The House version contained a provision under which, reservists who are wounded in action and receive a Purple Heart would have their retirement pay calculated based on years of service, instead of equivalent active duty service. In other words, if this version had passed, a Reservist with a Purple Heart, who has 20 years in the Reserves would have his/her retirement pay calculated based on 20 years, rather than what it equals in active duty time. Congress may consider this provision in next year's law. They've asked DOD to provide recommendations by February.
Division of Retirement Pay in Divorces. The Senate version of the bill would have made two small changes to the Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act (USFSPA). The first change would allow divorce courts to order automatic increases in payment to ex-spouses when the member receives his/her annual cost-of-living increase in retirement pay. This would give courts more flexibility when ordering a specific dollar amount instead of a percentage of retirement pay. The second change would have allowed the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) to prepare separate income tax documents when the ex-spouse receives payment directly from DFAS. Neither provision was included in the final bill.
Automobile Shipping. The House version of the bill would have allowed families making military moves to and from the continental U.S. and Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam, and other U.S. territories or possessions to ship two privately owned vehicles (current law only allows shipment of one vehicle to or from overseas locations). This provision didn't make it into the final bill.
Automobile Storage. Under the House version of the bill, members authorized to store a vehicle at government expense could have used private storage lots and be reimbursed, as long as the reimbursement wouldn't exceed the cost of storing the vehicle in a government storage lot. This provision also did not make it into the final bill.
Health Care Scholarships. The House version of the bill called for a two-year test, allowing up to 100 people to get scholarships or financial aid in critical health care skills in return for agreeing to a term of military service. This provision didn't make it into the final bill.
Pharmacy. The House bill would have allowed free generic and brand-name prescriptions ordered from the Tricare mail order pharmacy. However, fees for prescriptions at retail pharmacies would have increased to $6.00 for generic drugs and $16.00 for brand names. This provision wasn't passed.
Free Postage. The House version of the bill would have allowed free postage for packages sent to troops from the U.S. to Iraq or Afghanistan. Deployed troops would have been given coupons for one package per month (up to 15 pounds), which they could then provide to friends and family members. This provision didn't make the final cut.
