Don’t hurry. But don’t wait too long. That’s the conundrum when you’re considering long-term care insurance. It’s one of those things most of us would rather put off thinking about. After all, nobody likes to contemplate the downside of growing older. However, while determining whether you need the coverage and what type of policy makes the most sense aren’t decisions you want to rush, the sooner you make them, the better off you’ll be.
From the Medical News Today website
Home health primarily involves helping a person receive care in their own home instead of the hospital when it is appropriate.
In many cases, home health costs less and is just as effective as care that a person may otherwise receive in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) or hospital.
For Medicare to pay for home healthcare, a Medicare-certified home health agency must provide the service. People who receive services from a noncertified home health agency will need to pay the costs out of pocket.
In this article, we explain the coverage of home health services under Medicare.
Bernard Ganab, 61, of Coon Rapids, Minnesota, formerly of Waipahu, Hawaii, passed away on May 23, 2020.
Bernard was born on October 31, 1958 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He graduated from Waipahu High School in 1976. After graduation, he served in the US Army and National Guard for 6 years. Bernard moved to Minnesota in 1987. He was employed with North Hennepin Community College for 30 years and recently retired.
Bernard knew how to enjoy life and had a way of making everyone around him feel special. He enjoyed daily crossword puzzles, playing his ukulele, and singing Hawaiian songs. He loved and missed the Aloha lifestyle everyday. As they say, “You can take the boy out of Hawaii, but you can’t take Hawaii out of the boy.”
Preceded in death by parents Basilio and Christina Ann (Acol) Ganab, sister Janice Halmas, brothers David Villafania and James (Michael) Ganab. Survived by daughter Gina Ganab, son Gavin Ganab, sister Bessie (Romeo) Ramos, and many aunties, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Private family interment will be held at a later date.
From the Honolulu Magazine website
When it comes to breakfast, we are often at our least adventurous—witness the island’s brunch menus hewing largely to a pancake-eggs-bacon theme and the continental breakfast served at hotels. But be bold this morning and let your first meal take you around the globe, from Taiwan’s fan tuan to Mexico’s menudo.
For retirees, the two most important parts of the recent CARES Act waived required minimum distributions (RMDs) for 2020 and authorized stimulus checks for most American adults. The RMD waiver protects seniors who would otherwise have to dip into slumping traditional IRA and 401(k) accounts and withdraw an amount based on pre-coronavirus values. Now, retirees who can get by without their 2020 distribution can leave that money in their retirement accounts an extra year and, hopefully, let those accounts regain lost value.
The stimulus checks put money directly in retirees’ pockets – up to $1,200 per person (assuming there are no dependent children). Struggling seniors can use this cash infusion to pay rent, buy food, cover medical expenses, or prop up their finances in any way they see fit.
Father’s Day in the United States is on the third Sunday of June. It celebrates the contribution that fathers and father figures make for their children’s lives.
There are a range of events, which may have inspired the idea of Father’s Day. One of these was the start of the Mother’s Day tradition in the first decade of the 20th century. Another was a memorial service held in 1908 for a large group of men, many of them fathers, who were killed in a mining accident in Monongah, West Virginia in December 1907.
A woman called Sonora Smart Dodd was an influential figure in the establishment of Father’s Day. Her father raised six children by himself after the death of their mother. This was uncommon at that time, as many widowers placed their children in the care of others or quickly married again.
Sonora was inspired by the work of Anna Jarvis, who had pushed for Mother’s Day celebrations. Sonora felt that her father deserved recognition for what he had done. The first time Father’s Day was held in June was in 1910. Father’s Day was officially recognized as a holiday in 1972 by President Nixon.
From the Air Force Magazine website
Chief Master Sgt. JoAnne Bass will become the 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, and the first female enlisted Airman to lead one of the U.S. armed forces.
Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., who will take over as Chief of Staff later this summer, picked Bass to follow outgoing CMSAF Kaleth Wright. Bass’s selection sets up a historic leadership slate for the Air Force: It will become the first military branch run by a Black CSAF and a female enlisted Chief.
Bass is the first Asian American to serve as the highest-ranking non-commissioned member of a U.S. military service as well.
They might not have the most conventionally attractive looks, but these are all still cool cars.
Here are some of the most interesting oddball cars ever built.
The May 2020 issue of the National Guard magazine features the following articles:
Schooling Their Own Guard Apache units were having difficulty getting seats at the aviation schoolhouse, so they offered to help teach.
Goodbye Old Friends Guard airlift units may lose a bunch of older C-130s in the coming years, and some won’t be replaced.
Tokens of Esteem Long part of the military culture, challenge coins have gone mainstream.
Double Trouble GUARD ROOTS: The Guard and the nation faced two deadly enemies during World War I.
Chairman’s Message WHY WAIT? The utility of a Space National Guard is obvious. It requires no further study.
The National Guard Association of the United States
One Massachusetts Avenue, NW | Washington, DC 20001 | www.ngaus.org
P: 202.789.0031 | F: 202.682.9358 | newsletter@ngaus.org
Off Remember Oahu from the Past Facebook page
Possibly developed as an emergency field dating to the 1930s, but it was not until the United States entered World War II that the airfield was developed. Kahuku Army Airfield was classified as an auxiliary field and had a very short life span, from 1942 until it was closed in the late 1940s
The airfield’s runway later became a place where drag races were held. Races were held from 1954-1964. Did any retirees attend or race there? More on drag racing in Hawaii.
From the AAFMAA website Posted on June 10, 2020
In December 2019, the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) voted to repeal the law commonly known as the “Widow’s Tax,” which requires an offset of Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) payments for surviving spouses who are also entitled to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The original law states that a surviving spouse who receives DIC is subject to a reduction of SBP payments, resulting in a SBP offset. With the NDAA’s repeal of the “Widow’s Tax,” this offset will be phased-out in three steps, beginning with a partial reduction in January 2021 and ending with a total elimination of the offset in January 2023.
Here’s what you need to know about the repeal of the “Widow’s Tax”:
– There will be no changes to the SBP-DIC offset in 2020.
– In 2021, SBP will be reduced by two-thirds of the amount of DIC.
– In 2022, SBP will be reduced by one-third of the amount of DIC.
– In 2023, the offset will be fully eliminated.
The increase in benefits will occur automatically for all surviving spouses subject to the SBP-DIC offset. You do not need to take any actions to initiate the offset.
Eligible survivors will continue to receive Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance (SSIA), currently $323 per month for 2020, up to the current SSIA amount or the amount of SBP that is offset due to DIC, whichever is less. However, SSIA will no longer be paid once the offset is fully eliminated in 2023.
Stay up to date with information about the elimination of the offset through the official DFAS SBP-DIC Offset Phased Elimination News page.
About AAFMAA. Established in 1879, the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association (AAFMAA) is the longest-standing, not-for-profit financial solutions provider supporting military families and veterans with advice, information, insurance, financial planning, investments, mortgages, survivor assistance and other benefits.
This post in not an endorsement of AAFMAA or their services.
The Tricare Dental Plan (TDP) is giving its policyholders an extra $300 to spend on dental care this year as a result of the COVID-19 national emergency.
The dental plan is available to active duty family members, eligible National Guard and Reserve members and their family members.
Thanks to Gordon Lau for emailing this article into Retiree News.
Military Retirees, Annuitants and Former Spouses:
The June 2020 Retiree Newsletter is now available online. It contains helpful information to make sure your account stays up to date, and how to make those updates, including the self service options offered in myPay. We also want to share a new, easier process for school certifications, new direct deposit option for arrears of pay, an update on the SBP-DIC Offset Phased Elimination, plus information from Army Emergency Relief, and the Armed Forces Retirement Homes.
Retiree News 