Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 04/22/2002

Dear Sgt. Shaft:
I enjoy your column. Can you tell me where and how one might obtain the Presidential Memorial Certificate for a deceased veteran's survivors?

Jim S.
Internet user

Dear Jim:
Presidential Memorial Certificates, bearing the President's signature, are issued to recognize honorably discharged deceased veterans. Next of kin and other loved ones are eligible to receive certificates. The award of a certificate to one eligible recipient does not preclude certificates to other eligible recipients. The veteran may have died at any time. Requests for a certificate should include a copy of the deceased veteran's discharge document, DD-214. VA Regional Offices can assist in applying for certificates. Call 1-800-827-1000 to reach the VA.

Dear Sgt. Shaft:
I am a retired Navy member, retiring in 1975 and a Federal Service retiree retiring in 2001. I will soon turn 65 and I am wondering about what health coverage I should have. I believe I am entitled to TRICARE (I am not enrolled in any paying capacity) and I currently have Federal Service Health Care (GEHA) which I pay for (approximately 30%) and the Federal Government pays for (approximately 70%). When I turn 65 (my spouse is 62) I will automatically be enrolled in Medicare. What coverage should I keep/get to maintain coverage for my spouse and myself I? Thanks for any help you can provide!!

F.S.
Woodbridge, VA

Dear F.S.:
According to the top technocrats at the Office of Personnel Management, the level and type of coverage you choose depends on your health needs and that of your family. If TRICARE is available to you, and you are satisfied with a fee-for-service plan, many retirees find the coverage between Medicare and TRICARE to be sufficient. This combination seems to cover all the bases and you can continue to use the same providers you've been using with GEHA. Of course if you are not eligible for TRICARE then Medicare (Parts A and B) and Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) would provide you and your spouse very good coverage.

However, since your spouse is not yet eligible for Medicare, if you were to suspend your FEHB for TRICARE, she would not have the nearly complete coverage that you would have. Therefore, you may want to stay with FEHB until your spouse becomes eligible for Medicare. That would give her adequate coverage for the time being. If you do decide to stay with FEHB for your wife's protection and you are eligible for TRICARE, when you become eligible for Medicare, perhaps you would want to consider changing to another FEHB plan (less expensive). If you are in GEHA high option, you may want to switch to the standard option. An HMO may also work but you may have to change providers.

Shaft Kudos
The Sarge is looking forward to joining fellow members of the National Press Club, other media representatives, and guests at upcoming Club luncheons featuring remarks by two special guests: fellow Vietnam vet and now U.S. Senator Max Cleland (D-GA) on May 16 and, on May 24, the esteemed actor and director Ossie Davis, whose late sister, Essie Morgan Davis, shared her skills as a long-time employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Good friend Max Cleland has served his state and nation for more than 30 years. Max earned his undergraduate degree at Stetson University and took a Second Lieutenant's commission in the U.S. Army through its ROTC program. In 1967, Max volunteered for duty in Vietnam, where was promoted to the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army. In 1968, Max was seriously wounded by a grenade explosion and lost both legs and his right arm. He has since been awarded the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service and the Silver Star for Gallantry in Action. After returning home from Vietnam, he was elected to the Georgia State Senate in 1970. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Max to head the U.S. Veterans Administration. In 1982, Max was elected Georgia’s Secretary of State, and, in 1996, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he currently serves on four Senate Committees: Armed Services; Commerce, Science and Transportation; Governmental Affairs; and Small Business. Senator Cleland recently published his second book, “Going for the Max: 12 Principals for Living Life to the Fullest,” a collection of inspirational quotes and anecdotes the Senator has collected over the years (his first book was an autobiography entitled “Strong at the Broken Places”). 

Ossie Davis has been working on the American stage and screen for nearly 50 years. He and his wife and frequent collaborator, actor Ruby Dee, are longstanding political activists who were highly visible during the height of the civil rights movement and continue to speak out at rallies for progressive and humanitarian causes. Davis delivered the moving eulogy at the funeral of slain civil rights leader Malcolm X (which he repeated in Spike Lee's 1992 biopic. After a stint in the Army during WWII, Davis debuted on Broadway in 1946, playing the title role of "Jeb". His numerous roles on Broadway include the lead in "A Raisin in the Sun" (succeeding Sidney Poitier). In 1961, he wrote and starred in the Broadway hit, "Purlie Victorious", which he then adapted for the screen as "Gone Are the Days" (1963). He also wrote the book for the Broadway musical "Purlie." His movie credits include "No Way Out" (1950), "The Cardinal" (1963), "The Hill" (1965), and "The Scalphunters" (1968). He was writer-director of "Cotton Comes to Harlem" (1970) and subsequently directed "Kongi's Harvest" (1971), "Black Girl" (1972), "Gordon's War" (1973), and "Countdown at Kusini" (1976). He has since appeared in several films of Spike Lee: “School Daze," (1988); "Do the Right Thing," (1989); and "Jungle Fever" (1991). His most recent film credits include "Grumpy Old Men" (1993) and as a jurist in "The Client" (1994), a role he recreated in the TV spin-off. 

Persons interested in attending these luncheons should contact Pat Nelson at the National Press Club, (202) 662-7500.

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-462-4430 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

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