Briefs>>12-6-13

Golf course closed until Monday

The Golf Course will be closed today through Sunday. To preserve the course, golf staff members have placed covers on the greens due to the freezing temperatures. The driving range will remain open since the golf ball dispenser is machine operated.

Medical Group closures planned

The 19th Medical Group will be closed on the following dates.
Noon to 4:30 p.m., Dec. 18 for training;
Dec. 25, in observance of Christmas;
Dec. 26, in observance of an AMC holiday, and Jan. 1 for New Year's Day.

Tax Center volunteers needed

The Tax Center is currently requesting volunteers for the upcoming 2013 tax season. If you are interested in becoming a Tax Center volunteer or have any questions about the VITA program, please call Capt. Timothy Bennett or Airman 1st Class Blake Johnson at the Legal Office at (501) 987-7886.
The Little Rock Air Force Base Tax Center will open its doors Feb. 4, 2014, for the 2013 tax season. During the 2012 tax season, the Little Rock AFB Tax Center completed 1,303 tax returns for Team Little Rock, resulting in refunds totaling $1.4 million.
All of these savings were made possible by volunteers who kept the Tax Center functioning. Tax Center volunteers are trained through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, receiving valuable education on completion of federal and state tax returns.
At the conclusion of the VITA training, volunteers qualify as certified tax preparers, a crucial skill for managing their own financial affairs. Whether answering phones or completing returns, volunteers are instrumental in meeting the tax filing needs for hundreds of active duty, reservists, dependents, and retirees from the surrounding area.
Training is tentatively scheduled for the week of Dec. 16.

Ordering CCAF transcripts

If you are ordering Community College of the Air Force transcripts, CCAF is experiencing technical difficulties. Two available options are:
1) Mail a letter to CCAF requesting a transcript which also will need to include your full name, the last four of your SSN, your Date of Birth, and the address you wish your transcript to be sent to. NOTE: Ensure the letter is physically SIGNED by the member to release their record. The address to CCAF is:
Community College of the Air Force
100 South Turner Blvd.
Maxwell AFB, Gunter Annex AL 36114-3011
2) Credentials, INC. does overnight and regular delivery using their service called TranscriptPLUS for a fee.
This service can be found at https://www.credentials-inc.com/cgi-bin/dvcgitp.pgm?ALUMTRO012308.

CCAF progress report available

The Student Degree Plan allows CCAF students immediate information, degree program status, degree requirements and student records. Members can obtain their CCAF Progress Report on their AF Virtual Ed Center.

Upcoming family-advocacy classes scheduled Dec. 9

The next 1-2-3 Magic parenting class will be Dec. 9 from 1 - 4 p.m. at the Family Advocacy office. Call 501-987-7377 for registration. Dad's 101 is a partenting class for new dads taught by dads and will be Dec. 9 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Family Advocacy Office. Call 501-987-7377 for registration.

TRICARE and new health care reform impact explained

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is designed to expand access to health care coverage, by lowering costs, improving quality while expanding care coordination for all Americans. PPACA requires all citizens to have health insurance or other health care coverage that meets the definition of minimum essential coverage (MEC) by Jan. 1, 2014. People who do not meet MEC will be required to pay a fee when filing their 2014 tax returns.
TRICARE programs, to include Prime, Standard, Prime Remote, TRICARE Reserve
Select, TRICARE Young Adult, and TRICARE Retired Reserve meet the requirements of MEC as long as you maintain your TRICARE enrollment. You can access information on these programs at www.tricare.mil. However, there are two very small populations that do not meet the requirements of MEC under TRICARE: those receiving care for line of duty only related conditions and those that are only eligible to receive care in military treatment facilities.
Beneficiaries are required to maintain DEERS information at the Military Personnel Element, since DEERS determines your eligibility for TRICARE.
DEERS will be the source of information that will be accessed to validate that you and your family members have health care coverage that meets the definition of MEC.
The bottom line is PPACA will not impact TRICARE beneficiaries with the exception of an extra letter or two delivered to your home and the additional box to check on tax forms every year. If you need more information on this program please visit www.tricare.mil/aca.