Your Fiscal Year 2004 Military Pay and Benefits

Re-Training Bonus. Section 625 of the act allows the services to establish re-training bonuses, not to exceed $4,000, for members who agree to re-train into specified, shortage jobs. Under current procedures, members who re-train into shortage jobs can qualify for a re-enlistment bonus for that shortage job, but this new bonus is different. It is payable in addition to any re-enlistment bonus authorized.

Size of the Military. The bill authorizes an increase in the Army's end-strength. The Department of Defense did not request this. Congress authorized an increase of 2,400 in the active duty Army and an increase of 1,779 for full-time Army reserve component soldiers on active duty.

End-strengths for the services are Army, 482,400; Navy, 373,800; Marine Corps, 175,000; and Air Force, 359,300. Selected reserve end-strengths are Army National Guard, 350,000; Army Reserve, 205,000; Naval Reserve, 85,900; Marine Corps Reserve, 39,600; Air National Guard, 107,030; and Air Force Reserve, 75,800.

Overall end-strength for the military is 1,390,500 on the active side and 863,330 on the reserve.

In addition, Congress increased the National Guard by 264 full-time personnel to man 12 more weapons of mass destruction-civil support teams.

Reserve Medical Care. The bill gives reservists and their families more access to Tricare ? the military's health care program. Section 702 of the act allows members of the Reserves to enroll in Tricare at any time that the member --

• is an eligible unemployment compensation recipient; or
• is not eligible for health care benefits under an employer-sponsored health benefits plan.

Such members may enroll for either of the following types of coverage:

• Self alone coverage.
• Self and family (dependent) coverage.

The Secretary of Defense is required to establish the amount of annual premiums for this new benefit.

Additionally, members of the reserves who receive a delayed-effective-date active-duty order, for a period of more than 30 days in support of a contingency operation, becomes eligible for Tricare coverage on the date of the order. Under the previous law, Tricare coverage for family members did not go into effect until after the reservist actually went onto active duty.

In addition to expanded Tricare coverage for some Reservists, section 701 of the act authorizes DOD to provide medical/dental screening and medical/dental treatment to any Reservist who has been notified that they are being called to active duty. This allows the services to ensure that those members meet the applicable medical and dental standards for deployment. The act prohibits charging members any fee for such screenings or treatment.

Commissary for Reservists. Section 651 of the act gives almost all reservists and their dependents unlimited access to DOD Commissaries. Unlimited access is authorized for:

• Members of the Ready Reserve (which includes members of the Selected Reserve, Individual Ready Reserve and Inactive National Guard) and members of the Retired Reserve who possess a Uniformed Services Identification Card.
• Former members eligible for retired pay at age 60 but who have not yet attained the age of 60 and who possess a Department of Defense Civilian Identification Card.
• Dependents of the members described above who have a Uniformed Services Identification Card or who have a distinct identification card used as an authorization card for benefits and privileges administered by the Uniformed Services.

Previously, Guard and Reserve members were authorized only 24 shopping days per year in Defense Commissaries.

Medical Care for Commissioned Officers Awaiting Active Duty Orders. Section 708 of the act allows the military to grant medical care to newly commissioned officers, who are in the inactive reserves, but have applied for, and are awaiting active duty orders. This provision only applies to newly commissioned officers, waiting to go onto active duty for their initial service commitment, and the member does not have health care insurance and is not covered by any other health benefits plan.

Frocking Approval. The act makes it harder for the services to "frock" senior officers. "Frocking" is a program that allows members selected for promotion to wear the new rank before the actual promotion effective date (they still receive pay for the current rank). Section 509 of the FY 2004 Military Authorization Act requires approval of the Secretary of Defense's office before an officer in the grade of O-6 or above can be frocked.