NBHC Groton changing check-in procedures, see Page 2.

INDEX
INSIDE
Local..............................2
Classifieds........................7
Vol. 50, No. 27 Thursday, January 12, 2012 Serving the Military Community in Southeastern Connecticut since 1918
New
Hampshire
earns award
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A normal
day at
SUBASE
Page 4
Providence, New Hampshire, are Annapolis Battle E winners
By Kevin Copeland
Commander, Submarine Force
Atlantic Public Affairs
NORFOLK, Va. -
Commander, Submarine
Force At l ant i c
( C O M S U B L A N T ) ,
announced the winners of
the 2011 Battle Efficiency
(Battle E) competition
Jan. 1.
The Battle E competi-
tion measures our crews
against the three tenets
laid out for us by the CNO:
Warfighting first, oper-
ate forward, be ready, as
well as the call to action
embodied in the design
for undersea warfare,
said COMSUBLANT Vice
Adm. John M. Richardson.
This years competi-
tion showed that across
the board, our submarine
force is manned by teams
that are keenly focused on
achieving these goals and
are providing our nations
leaders with capability
they can use today and
into the future. The results
were very close and these
awards should be a source
of great pride for the whole
force. Congratulations.
The Battle E com-
petition is conducted to
strengthen individual
command performance,
overall force readiness,
and to recognize out-
standing performance.
The criterion for the
award is the overall
readiness of the com-
mand to carry out its
assigned wartime tasks
as a unit of the Atlantic
Submarine Force, and
is based on a yearlong
evaluation.
One submarine from
each submarine squadron
in the Atlantic Fleet is
recognized. The awards
are presented by the com-
modore of each squadron
to the submarine under
their command which has
demonstrated the highest
level of battle readiness
during the evaluation
year.
The 2 0 1 1
COMSUBLANT Battle E
winners, homeports, and
commanding officers are:
Commander, Submarine
Squadron (SUBRON) 2
(Groton)
USS Providence (SSN
719), commanded dur-
ing the competition by
Commander Michael
Quan and Commander
Ray Gabriel.
Rules restrict political activity by military, DoD personnel
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON - With
election activity steadily
picking up, defense offi-
cials are in the process of
issuing regular election-
year guidance to remind
military and Defense
Department (DoD) civil-
ians that theyre subject
to rules regulating their
involvement in political
activities.
This issue - one the
department regularly
addresses during election
periods - came to light
earlier this week after an
Army Reserve soldier in
uniform appeared endors-
ing a political candidate.
Several sets of rules
help to protect the integri-
ty of the political process,
DoD officials said. DoD
Directive 1344.10 applies
to members of the armed
forces, whether they serve
on active duty, as mem-
bers of the reserve compo-
nents not on active duty,
as National Guard mem-
bers in a nonfederal sta-
tus, and military retirees.
In addition, the Hatch
Act applies to federal
civilian employees, and
employees also are subject
to widely published DoD
guidance that discusses
participation in political
campaigns and elections.
These rules are designed
to prevent military mem-
bers or federal civilian
employees participation
in political activities that
imply - or even appear to
imply - official sponsor-
ship, approval or endorse-
ment, officials said. The
concern, they explained,
is that actual or perceived
partisanship could under-
mine the legitimacy of the
military profession and
department.
Thats not to imply,
however, that military
members and civilian
employees cant partici-
pate in politics. In fact,
DoD has a longstanding
policy of encouraging
members to carry out the
obligations of citizenship,
officials said. DoD encour-
ages its military and civil-
ian members to register
to vote and vote as they
choose, they said. Both
groups can sign nominat-
ing petitions for candidates
and express their personal
opinions about candidates
and issues.
However, officials
emphasized, they can do
so only if they dont act
as - or arent perceived
as - representatives of the
armed forces in carrying
out these activities.
Beyond that, the list
of dos and donts differs
depending on whether the
employee is a member of
the armed forces, a career
civil service employee,
a political appointee or
a member of the career
Senior Executive Service,
officials said.
Military members, for
example, may attend polit-
ical meetings or rallies
only as spectators and not
in uniform. Theyre not
permitted to make public
political speeches, serve in
any official capacity in par-
tisan groups or participate
in partisan political cam-
paigns or conventions.
They also are barred
USS California arrives at SUBASE
Photo by Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg
GROTON, Conn. - Commander Dana Nelson, commanding officer of the Virginia-class attack submarine USS California (SSN 781), observes his shipboard handlers as
they navigate the submarine pierside at its new homeport location of Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton.
USS North Carolina visits Guam
Photo by MC2 Gabrielle Blake
POLARIS POINT, Guam - Sailors assigned to the Virginia-class submarine USS North Carolina (SSN 777) prepare to moor alongside the
submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39), Jan. 3. North Carolina is homeported at Naval Submarine Base New London.
Continued on page 6
Continued on page 6
2 THE DOLPHIN Thursday, January 12, 2012
This newspaper is an authorized publication for personnel
of the Department of Defense and their families. Contents
of The Dolphin are not necessarily the official views of, or
endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense
or the Department of the Navy.
Commanding Officer Naval Submarine Base New
London
Capt. Marc W. Denno
Executive Officer Naval Submarine Base New London
Cmdr. Michael A. Pennington
Command Master Chief Naval Submarine Base New
London
CMDCM(SS) Thomas Vatter
Public Affairs Officer - Christopher Zendan
Editor - Sheryl Walsh
Editorial Assistant - Christina Lough
Public Affairs Staff - MCC(SW) James ODonnell,
MC1(AW) Peter Blair and MCSN Gabriel Bevan
NEWS - The editorial content of this newspaper is prepared,
edited and provided by the Public Affairs Office of the Naval
Submarine Base New London. News items and photos must
be received by 4 p.m. the Friday before publication. News
ideas and questions can be directed to Christopher Zendan at
694-5980. Readers can e-mail us at dolphin@ctcentral.com.
Log onto the Web site at www.dolphin-news.com.
ADDRESS - The Dolphin staff can be reached at 694-3514
or write to: The Dolphin, Naval Submarine Base New London
PAO, Box 44, Groton, CT 06349-5044. All news releases should
be sent to this address.
ADVERTISING - Advertisements are solicited by Shore
Line Newspapers and not the editorial staff or Public Affairs
Office. Inquiries regarding advertisements should be directed
to the Display Advertising or Classified Advertising depart-
ments.
Display Advertising, Laura Carpenter at (203) 752-
2704, or Betsy Lemkin at (203) 752-2706
Classified Advertising (in Conn.) (800) 922-7066
Classified Advertising (outside Conn.) (203) 789-5200
The Dolphin is published every Thursday by Shoreline
Newspapers, 40 Sargent Drive, New Haven, CT 06511.
Telephone (203) 752-2701. Minimum weekly circulation
10,000.
John Slater, General Manager
Shore Line Newspapers
The editorial content of this publication is the responsibility of
the Naval Submarine Base New London Public Affairs Office.
