mothers would need a prescrip- If you have further questions, you can contact the TRICARE’s West
tion indicating which type of pump they need by their off-base OB pro- Region contractor UnitedHealthcare Military & Veterans Call Center at
vider,” said Bill Howard, 355th Medical Group health benefits advisor. 1-877-988-9378 or visit their website at www.uhcmilitarywest.com.

Active duty mothers require a referral from their primary care You may also contact the 355 MDG health benefits advisor at (520) 228-2634.
manager whereas military dependent mothers only require a pre-
scription, according to the health and benefits advisor. They can then
take the prescription to a TRICARE-authorized provider, supplier or
vendor that includes retail and online stores to obtain a pump.

Mothers can also go through their PCM to receive a pump. Their PCM
will submit a referral for the pump, once approved; the pump will be de-
livered to the mother’s home with no out of pocket expense.

For those who have already purchased a breast pump after Dec. 19,
2014, can be reimbursed when they submit a completed DD form 2642,
the itemized receipt, and prescription to the TRICARE claims processer.
If you no longer have TRICARE but purchased a pump and were still un-

AF promotion system: How do you stack up?

Commentary by Master Sgt. Nick Ledesma thing that will benefit the Air Force, or does it benefit only you?
I think most would agree that if theylooked across their section, theywould
56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron
see hard-working, technically proficient Airmen. So if you had to separate ev-
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZONA -- With upcoming changes eryone by their rank and stack them against each other, what would set them
to the enlisted performance report and Air Force promotion system, it’s apart after you got past the job performance? It’s safe to say that within a unit
important to understand how you stack up against your peers, not only there are going to be people who just stand out among their peers. When you
within your job, but within your unit as well. get past those few, it becomes harder and harder to separate them.

The days of receiving time in grade and time in service points are num- When it comes to volunteering, the degree of involvement in the bigger proj-
bered. They are being replaced with a harder look at the member’s sustained ects can be perceived more significant than the amount of times or hours put in.
performance. Some may believe that this will lead to a decrease in the weight Likewise, pursuing a degree beyond your CCAF that supports your specialty code
given to personnel who volunteer or pursue higher education; however, will become more important. Winning quarterly and annual awards will become
don’t be fooled into thinking the “whole person” concept is going away. more important. It will be these things that will set you apart from the rest.

Volunteering and pursuing a higher education will still be an im- I think this change to our EPR and promotion system will force su-
portant factor to getting promoted, but more importantly, it is not pervisors at all levels to look at their subordinates and see where they
going to be about the one or two times you volunteered throughout really need to grow to become future leaders. Whether it is a lack of
the year. Up for consideration will be in what capacity you volun- job knowledge, CCAF or volunteering, it will show in their records,
teered, and were you rewarded in some way for your efforts? and it will have an impact on whether they are deemed promotable.

It won’t be that you just received a Community College of the Air So where do you stack up amongst your peers? This is a question
Force degree and are now actively working toward a bachelor’s. It will you should ask yourself and your supervisor daily.
be “what are you striving to get a bachelor’s degree in?” Will it be some-