Silver star handbook

In September he announced he would run as a candidate in the new district. In Washington, he devoted much of his efforts to veterans issues and the hardships that came with cuts in defense spending that affected the military bases in the San Antonio area. He also endorsed the North American Free Trade Agreement but supported government aid to displaced workers.

During his second term in Congress, Tejeda learned he had cancer. On October 3, , he underwent brain surgery in an effort to have the tumor removed. Although most of the tumor was removed, doctors failed to remove all of it. In Tejeda was reelected, but his health continued to decline. Unable to return to Washington for the beginning of his third term, Frank Tejeda died at the age of fifty-one in San Antonio on January 30, His marriage to Celia Tejeda had ended in divorce. His funeral Mass at St.

Tejeda Leadership Award to be presented to congressional members who demonstrate strong commitment to national defense, leadership, and service to country. The Frank M. Aaron M. New York Times , February 2, The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style , 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.

All copyrighted materials included within the Handbook of Texas Online are in accordance with Title 17 U. The TSHA makes every effort to conform to the principles of fair use and to comply with copyright law.

If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Valor Across the Lone Star. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. This entry belongs to the following Handbook Special Projects :. Related Book s :. Veterans organizations also may provide honor guards. The funeral director normally handles the details of getting an honor guard.

An adjutant general's office, duty officer or commander's office at a local installation or reserve training center also can provide this service. Interment in Arlington National Cemetery. Interment is offered for service members in the following categories, as long as their last period of active duty ended honorably:. Supreme Court; an office listed, at the time the person held the position, in 5 USC or Levels I and II of the Executive Schedule ; the chief of a mission who was, at any time during his tenure, considered to be in Class I under the provisions of Section , Act of 13 August , 60 Stat.

A spouse divorced from the eligible person, or widowed and remarried, is not eligible. Arlington columbarium. The Arlington columbarium is available for cremated remains of all honorably discharged veterans and their eligible spouses and dependent children. Eligibility requirements basically are the same as those for burials in other national cemeteries. Other national cemeteries.

Military retirees, including retired reservists, and veterans who served on active duty and received discharges other than dishonorable are eligible for burial in any cemetery operated by the VA in the U. There is no cost for a grave site, headstone or marker in these cemeteries. Grave sites cannot be reserved. Contact: www. This program, which launched Aug. Open to service members and veterans with active-duty service since Sept.

To qualify for full benefits, service members must have at least three years of active duty after Sept. Lesser amounts of active duty rate a percentage of full benefits. Montgomery GI Bill. In addition, to receive the benefits, veterans must have served the contracted number of years on active duty at least two and received an honorable discharge. Those eligible for the GI Bill-Active Duty have 10 years after separating or retiring from service to use their benefits.

The GI Bill-Selected Reserve requires no contribution, but reservists must be participating satisfactorily in the unit's monthly drills and be enrolled in at least half-time status in an eligible college, trade or technical school. Unlike the active-duty program, GI Bill-Selected Reserve benefits must be used while the reservist is still in a drilling status; they cannot be used after separation.

A civilian court can garnishee the income of retirees if they fall behind in alimony or child support. Garnishment begins with a court order sent to a military finance center.

The finance center deducts the amount from a paycheck before it is written and sends the garnisheed amount to the court-identified person. The limit ranges from 50 percent of disposable earnings to 65 percent. Retirement pay is not subject to the Defense Department policy allowing creditors to garnishee military paychecks to satisfy bad debts. All retirees and their dependents retain eligibility to be treated in military hospitals and clinics when they turn But care is provided on a space-available basis, and getting an appointment is increasingly difficult as installations close.

Therefore, most retirees are seen at civilian facilities using Tricare, the military's managed-care insurance program.

Tricare for Life. Tricare offers retirees several insurance plans, depending on their age, with costs and options for provider care that vary widely. Retirees 65 and older can see civilian doctors and have Tricare pay for part of the cost under Tricare for Life. This is essentially a version of the basic Tricare Standard program; these retirees cannot use Tricare Prime. Retirees under age 65 can choose to be covered under one of the other Tricare plans — Standard, Prime, Prime Remote or Extra.