The Dolphin is published by Shoreline Newspapers, a private
firm in no way connected with the Department of Defense or
the U.S. Navy under exclusive written contract with the Naval
Submarine Base New London.
The appearance of advertising in this publication, including
inserts of supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the
Department of Defense or Shoreline Newspapers of the products
and services advertised.
Everything advertised in this publication shall be made avail-
able for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race,
color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical
handicap, political affiliation or any other non-merit factor of the
purchaser, user or patron.
This newspaper is printed on recycled newsprint. Please help
conserve our resources and recycle this paper when you are
finished with it.
News in your community
Sunday Chapel
Services at SUBASE
Shepherd of the Sea
Catholic Mass - 9:30
a.m.
CCD - 11 a.m. to noon
Chapel on the Thames
Protestant Worship -
11 a.m.
Catholic Mass - 6 p.m.
Soup Kitchen
Volunteer the first
Tuesday of every month.
For more information,
call (860) 694-3232.
FRA Announces
January events
Branch and Unit 20
of the Fleet Reserve
Association will host
second monthly break-
fast, which will take
place Jan. 21, at the
Branch Home, 242
Thames Street, Groton.
These breakfasts boast
an extensive menu for a
donation of only $5.
Volunteers to help
with the breakfasts are
always welcome. Call
(860) 445-0731 and
leave a message for
Charlie.
Branch and Unit 20
will hold their regular
monthly meetings Jan.
19 at the Branch Home.
Unit 20 will meet at
6 p.m., Branch 20 at
7 p.m. All members
in good standing are
encouraged to attend
these meetings.
Membership in the
FRA is open to all active
duty, retired, and veter-
ans of the sea services,
i.e., the Navy, Marine
Corps, and Coast Guard.
Membership in the FRA
Auxiliary, or Unit, is
open to all spouses,
children and step chil-
dren over age 16, par-
ents and grandparents
of FRA members in good
standing.
For more information,
call the Branch Home at
(860) 445-0731.
Club 20 will host its
Super Bowl Party Feb.
5. Come on down and
join your friends to
watch the final game of
the season!
The February Board of
Directors meeting will
be held Feb. 7 at the
Branch Home at 6 p.m.
All members in good
standing are invited at
attend.
Volunteer for
The Cove
The Cove Center for
Grieving Children is
offering training this
winter open to all inter-
ested individuals. All
five Cove sites are cur-
rently recruiting vol-
unteers for the current
and upcoming program
years!
The training con-
sists of three modules.
Attendance at all three
sessions is mandatory.
All sessions will be
held in Madison, Conn.
- contact The Cove for
more details.
There is a $75 admin-
istrative fee to cover the
costs of a mandatory
criminal and DCF back-
ground check. A unique
fundraising opportunity
exists for interested vol-
unteers to underwrite
the cost through First
Giving.
To register, contact
Karen at (203) 634-
0500 or via e-mail at
k a r e n @c o v e c t . o r g .
Space is limited, regis-
ter early.
Library lends
Nooks, Kindles
The Naval Submarine
Base New London
library has five Nooks
and five Kindles avail-
able for circulation.
They come preloaded
with e-books, many of
which are on the best
seller list. For more
information, call the
library at (860) 694-
3723.
By Naval Legal Service Office
North Central Detachment
Groton
GROTON, Conn. - The
VITA/ELF program has
evolved over time to best
meet mission require-
ments while addressing
practical manning and
budgetary realities. This
year, after piloting a test
program for four years,
Tax Assistance Centers
(TACs) operated by Naval
Legal Service Command
will shift from full ser-
vice VITA/ELF tax prepa-
ration to self service tax
assistance preparation at
command sites INCONUS
and Hawaii. Full service
VITA/ELF will continue
OCONUS and in Guam,
given limited alternate tax
prep resources in those
locations.
NLSO wants to take this
opportunity to explain
some of the reasons behind
this change and why, ulti-
mately, we believe it ben-
efits you, our customer. In
the past, we were able to
offer one-on-one tax prep-
aration to our customers
based on ample staff and
support this service. Over
the past several years, the
number of volunteers has
decreased and demand for
full service tax assistance
has decreased, given the
introduction of alternate,
online tax assistance prep-
aration. With self service,
you are still able to elec-
tronically file your return
and receive assistance
from IRS certified tax per-
sonnel. You will also learn
how to prepare taxes on
your own using free, inter-
net-based software. This
will enable us to assist
customers and decrease
wait times. Thank you for
your time and support of
the TAC.
Changes made
to VITA/ELF
By Tricare Management
Activity
FALLS CHURCH, Va.
The expiration of the
retail pharmacy con-
tract between Express
Scripts, Inc. (ESI) and
the Walgreens pharmacy
chain means Walgreens
is no longer a Tricare
pharmacy network pro-
vider as of Jan. 1.
The majority of ben-
eficiaries have access
to another network
pharmacy very close
to home as our phar-
macy contract requires
ESI to maintain high
access standards, said
Rear Admiral Thomas
McGinnis, chief of the
Tricare Pharmaceutical
Operations Directorate.
There are still 56,000
network pharmacies
nationwide easily
meeting or exceeding our
access requirements.
In addition to 56,000
network pharmacies,
Tricare beneficiaries
have other pharmacy
options including mili-
tary pharmacies at no
cost and convenient
TRICARE Pharmacy
Home Delivery. Generic
medications are avail-
able at no cost through
Home Delivery.
Beneficiaries who
use non-network phar-
maci es, i ncl udi ng
Walgreens, pay full pre-
scription costs upfront
and submit their own
claims for reimburse-
ment. Reimbursement
will occur only after the
non-network deductible
is met. Out-of-network
costs include a 50 per-
cent point-of-service
cost share for Tricare
Prime, after deductibles
are met. All other non-
active duty Tricare ben-
eficiaries pay the greater
of a $12 copay or 20
percent of the total cost
for formulary medica-
tions and the greater of
$25 or 20 percent of the
total cost for non-formu-
lary medications, after
deductibles are met.
For more on pharmacy
costs go to www.tricare.
mil/pharmacycosts.
Tricare beneficia-
ries changing from
Walgreens pharmacy
can simply take their
current prescription bot-
tle to their new network
pharmacy to have the
prescription transferred.
To find a nearby net-
work pharmacy, use the
find a pharmacy fea-
ture on www.express-
s c r i pt s . c o m/ t r i c a r e .
Beneficiaries who want
help finding a phar-
macy, changing their
medications to Home
Delivery or who have
other questions can con-
Tricare beneficiaries reassured of pharmacy service
For the fifth year in
a row, Dunkin Donuts
and the American Red
Cross are teaming up for
the Give a Pint, Get a
Pound campaign, which
provides a coupon for a
free pound of Dunkin
Donuts coffee* to all
presenting donors at
Red Cross blood drives
in Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, New York,
and Vermont during the
month of January. The
campaign is in celebra-
tion of National Blood
Donor Month and helps
increase awareness about
the need for blood. The
campaign has achieved
great success during
the past four years as
Dunkin Donuts has pro-
vided more than 350,000
pounds of coffee to pre-
senting donors, and if
one donation may help
save three lives, Dunkin
Donuts has potentially
helped more than one
million patients. Donated
blood is used to help
accident victims, trau-
ma patients, transplant
recipients, and those
receiving treatment for
life-threatening illness-
es.
