THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 11, 1994 TAG: 9407070006
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
In response to D. Ray Dorman's letter (June 19) regarding federal retiree benefits:
As a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps in the 1950s my pay was $222.50 per month. We were told at the time that the reason we were not getting pay raises was because of the medical and dental care for ourselves and our dependents guaranteed for life.
My dependents never received any military dental care. Upon my retirement in 1981, after almost 30 years' service, I learned that there would be no dental care for me either, and medical care for my wife and me would be on ``a space available basis.''
We were discouraged from even attempting to use military medical facilities. We were told to use CHAMPUS and go to a civilian facility. CHAMPUS will pay only 75 percent of covered services and nothing for the others.
Since the reduction in the Department of Defense, we are being told to try to use military facilities and the list of services not covered by CHAMPUS grows. This means we can go to a military medical facility and wait, hoping some doctor will agree to see us.
My wife and I will continue to go to the civilian doctors we have been seeing since my retirement until we exhaust our money. In the interim, I am searching for a civilian health plan which will accept us and for which we will pay.
It is my understanding that civil-service retirees can continue in their health plan after leaving government service; however, they, too, must continue to pay for this plan.
Federal retirees also pay both federal and state taxes, and they have always done so.
BOBBY J. READY
Virginia Beach, June 19, 1994 by CNB