NewsBytes December 15, 2023
In this issue:
Final FY 2024 NDAA Bill
Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act
CFPB Fines Credit Bureau
Wreath Across America
FRA NHQ Holiday Closures
Final NDAA Bill Submitted
The conference committee report to resolve the differences between the House and Senate versions of the FY 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA-H.R. 2670) was filed in the House and Senate to be voted on. The 3093-page report includes $842.2 billion for the Department of Defense for FY 2024, in line with the spending cap set for national security programs under the June debt-limit deal. Key provisions in the bill include:
- Providing a 5.2 percent annual pay increase for active duty;
- Allowing DoD the option for bonuses for junior enlisted;
- Opening commissary and exchange privileges to remarried surviving spouses;
- Increasing the monthly Family Separation Allowance from the current $250 up to $400;
- Reducing Navy (-3700) and Marine Corps (-4700) end strengths;
- Authorizing significant environmental cleanup of PFAS and many other contaminants at current and former Department of Defense bases;
- Individuals who were involuntarily separated for refusing to get the Covid-19 vaccine can request reinstatement; and
- Prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory in the military and flying LGBTQ+ flags on bases.
As Newsbytes goes to press, the Senate approved the bill (87-13), and a vote is still pending in the House. If the House approves the bill, it will be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law or vetoed. Congress also needs to pass Defense appropriations (spending) to provide funding for these and other programs.
The Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act
The House passed the "Elizabeth Dole Home- and Community-Based Services for Veterans and Caregivers Act" (H.R. 542), sponsored by Rep. Julia Brownley (Calif.), marking the single largest expansion of long-term care services at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in decades. This legislation would significantly improve and expand home- and community-based services for disabled or aging veterans.
The bill would require the VA to establish agreements with outside providers to furnish medical and social services for veterans not in VA nursing homes. The bill also would require the VA to improve in-home assistance and support for caregivers of veterans and raise the limit on expenses for nursing home care provided outside of VA facilities. Additionally, the bill would require the VA to conduct several studies related to medical and health services for elderly veterans and report on those topics. Long-term care is one of the biggest challenges facing our aging population and their families, and our veteran population is no exception, with almost half of VA’s patient population being over 65.
The bill sponsor noted, "Disabled and aging veterans want to be cared for in their homes, with their families, in their communities, and our veterans have more than earned the right to have the option of living their lives at home."
Members can weigh in on this issue at: https://www.votervoice.net/FRA/Campaigns/109686/Respond
CFPB Fines Credit Bureau for not preventing active-duty from being put on Solicitation Lists
TransUnion, one of the three major American credit bureaus, will pay an $8 million fine for not taking required steps to prevent active-duty service members and other U.S. consumers from landing on prescreened lists for insurance and credit card solicitations, among other lapses.
TransUnion was ordered by the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) to fix its broken practices, which resulted in the company failing to process freezes and locks on people’s credit reports on time, according to a statement from the CFPB.
The $8 million total consists of a $5 million fine and up to $3 million in consumer compensation. According to the CFPB statement, TransUnion will contact affected consumers regarding the payout, so there is no need for them to act on their own. Security freezes and locks are designed to minimize the risk of identity theft by preventing third parties from gaining access to consumers’ credit reports. Scammers can use the information in the reports to open fraudulent accounts.
Since at least 2003, TransUnion failed to institute or remove security locks and freezes in a timely manner for tens of thousands of consumers, according to a bureau order. “These consumers did not know about this failure, and some were told that their requests had been honored when they had not,” the order said. Due to reliability issues with TransUnion’s systems, customer requests sometimes had to be registered by hand, but the credit bureau did not keep up with demand, according to the order. Those systems issues, which were known to TransUnion, “steadily accumulated and were left unresolved for years,” the order said.
Active-duty military personnel who requested an extension of the precautions were among the people affected, as TransUnion “failed to continue to exclude those consumers from marketing lists for prescreened offers,” according to the CFPB.
FRA Participates in Wreath Across America
This Saturday, December 16th, join the nationwide movement of remembrance as Wreaths Across America lay wreaths on the graves of veterans across all 50 states. Numerous FRA branches will be participating in local ceremonies, placing wreaths and sharing stories of service and sacrifice.
Do you plan on participating? We want to see! Share photos of your branch laying wreaths, volunteering, or simply paying respects at your community's ceremony. Send your pictures to [media@fra.org] and we'll compile them to showcase the unwavering commitment of the FRA to remembering and honoring those who served.
FRA Headquarters Holiday Closures
The FRA National Headquarters (NHQ) staff wishes everyone a Merry Christmas, a safe and joyous holiday, and a very happy 2024! Our offices will close at noon on Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, and will reopen on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. NHQ will also be closed on Monday, January 1, 2024, in observance of New Year’s Day. Due to the holiday schedule, the next edition of FRA Newsbytes will be Friday, December 29, 2023.