Dunkin Donuts and
the Red Cross are thank-
ing donors who support
the community blood
supply by rolling up their
sleeves to give the gift of
life. Because winter is
often a challenging time
for blood collections due
to severe weather and flu
season, the Give a Pint,
Get a Pound campaign
helps boost blood col-
lections when patients
need it most. In addi-
tion, participating local
Dunkin Donuts restau-
rants are hosting blood
drives throughout the
month to collect blood
for patients in need. To
donate blood during the
month of January, call
(800) RED CROSS ((800)
733-2767), or visit red-
crossblood.org.
*Coupons are redeem-
able at participating
Dunkin Donuts loca-
tions. Coupons are non-
transferrable and not
redeemable for cash.
American Red Cross, Dunkin Donuts
celebrate five years of helping save lives
Lining up for iCarly
Photo by MCSN Gabriel Bevan
GROTON, Conn. A line forms on Naval Submarine Base New London (SUBASE) at the Information, Tickets and Tours (ITT) office
early Monday morning in anticipation of receiving free tickets for the screening of iCarly, Jan 11. Tickets for the event were sold
out in less than an hour from when the doors opened, making it one of the fastest ticket giveaways ever at SUBASE.
By Kathy MacKnight
NHCNE PAO
GROTON, Conn.
Naval Branch Health
Clinic (NBHC) Groton
is implementing a cen-
tralized patient check-
in area to improve and
streamline the check-
in process for their
patients.
When you arrive for
your appointment your
first stop will be at one of
the three windows prom-
inently located at the end
of the hall and to your
right as you enter the
front entrance of the clin-
ic. Your patient eligibil-
ity, demographics, other
health insurance (OHI)
and HIPAA information
will be reviewed and
updated. The efficiency
of the process will have
patients to their appoint-
ments in a timely manner
and will also result in
NBHC having accurate,
up-to-date patient infor-
mation, such as OHI,
which results in added
revenue to the clinic.
Medical Home Port
focuses on patient cen-
tered care and central-
ized check-in is another
enhancement to ensure
that quality of care.
Administrative infor-
mation is gathered by
Medical Records/Patient
Administration staff
which in turn allows
your visit to your pro-
vider to be focused on
your medical needs
during your scheduled
appointment.
Beginning Jan. 17,
Family Medicine Pier 1
and Physical Therapy
patients will utilize the
new check-in facilities.
On Jan. 23, the remain-
ing Family Medicine
Piers, Undersea
Medicine, Eye Clinic, and
General Surgery patients
will check-in for their
appointments at the new
check-in windows.
Centralized check-in
is just another of the
exciting changes at
NBHC Groton and Navy
Medicine.
New centralized check-in
at NBHC starting soon
Upcoming local blood drives
Jan. 17
Elks Club, 198 Pleasant Street in Willimantic, 1 to 5:45 p.m.
Jan. 19
Groton City Municipal Building, 295 Meridian Street Extension in Groton, 1:30
to 6:15 p.m.
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 247 Washington St, Routes 2 and 32 in
Norwich, 1:30 to 6:15 p.m.
Jan. 20
Windham Hospital, 112 Mansfield Ave. in Willimantic, 11:45 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Continued on page 7
Thursday, January 12, 2012 THE DOLPHIN 3
FAMILY DENTAL CENTER
CROWNS ROOT CANALS BRIDGES
EXTRACTIONS BONDING DENTURES
TEETH WHITENING IMPLANTS DENTURE REPAIRS
446-8744
115 Bridge Street, Groton
~ Most Insurance Plans Accepted ~
Vincent Antonelli
DDS
Sean Kim
DDS, FAGD
Ted Malahias
DDS
We Cater To Cowards
B3016668


Dates Times
The FollowingClasses will be held in theExecutive Conference Room
unless otherwise specified
1. TobaccoCessati on 05,12, 19, 27JAN (1st Group) 1100-1230
(2ndGroup) 1330- 1500
2. DiabetesEducation 30 JAN (Monday) 1330-1430
3. DiabetesNutrition 10JAN (Tuesday) 1400- 1600
4. DiabetesSupport Group 23JAN (Monday) 1300-1400
5. Healthy Heart Class 11 JAN (Wednesday) 1400-1600
27JAN (Friday) 0830-1030
6. WeightManagement 11, 25JAN (Wednesday) 1000-1130
5. BariatricClass (ByReferral Only) 20JAN (Friday) 0830-1030
8. BariatricSupport Group 06JAN (Thursday) 0930-1100
9. GAMEPLAN ByAppointment Ongoing
Lifestyle Modification forBetterHealth; Weight Loss)
10. Unit SpecificGMT By Appointment Ongoing
11. ShipShape (AD Only) ByAppointment Ongoing
Healthy Weight Facts
Accordingtothe AmericanCouncil on Exercise(2001), a complete
fitness programmustinclude aerobicexercise, muscularstrength
and enduranceconditioning,and flexibilityexercise.
Tipsfor weightcontrol: 1)Drink Plenty of Water6-8 glasses

Goals A safe rate of weightlossis 1/2 to 2poundsper week.
If youhavehit aplateau andstopped losing weight,varyyourpro-
grambyaddingnewelements.
Phone: 860.694.3104
Fax: 860.694.5585
Educational Services
Offered:
* Weight Management
* HealthyHeart
* Blood Pressure
* DiabetesEducation
* General Nutrition
* Tobacco Cessation
ByAppointment
* Game Plan (Lifestyle
Modification Program)
* Glucometer Education
Contact: 694-2379
Active DutyOnly:
* ShipShape
* General Military
Training (at your
location)
January2012Offerings
Healthy Weight
New campaign asks Who Will Stand Your Watch?
From Navy Personnel
Command Public Affairs
MILLINGTON, Tenn.
- Navy Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Prevention (NADAP)
office has launched a new
substance abuse prevention
campaign designed to edu-
cate Sailors of the negative
impact substance abuse
can have on a Sailors fam-
ily, shipmates, and career,
officials said earlier this
month.
Substance abuse puts
lives and missions at risk,
undercuts unit readiness
and morale, it is inconsis-
tent with Navy ethos and
its core values of honor,
courage, and commitment,
said Dorice Favorite, Navy
Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Prevention director.
The campaign titled
Who Will Stand Your
Watch? focuses on Sailors
personal responsibil-
ity and the impact of their
absence, as a result of a
substance abuse incident.
The campaign uses various
communication tactics to
include print media and
public service announce-
ments.
Preventing substance
abuse from occurring
rather than dealing with
the consequences ben-
efits everyone. Prevention
requires responsibility and
accountability at all levels.