However, some aspects of how these programs work change when beneficiaries move from active-duty to retired status. For example, Tricare Prime has no enrollment fee for active-duty beneficiaries, but it does have such a fee for retirees under age 65 and their family members.

When a retiree receives care, the retiree first submits the cost of treatment to Medicare. What Medicare does not pay is sent to Tricare. When benefits are covered by Tricare but not Medicare, Tricare pays for the services. Overseas, Tricare is the primary payer. For claims to be paid, retirees must keep their personal data current in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System.

Tricare Retiree Dental Program. Tricare Pharmacy. Under the Tricare Pharmacy program, the cost of drugs for retirees depends on several factors. Military retirees and their family members who turned 65 on or after April 1, , must have Medicare Part B to use Tricare's retail and mail-order pharmacy programs. Military retirees and their family members who turned 65 before April 1, , are not required to carry Part B to use the pharmacy benefits.

In nearly all cases, Tricare beneficiaries derive no advantage from purchasing Medicare Part D coverage. The exceptions may be for those with limited incomes and assets who qualify for Medicare's extra help with costs for prescription drug plans; such individuals may benefit by enrolling in a Medicare prescription drug plan.

As part of its defense budget request, the Obama administration unveiled a proposal in early to make several significant increases in Tricare fees for retirees — hikes in Tricare Prime enrollment fees for retirees under age 65, a new Tricare for Life annual enrollment fee for retirees 65 and older, and higher pharmacy co-pays for both retirees and active-duty family members.

See Health Care chapter. Veterans' Group Life Insurance extends renewable, five-year term insurance to members after they leave active duty or the reserves. Veterans who had SGLI in the military are eligible for VGLI for their lifetimes without evidence of good health if they apply within days of leaving service. They can apply for up to another year, but are then subject to medical screening. Monthly premiums can be deducted directly from retirement pay or VA disability compensation.

They also may be paid quarterly, semiannually or annually, at progressively larger discounts. Premiums increase as VGLI participants age. To hold down costs, policyholders may convert VGLI to a permanent, whole-life insurance plan with fixed premiums for life, or keep the premium at a fixed level but reduce their coverage as they get older.

Accelerated benefit. Terminally ill veterans with VGLI may be eligible to receive an accelerated benefit. Under this plan, policyholders can receive up to half of their coverage amount tax free. To qualify, VGLI policyholders must produce a doctor's certification that they have nine months or less to live.

Alliance Accounts. Alliance Accounts allow beneficiaries to begin earning a competitive interest rate on their proceeds immediately upon payment, while providing instant access to their money. Contact: ; www. Retirees who have lost medals or decorations, or never received ones they earned, may request them at any time. The government will replace lost or destroyed decorations for service or valor at no cost.

There may be a charge for campaign ribbons and badges. Requests should include dates of military service, Social Security or serial number, and dates of birth and retirement.

Service members who retire from the military can move anywhere in the continental U. Certain restrictions apply for retirees intending to live in Alaska and Hawaii. For those states, as for other locations outside the continental U. Filing a final travel settlement voucher with a military finance office constitutes selection of a home. Retirees do not receive advance pay and allowances, dislocation allowance, move-in allowance or temporary lodging allowances.

They can get mileage and per diem allowances for moving expenses. Household goods can be shipped from the retiree's last duty station, any previous stateside duty station or storage area, or any combination of the three. In most cases, retirees have a year from their retirement date to finish moving.

A number of retirement and long-term treatment facilities are available to veterans. Most veterans retirement homes are free to residents, although some ask for payments. Armed Forces Retirement Home. The Gulfport facility was forced to close in August after it was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina and its residents were evacuated to other facilities. The facility finally reopened to residents in October The facility is located on 47 acres of prime waterfront land on the Mississippi Sound.

It is a multitower complex with full amenities such as dining, social, recreational and therapeutic activities, swimming pool, hobby shops, wellness center with basic dental and eye care, bank, barber and beauty shop, bowling center, movie theater, computer room, library, and pedestrian bridge to the beach. The Defense Authorization Act contained a provision to abolish the traditional local advisory boards for each home and establish a single advisory board for both homes.

VA domiciliaries. These facilities provide institutional care to veterans who are not acutely ill and do not need hospital care.