Service members would receive a 1.7-percent raise in basic pay Jan. 1, under a key provision of the Senate version’s 2013 Defense Authorization Bill. The measure, which authorizes a base budget of $525.3 billion for the Defense Department and $88.5 billion for the war in Afghanistan and other overseas contingency operations, cleared the upper chamber May 24. The Senate bill also could cap active-duty strength for fiscal year 2013, which begins Oct. 1 and extends through next Sept. 30, at 552,100 for the Army, 322,700 for the Navy, 197,300 for the Marine Corps, and 329,597 for the Air Force.
Senate Bill Rejects TRICARE Increases
The Senate version of the 2013 defense bill also rejected proposals to establish enrollment fees for health-care coverage under TRICARE Standard and TRICARE for Life, and declined to allow increases in deductibles and the annual catastrophic cap. The measure authorizes $32.9 billion to fund the Defense Health Program, and includes provisions that would extend TRICARE Standard coverage up to 180 days for selected reserve members who are involuntarily separated without cause for other than adverse reasons. Other health care-related provisions would:
* Place some certain over-the-counter drugs on the uniform formulary of medications, thus making them available by copayment to eligible beneficiaries;
* Adopt modifications of mental-health assessments for service members who deploy in support of contingency operations;
* Call for the Defense Department to produce reports on hearing loss, psychological health, traumatic brain injury, and development of prosthetics and prosthetic sockets;
* Pay for abortions in cases of rape or incest;
* Provide fertility evaluation and treatment.