Good leadership and team-
work are the best defense
against substance abuse,
said Favorite.
The campaign features
real Sailors in the pub-
lic service announcements,
which were filmed in their
workplace to portray the
importance of their job and
their presence. The PSAs
are currently being aired
on Direct to Sailor TV and
can be found on the Navy
Personnel Command web
site at http://www.public.
navy.mil/bupers-npc/orga-
nization/npc/publicaffairs/
videos/Pages/default.aspx
Posters and trifolds are
available at no cost to all
Navy commands for order-
ing through the Navy
Logistics Library. Supply
personnel may order them
via https://nll1.ahf.nmci.
navy.mil/ (for NMCI com-
puters) or http://www.
navsup.navy.mil/navsup
(if NMCI is not available).
NADAP supports the
Fleet, Family and Personal
Readiness Division through
aggressive alcohol abuse
and drug use prevention
programs.
For more news from
NADAP, visit www.npc.
navy.mil/support/nadap
Preventing substance abuse from
occurring rather than dealing with
the consequences benets every-
one.
Dorice Favorite
Navy Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention director
Sailors will see improved
opportunities as force balance improves
From Chief of Naval
Personnel Public Affairs
WASHINGTON - Top-
performing Sailors will see
more opportunities to con-
vert, reenlist, and advance
as a result of the Navys
use of force management
tools such as the Enlisted
Retention Board and
Perform-to-Serve, Navy
leaders said Jan. 3.
We have the highest
quality Sailors and the
most capable force in
our Navys history, said
Chief of Naval Personnel
Vice Admiral Scott Van
Buskirk. Sailors are
increasingly looking
at our Navy as a great
long-term career choice.
While high retention is
positive and has resulted
in the best trained, most
capable, and most highly
motivated force in our his-
tory, we must continue
to ensure we retain the
right mix of people so that
our workforce matches
our warfighting require-
ments, now and into the
future. Programs such as
Perform-to-Serve and the
Enlisted Retention Board
have enabled those mutu-
al goals.
Because of the strides
made by PTS and ERB in
balancing the force, bar-
ring significant changes
to our force structure,
the Navy will not need to
conduct an ERB in 2013
or 2014, continued Van
Buskirk.
High retention and low
attrition within the Navy
led to some ratings being
overmanned, which result-
ed in hardworking, expe-
rienced Sailors not being
able to advance or reenlist
in their ratings. At the same
time, the Navy still lacked
Sailors in ratings critical
to meeting its mission.
Increasing the challenge,
the Navy has recently shift-
ed nearly 6,800 billets back
to sea, changing the mix
of skills and experience
required of Sailors.
In addition to voluntary
separation programs, the
Navy uses programs such
as PTS to help balance
the force by matching the
workforce to the fleets
job requirements. PTS is
the Navys primary system
for managing personnel to
ensure the Navy maintains
a balanced, experienced
force. PTS manages bal-
ance between ratings so
that each rating has their
authorized share of per-
sonnel. PTS also manages
balance within a rating by
keeping the right num-
ber of top performers in
each year group to match
experience with mission
requirements without
gaps. PTS also ensures the
highest-performing Sailors
have the opportunity
to convert, reenlist and
advance.
Yet, with so many
Sailors desiring to stay
Navy, PTS was becom-
ing over-burdened. Many
overmanned ratings had
limited PTS opportu-
nity, which meant even
the strongest performing
Sailors faced tough compe-
tition and reduced chances
to re-enlist and advance.
Because PTS only affects
those Sailors approaching
a re-enlistment decision or
requiring additional obli-
gated service, timing had
become a critical factor,
adding pressure to the PTS
system.
To relieve the pres-
sure on Sailors in a PTS
reenlistment window, the
Navy created the ERB as
an additional force man-
agement tool. The ERB
became necessary to
ensure the Navy could
reduce the overmanned
ratings while converting
many Sailors to under
manned ratings to fill
gaps. The ERB reviewed
the records of roughly
16,000 Sailors in the 31
most overmanned ratings
to fill a limited number of
retention quotas. Unlike
PTS, the ERB considered
all eligible Sailors in these
ratings, not just the ones
in a PTS window.
According to Van
Buskirk, Sailors will see
significant changes in
advancement opportunity
due to the ERB.
Before we conducted
the ERB, opportunities for
Sailors to advance to E5
and E6 in the 31 eligible
ratings were extreme-
ly limited, said Van
Buskirk. Because the ERB
will reduce overmanning
in these ratings, more
Sailors will advance to E4,
E5, and E6 in the coming
advancement cycles. In
fact, advancements in the
ERB ratings are projected
to be slightly above the
Navy-wide average for the
next two to three cycles.
ERB and PTS have also
placed many talented
Sailors in undermanned
ratings, a step that was
critical in meeting the mis-
sion, said Van Buskirk.
Because we have
reduced our overmanned
ratings, the Navy is mak-
ing strides in improving
undermanning in other
ratings, said Van Buskirk.
Through PTS and the
ERB, nearly 1,200 Sailors
have converted from over-
manned to undermanned
ratings in the past year.
Putting talented Sailors
into these undermanned
ratings enables us to meet
our mission requirements
while easing the unusually
high operational demands
on Sailors currently in
these ratings.
Sailors are also seeing
increased opportunities
in PTS. PTS was signifi-
cantly changed in October
to refocus on performance
and reduce the impact of
a Sailors timing on re-
enlistment approval. Top
performers in every rat-
ing and year group will
now have the opportunity
for reenlistment approv-
al, even when a rating is
overmanned.
While PTS and ERB
have been difficult pills
to swallow for our Sailors,
they are necessary tools to
balance the effects of exces-
sively high retention,
said Van Buskirk. We are
beginning to see increased
reenlistment opportunity
and better advancement
opportunity as a result of
improved force balance,
but we know that these
benefits are of little com-
fort to Sailors and their
families who are separat-
ing. That is why were
committed to providing
Sailors who must separate
the best transition support
tools and assistance pos-
sible so they can succeed
in their civilian careers.
Sailors can learn more
about PTS, ERB and
advancement opportuni-
ties by visiting www.npc.
navy.mil.
RAYMOND J. RIGAT
ATTORNEYAT LAW
FORMER NAVY JAG
860-442-068 or 860-887-9467
COURTS - MARTIAL
ADMINISTRATIVE SEPARATION HEARINGS
CARACCIDENTS / PERSONAL INJURY
CRIMINALTRIALS / APPEALS
EVENING & WEEKEND
APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE
FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION
* licensed in: CT, RI, MA, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC and VA
By Susan Henson
Center for Personal and
Professional Development
Public Affairs
VIRGINIA BEACH,
Va. - The Navys General
Military Training (GMT)
requirements have been
set and were announced
in Naval Administrative
message 386/11.
GMT is developed for all
uniformed Navy officer and
enlisted Sailors. The core
GMT lessons, which are
top priorities of the Chief
of Naval Operations as well
as statutory requirements,
fall under the areas of
Responsible Use of Alcohol,
Responsible Personal
Behavior, Ask-Care-
Treat, Improving Personal
Financial Management and
Operational Stress Control.
These core lessons include
Equal Opportunity, Sexual
Harassment and Grievance
Procedures; Sexual Assault
Prevention and Response;
Suicide Prevention; and
Operational Stress Control.
Because of the critical
nature of these topics, the
core GMT lessons must be
delivered in instructor-led
training sessions by com-
mand leadership.
It is absolutely imper-
ative that leaders are
involved in delivering the
content of the core GMT
lessons, said Captain
Chuck Hollingsworth, the
commanding officer for
the Center for Personal and
Professional Development,
which has responsibility
for maintaining and updat-
ing the Navys GMT les-
sons. This is an issue of
unit readiness. We see too
many shipmates impacted
by senseless acts such as
suicide, sexual assaults
and alcohol abuse. Sailors
need to know and see that
their leaders are person-
ally engaged in ensuring
the health and well being
of each and every person
in the command.
Core lesson materials are
available for download on
Navy Knowledge Online
at http://www.nko.navy.
mil, click on the Personal
Development tab, then
GMT link on the left side
of the screen, then select
the lesson from the Core
GMT Lessons channel.
In addition to required
GMT lessons, the
NAVADMIN details rec-
ommended lessons for
which commanding offi-
cers are highly encouraged
to establish a recurring
refresher training plan
for their command. These
GMT lessons include Anger
Management; Operational
Risk Management;
Drug Abuse Prevention
and Control; Tobacco
Prevention and Cessation;
Physical Readiness; and
Code of Conduct. Lesson
materials are available
on the NKO Personal
Development GMT page in
the Commanding Officer
Training Library channel.
Re-enlisting Sailors are
required to complete some
lessons upon their re-
enlistment. These lessons
include Hazing Policy and
Prevention, Fraternization
Awareness and Prevention,
and the Family Readiness
Program. This training is
available only online via
Navy ELearning under the
Department of the Navy
(DON) Training category,
and the General Military
Training subcategory.
All recurring GMT les-
sons from previous years
have been reviewed and
the content updated as
needed, according to
Hollingsworth. We at
CPPD want to ensure were
delivering the best possibly
training to meet fleet and
leadership requirements,
he said. All feedback
is good information, so
please let us know how
were doing.
For more information,
visit https://www.netc.
navy.mil/centers/cppd/.
GMT requirements announced
4 THE DOLPHIN Thursday, January 12, 2012
A

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A
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E
GROTON, Conn. Above
left, Army Captain Erin
Abrahams, a veterinarian
on SUBASE, exams Izzie at
the Veterinary Clinic, Jan 9.
As the only Army personnel
on SUBASE the vets pro-
vide care for SUBASE four-
legged family members and
operate as meat inspectors
for the galley.
GROTON, Conn. Above
right, SUBASE Navy
Exchange Barber Shop
employee Julia Haynes
cuts Gage Hathaways hair,
Jan 9.
GROTON, Conn. Left,
Naval Submarine Base
New Londons (SUBASE)
Base Consol i dated
Telecommunications (BCT)
hold a department meeting,
Jan 9.
By MCSN Gabriel Bevan
GROTON, Conn. Naval Submarine Base New
London (SUBASE) went through many exciting changes
last year and as 2012 has begun, many more new things
are to come. In order for SUBASE to continue to support
the Navys goals of maritime defense and projection
of sea power, every aspect of the base must function
together in a cohesive fashion.
SUBASE is comprised of more than 70 tenant com-
mands, which all work together to support the main
mission of sending submarines to sea, and welcoming
them back at the end of deployment.
Whether a Sailor needs a physical health assessment
at the Naval Branch Health Clinic to grabbing a bite to
eat at the Cross Hall Galley, each aspect of the base has
an important part to play in supporting the mission of
SUBASE.
The submarine force home ported here at SUBASE
has, and will, continue to play a vital role in protecting
American interests around the world and promoting
democracy abroad. Each and every Sailor stationed
here has an equally important role in supporting that
mission.
Eye on SUBASE
GROTON, Conn. Sailors exercise at SUBASE Morton Hall
gymnasium, Jan 9. The Morton Hall gym offers a variety
of exercise avenues for personnel at the base and oper-
ates hand in hand with the bodyworks gym in building 83
and the SUBASE pool.
GROTON, Conn. Master at Arms Seaman Damion Whitaker checks IDs at the
Main Gate on SUBASE, Jan 9. The base MAs not only staff the gates, but also
provide roving security and K-9 search teams to the base.
Thursday, January 12, 2012 THE DOLPHIN 5
LIFE
INSIDE
THE GATE
GROTON, Conn. Above, Lt. Samuel
Jarvis, optometrist at the Naval Health
Branch Clinic, gives Machinist Mate
Third Class Juan Amaya an exam during
his check in process, Jan 9.
GROTON, Conn. Right, Sailors are
served lunch at SUBASE Cross Hall
Galley, Jan 9. The galley serves more
than 1,800 meals a day.
GROTON, Conn. Contractors work on a project on SUBASE, Jan 9.
Construction is an everyday sight here on SUBASE.
GROTON, Conn. A couple enjoys lunch at Spikes
Junkyard restaurant located in the Navy Exchange on
SUBASE, Jan 9. Much like the main exchange, the lower
base exchange provides Sailors working on the piers the
chance to get the essentials without having to travel to
the main exchange.
GROTON, Conn. Sailors lower the Ensign on SUBASE for evening colors, Jan 9. The
raising and lowering of the Ensign is a time honored tradition that takes place on a
daily basis.
Photos by
MCSN Gabriel Bevan
6 THE DOLPHIN Thursday, January 12, 2012
By Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg
Commander, Submarine Group 2 Public Affairs
GROTON, Conn. - The Supply department aboard
USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) earned the Supply
Blue E Award according to an announcement Jan.
1.
Lieutenant Jason Revitzer, supply officer, aboard
New Hampshire and Senior Chief Culinary Specialist
(SS) Oscar Veneszee credit the nine Sailors working
for them in the boats culinary specialist division with
the excellence that earned the award.
I cant thank enough the commanding officer,
executive officer, and chief of the boat as well as the
entire crew of USS New Hampshire, who all assisted
us in earning this award, said Revitzer, who is trans-
ferring this month to a West Coast assignment in the
Supply Corps field.
Veneszee echoed his supply officers comments and
thanked his division for their hard work.
We are a team on board and in all of my years of
experience in the culinary specialist field a good indi-
cator of the performance of a ship is how well their
Supply Department performs, said Veneszee.
Commander John McGunnigle, New Hampshire
commanding officer praised his Supply department
and his entire crew for also earning the coveted Battle
E, also announced Jan. 1.
The pride for the crew aboard USS New Hampshire
runs deep, words cant explain the gratitude I have for
each and every submariner on accomplishing these
milestones, said McGunnigle.
The Battle E is an award of merit, presented to the
most proficient submarine crew in each squadron and
recognizes sustained superior technical performance
and continual combat readiness throughout the year.
Three other Commander, Submarine Group 2 boats
received the Supply Blue E award, USS Pittsburgh
(SSN 720), USS Albany (SSN 753) and USS Annapolis
(SSN 760).
New Hampshire is vying for other honors. The
submarine was picked as a finalist for the 2012 Capt.
Edward F. Ney Memorial Awards for Food Service
Excellence. A two-man evaluation team visited the
Virginia-class submarine, Dec. 6.
New Hampshire was delivered to the Navy Aug.
28, 2008, and then was commissioned at Portsmouth
Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, Oct. 25, 2008. She
is the third ship to be named for the state of New
Hampshire.
USS New Hampshire supply department
awarded Supply Blue E Award
Photo by Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg
GROTON, Conn. - Senior Chief Culinary Specialist (SS) Oscar Veneszee, Lieutenant Jason Revitzer, supply officer, and the Culinary Specialist division assigned to USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) hold the
Supply Blue E Award, which was announced Jan. 1. In addition to this award, the submarine also received the Battle Efficiency E Award.
SUBRON FOUR (Groton)
USS New Hampshire
(SSN 778), command-
ed by Cmdr. John
McGunnigle.
SUBRON 6 (Norfolk)
USS Newport News
(SSN 750), commanded by
Cmdr. Carl Hartsfield
Commander, Submarine
Development Squadron
12 (Groton)
USS Annapolis (SSN
760), commanded by
Cmdr. John Gearhart.
SUBRON 16
(Kings Bay, Ga.)
USS Florida (SSGN
728) (Blue) commanded
during the competition
by Captain Gregory Ott
and Capt. Randy Crites,
and USS Florida (SSGN
728) (Gold), command-
ed during the compe-
tition by Capt. David
Kirk and Capt. Thomas
Calabrese
SUBRON 20
(Kings Bay, Ga.)
USS Alaska (SSBN 732)
(Blue), commanded by
Cmdr. Kevin Byrne, and
USS Alaska (SSBN 732)
(Gold) commanded dur-
ing the competition by
Cmdr. Robert Wirth and
Cmdr. Cory Jackson.
For more information
about the submarine
force, visit www.sub-
lant.navy.mil.
from engaging in any
political activities while in
uniform.
A combat engineer
assigned to the 416th
Theater Engineer Company
potentially violated these
rules Jan. 3 when he
stepped onto a stage at
Ron Pauls headquarters
in Ankeny, Iowa, during
the Iowa Caucus to offer
a personal endorsement.
Although he was wearing
his uniform, the soldier
was not in an active status
at the time, Army Major
Angela Wallace, an Army
Reserve spokeswoman,
confirmed.
Wallace emphasized
that the soldier stands
alone in his opinions
regarding his political
affiliation and beliefs, and
his statements and beliefs
in no way reflect that of
the Army Reserve.
His chain of command
is aware of the issue and
is considering appropriate
disciplinary action to take,
she said.
Most civilian DoD
employees, whose politi-
cal activities are governed
by the Hatch Act, are
permitted to be active in
and speak before political
gatherings and serve as
officers of political parties
or partisan groups, offi-
cials said. These activities,
however, cannot involve
fundraising.
Civilian employees also
are permitted to man-
age campaigns, distribute
literature, write politi-
cal articles or serve as a
spokesperson for a party
or candidate.
There are, however,
exceptions to this, includ-
ing but not limited to
Senior Executive Service.
While the dos and
donts concerning politi-
cal activity may vary, the
basic tenets hold true for
all DoD employees.
The bottom line, officials
said, is that they should
steer clear of any activity
that may be reasonably
viewed as directly or indi-
rectly associating DoD or
the military with a parti-
san political activity, or
that is otherwise contrary
to the spirit or intent of
the rules described.
Continued from page 1
Rules ...
USS Missouri completes PSA, extended modernization ahead of schedule
ByCommander, Submarine
Group 2 Public Affairs
GROTON, Conn. - The
crew of USS Missouri
(SSN 780) and General
Dynamics Electric Boat
accomplished two major
milestones, a first for the
Virginia-class submarine
program, by completing
the submarines post-
shakedown availabil-
ity (PSA) sea trials and
extended modernization
Jan. 6, a month ahead of
schedule.
Im proud of the crew
for their hard work to
accomplish these mile-
stones, said Commander
Tim Rexrode, Missouris
commanding officer.
Because of this team-
work and camarade-
rie, USS Missouri will
be delivered from post-
shakedown availability
and extended moderniza-
tion about a one month
ahead of schedule.
Captai n Mi chael
Bernacchi, commodore,
Commander, Submarine
Squadron 4 said that the
boat and her crews com-
pletion ahead of sched-
ule is in direct line with
the Design for Undersea
Warfare, which was pub-
lished in 2011.
This is a notable
example of how the
design is being imple-
mented on the water-
front, said Bernacchi,
who added that the entire
Missouri, Electric Boat,
and Squadron 4 teams
worked together to apply
the design to complete
the modernization ahead
of schedule.
He said the design was
the catalyst which drove
him and the command-
ing officer to challenge
all aspects of the mod-
ernization and warfight-
ing readiness to see how
they could think outside
the box.
Missouri is not just
coming out; she is com-
ing out ready to fight.
We have already sched-
uled her for operations
when she would have
previously still been in
the PSA. Because of this
effort she is taking over
operations for a sister
ship, which will allow
the Submarine Force to
give almost 10 additional
months of Surge ready
and Ready for Tasking
time back to the fleet.
This is a huge achieve-
ment for everyone, said
Bernacchi.
Bernacchis scheduled
change of command is
Jan. 13; his next assign-
ment will be chief of staff,
Commander, Submarine
Group 2.
In addition to the com-
pletion of the PSA and
modernization ahead of
schedule, Dec. 19, USS
Missouri and her crew
returned to General
Dynamics Electric Boat
after successfully com-
pleting their sea trials
also a month ahead of
schedule.
Rexrode reflected on
the significance of USS
Missouri being the first
Virginia-class submarine
commissioned to com-
plete their sea trails, PSA
and modernization this
far ahead of schedule.
We worked hard
to challenge previous
assumptions and deliver
effective first time results
that should carry forward
to future projects. As a
result of these efforts the
fleet has one more sub-
marine for tasking ear-
lier than planned, said
Rexrode.
Missouri is the sev-
enth submarine of the
Virginia class. General
Dynamics Electric Boat
delivered the submarine
to the U.S. Navy in July
2010. The submarines
crew consists of about
134 officers and enlisted
personnel. Missouri is
the fifth Navy ship to be
named in honor of the
people of the Show Me
State.
Officials announce absentee voting guidelines for 2012 elections
Federal Voting Assistance
Program News Release
WASHINGTON - The
Federal Voting Assistance
Program and the Military
Postal Service Agency
recently announced
absentee ballot mailing
date guidelines that apply
to various overseas loca-
tions.
Military members serv-
ing overseas and other
U.S. citizens living abroad
must consider mail tran-
sit times when submitting
their absentee ballots to
vote in upcoming presi-
dential, Senate, House,
gubernatorial, state leg-
islature, local and other
elections.
The 2012 U.S. presiden-
tial election, for example,
will be held Nov. 6, 2012.
Officials recommend
that absentee voters send-
ing ballots from the fol-
lowing countries mail
them out no later than:
- Iraq: 22 days before
the election;
- Afghanistan (exclud-
ing air stop locations),
Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Oman
and Turkmenistan: 17
days before the election;
- Germany: 11 days
before the election;
- Afghanistan air stop
locations, Bahrain, Cuba,
Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia, United Arab
Emirates: 10 days before
the election; and
- Japan, Korea and the
Philippines: seven days
before the election.
For a full list of absen-
tee ballot mailing dates for
overseas locations, visit
www.FVAP.gov.
Military members serving
overseas may express mail
their absentee ballots free of
charge from any APO/FPO/
DPO or American embassy
and consulate - ask to use
the Express Mail Label 11-
DoD. This label allows vot-
ers to track their ballots at
www.usps.com.
The federal write-in
absentee ballot is used as
a backup ballot. Thirty
days prior to an election,
if voters believe theyll
not receive their state
ballot in time to vote and
return it, they can vote
using the FWAB. This
ballot is accepted by all
states from any overseas
or military voter who has
registered and requested
a ballot for 2012.
Battle E ...
Continued from page 1
Thursday, January 12, 2012 THE DOLPHIN 7
100
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207-775-4300; Thomas W. Sa-
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AC#2495
AUCTIONS, REAL ESTATE,
MANCHESTER & HAMPTON,
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860-388-3121
PAINTING: A craftsman who paints. Small projects-the jobs
the big services are too busy to do. References and insured. 860-
388-0175.
PAINTING BY MOLLY Lic#605048/ins/senior discount/20
years experience/free estimates/no job too small. (860)388-1577.
PERFUME, COLOGNE, BOTTLES, WANTED. Full or
Empty. Commercial fancy, tiny, huge, porcelain, glass. No
AVON. (860)669-0499
PLUMBING- Free estimates. No job too small. Water heaters,
pumps, faucets. Remodel, repair, new construction. Michael s
Plumbing, LLC. 860-669-5106 Lic#278122.
ROOFING and SIDING OVER 40 YEARS EXPERIENCE.
Additions, windows, remodeling, repairs, decks. FREE esti-
mates, Framing. Winter Specials Best Prices. 860-388-2852.
R&T TREE REMOVAL - Affordable & professional tree
services. Tree removal, chipping, emergency response, stump
grinding, line clearance certied. Free estimates, fully insured,
competitive prices. Toll Free 1-877-669-1535 or 203-731-7710
same day call backs. www.rttreeremoval.com Lic. # HIC0628071
Articles For
Sale
Lose 7-15 lbs. In 7 Days.
Eat the Foods You Enjoy
Quickly and Dramatically
Shrink Your Waistline. Lose
Weight and Keep it Off.
www.lose15pound-
sin7days.com
Barter/Swap/
Trade
Wanted to Purchase Antiques
& Fine Art. 1 item or Entire Es-
tate or Collection, Gold, Silver,
Coins, Jewelry, Toys, Oriental,
Glass, China, Lamps, books,
Textiles, Paintings, Prints, al-
most anything old Evergreen
Auctions 973-818-1100.
Email evergreenauction
@hotmail.com
900

900
925 TRANSPORTATION
CASH FOR CARS! Any Make,
Model or Year. We Pay MORE!
Running or Not. Sell Your Car
or Truck TODAY. Free Towing!
Instant Offer: 1-888-545-8647
DONATE YOUR CAR, TRUCK,
or SUV to the Childhood Leu-
kemia Foundation today Tax
Deductible FREE towing and
fast, easy process. Call 1-877-
754-3227 or visit www.mycar-
fordonation.org.
CLEANNG OUT YOUR
ATTC OR GARAGE?
CALL 1-800-922-7066
TO ADVERTSE YOUR
ARTCLES FOR SALE
SNOW PLOWING: Westbrook and Old Saybrook
area. Reliable professional service. Reasonable
rates. Gesners Lawn Care & Landscaping, LLC
860-399-7220
TREE REMOVALand brush chipping. For prompt professional
service call Ibbitson Tree Service. Insured. 860-388-0624. Free
Estimates.
Community
Calendar
DONATE YOUR CAR
Donate your car, truck or van and help raise funds for a local
private school. FREE, FAST, TOW AWAY. Running or Not Run-
ning. Can be used for a charitable tax deduction. Call Charter
Oak Education Inc. at 860-643-1100.
SINGLES SAILING CLUB PRESENTS A SLIDE SHOW OF
SAILING THE DAMATIAN COAST IN CROTIA
Join singles at the Shoreline Sailing Club on Jan. 19th at the
Elk s Club in Westbrook to view a great slide show of sailing the
Dalamatian Coast in Crotia. Also nd out about great boating ac-
tivities as well as dances, hiking, skiing, golng, dinners,
brunches, dockside house parties and more throughout the
year. Guest fee $10 includes lite refreshments. Visit us at
www.shorelinesailingclub.com or call Brad 860-494-3660
SOUTHEASTERN CT SINGLES ASSOC invites singles and
couples to our Winter Wonderland Dance on Fri., Jan 20th from
7:00 to 11:00 at the VFW on Raymond Hill rd., Uncasville. Mu-
sic by Party Makers and delicious hot buffet served. Prizes.
Non-members #12; members $10. For further info call Sylvia
860-444-0400.
THE IVORYTON CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 57 Main
Street, Ivoryton, will be selling 12 inch grinders and chili on Su-
per Bowl Sunday, February 5, 2012. A variety of grinders will
be for sale with all the xings as well as home-made chili. Grind-
ers are $8.00 for a 12 inch grinder and chili is $4.50 for a pint or
$8.00 for a quart. Orders will be placed in advance calling ahead
to order the type of grinders you would like by February 2 and
preparing to pick up the grinders and/or chili at the church the
afternoon of the Super Bowl, February 5th, between 1:00pm and
2:00 pm. Call Isobel @ 860-767-8167 or the church ofce @ 860-
767-1004 to place your order.
925 TRANSPORTATION
DONATE YOUR VEHICLE RE-
CEIVE $1000 Grocery Coupon
UNITED BREAST CANCER
FOUNDATION Free Mammo-
grams, Breast Cancer info
www.ubcf.info. FREE towing,
Tax Deductible, Non -Runners
Accepted 1-800-728-0801.
DONATE YOUR VEHICLE RE-
CEIVE Free Vacation Voucher
UNITED BREAST CANCER
FOUNDATION Free Mammo-
grams, Breast Cancer info
www.ubcf.info. FREE towing,
Tax Deductible, Non -Runners
Accepted, 24/7 (888)444-8216
SELL YOUR CAR, TRUCK or
SUV TODAY! All 50 states, fast
pick-up and payment. Any con-
ditiion, make or model. Call
now 1-877-818-8848. www.my-
carforcash.net.
NEED A CAR?
SHOP THE CLASSIFIEDS!
Morton Hall adds new equipment
Photo by MC1(AW) Peter D. Blair
GROTON, Conn. A Sailor works out on a new leg press apparatus in the Morton Hall gymnasium
leg room. The gym added 17 new pieces of equipment completely revamping the leg room and
adding two new stair climbing machines.
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
W A S H I N G T O N
- A range of informa-
tion about Defense
Department (DoD) ben-
efits information and eli-
gibility is now available
online, the director of the
Defense Manpower Data
Center said recently.
Two new online efforts
- milConnect and eCorre-
spondence - give benefi-
ciaries 24/7 access to per-
sonnel information; the
ability to update infor-
mation related to health,
education and other ben-
efits; and e-mail notifica-
tions about changes in
benefits, Mary Dixon told
American Forces Press
Service.
At the Defense
Manpower Data Center,
one of our many respon-
sibilities is to be the inter-
face with beneficiaries,
especially on benefits
and eligibility for ben-
efits, Dixon said.
MilConnect, avail-
able online and through
a mobile application for
the Android smart phone,
was known for a year as
the mydodbenefits web
site.
The revamped mil-
Connect site is available
online, around-the-clock,
to all DoD beneficiaries
and their spouses and
children age 18 or older.
Users can sign on in
several ways, Dixon
said.
Anyone who has a
common access card,
a Defense Finance and
Accounting Services
myPay account logon, or
a DoD Self-Service or DS
logon can sign in on the
MilConnect website, or
apply at the site for a DS
logon.
MilConnect informa-
tion comes from the
Defense Enrollment
Eligibility System called
DEERS. Eligible users
are active duty, National
Guard and Reserve mem-
bers; and military retir-
ees, spouses and eligible
family members age 18
and older.
Sponsors can view infor-
mation about all depen-
dents listed in DEERS but
eligible dependents can
see only their own infor-
mation, unless accom-
modations are made for
spouse, legal guardian or
caregiver access.
Beneficiaries who use
milConnect, Dixon said,
can update DEERS con-
tact information, manage
health care enrollments,
locate the nearest military
ID card issuing facility,
view personnel informa-
tion, transfer education
benefits to eligible family
members, view group life
insurance information,
and manage other infor-
mation.
Army National Guard,
Air Force Reserve and
Air National Guard can
update civilian employ-
ment information.
The mobile application
works today on Android
phones, but Dixon said
her center is in the process
of making MilConnect
available for iPhones and
other smart phones and
mobile devices.
The smart phone app
lets users find sites for
the Real-time Automated
Personnel Identification
System called RAPIDS,
where military members
receive new ID cards,
military treatment facili-
ties, and contact informa-
tion for Tricare regional
offices.
Related to milConnect,
Dixon said, is an initia-
tive called eCorrespon-
dence that will use e-mail
notifications of changes
in benefits rather than
postal service letters for
active-duty service mem-
bers and National Guard
and Reserve service
members on periods of
active duty.
E-mail notifications
will be sent to the e-mail
address associated with
a service members com-
mon access card, Dixon
said.
Beginning this month,
service members will
receive e-mail notifi-
cations of a change in
Tricare primary-care
manager, of potential
eligibility changes when
a child turns 21 or 23,
and of the ability to view
or print a Tricare enroll-
ment card and welcome
letter after enrollment
into a Tricare medical or
dental program.
The e-mail notifica-
tions will refer service
members to the milCon-
nect web portal.
Service members will
be able to check Tricare
eligibility and information
through the MilConnect
portal, whether or not
they receive an e-mail
notification.
Dixon said service
members also can opt
out of the e-mail notifica-
tions.
Were hoping to con-
tinue to expand both the
things that we let you
know by e-mail ... and to
expand to other kinds of
benefits changes and to
additional populations,
she said, including retir-
ees.
Its a little bit hard
with retirees because we
dont necessarily know
their e-mail addresses,
she added. But thats
something they can enter
into the system on mil-
Connect.
MilConnect is new online
portal for DoD beneficiaries
tact Express Scripts at
(877) 885-6313.
The issues between ESI
and Walgreens are not
specific to Tricare. Other
employer-sponsored and
some Medicare Part D
pharmacy plans are also
affected. Beneficiaries
with questions and con-
cerns about this issue
can go to www.tricare.
mil/walgreens for more
information.
We are commit-
ted to ensuring all our
pharmacy beneficiaries
are aware of the many
options that TRICARE
makes available to
them, said Brig. Gen.
Bryan Gamble, Tricare
Deputy Director. By
now, all of our beneficia-
ries who use Walgreens
to fill prescriptions
should have been con-
tacted to advise them of
their pharmacy options
and to take action to
ensure their pharmacy
benefit remains uninter-
rupted. The health of
our Service members,
retirees and their fami-
lies remains my number
one priority.
In addition to the let-
ters already mailed to
each beneficiary who
uses Walgreens, ESI has
contacted many ben-
eficiaries by telephone
and followed up with
reminder letters over
the last few months
of 2011. Beneficiaries
taking medications to
treat hemophilia, mul-
tiple sclerosis, and some
rheumatoid arthritis and
cancer drugs have also
been contacted.
Tricare pharmacy
information and updates
can be found at www.
tricare.mil/pharmacy.
Continued from page 1
Tricare ...
8 THE DOLPHIN Thursday, January 12, 2012
*Rebate offered by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Rebate will be applied on lease contracts, rst toward the amounts due at lease signing or delivery, with any remainder to the
capitalized cost reduction, or toward the down payment on nance contracts. One rebate per nance or lease transaction. Not compatible with the Toyota College Graduate
Rebate Program. Finance or lease contract must be dated by March 5, 2012 for APR offer and January 2, 2013 for rebate offer. The Military Rebate Program is subject to change
or termination at any time. Offers on approved credit to qualied customers through a participating Toyota dealership and Toyota Financial Services. Not all applicants will qualify.
Lower APRs may be available on select models. 1.9% for up to 60 months; $17.48 per month per $1,000 nanced. No down payment required if qualied. Terms, conditions and
restrictions apply. Offers for active U.S. Military and inactive Reserves only. Retired military personnel are not eligible. Program may not be available in all states.
2011 Toyota Financial Services. All Rights Reserved. Toyota Financial Services is a service mark used by Toyota Motor Credit Corporation and Toyota Lease Trust.
Exclusive military offer good through March 5, 2012
Available through your Toyota Dealer and Toyota Financial Services
Active U.S. Military and inactive Reserves are eligible
Visit toyotanancial.com/military or contact your
Toyota dealer for more information.
We are proud to offer a 1.9% APR and
a $500 rebate on ALL new Toyota vehicles.
*
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