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Show Hilltop 8 TIMES HILLTOP TIMES July 24, 2014 Official highlights resources for military consumers BY ARMY SGT. 1ST CLASS TYRONE C. MARSHALL JR. DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has joined more than 35 other federal and state government agencies and nonprofit organizations to highlight free consumer protection resources for military members, the assistant director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said July 16. Holly Petraeus noted in a blog post that July 16 was Military Consumer Protection Day and that efforts are underway to assist in protecting service members. "This year," she wrote, "we're joining more than 35 oth- er federal and state government and nonprofit organizations - including the Department of Defense, the Federal Trade Commission, Military Saves and the Better Business Bureau - to observe [the day] and highlight free consumer protection resources for military members." The organizations and resources can help you protect and grow your hard-earned military pay or veterans' benefits," she said. "In a perfect world, managing your money would be simple and easy, right?" Petraeus asked. "But in reality, managing your money is an ongoing process that takes time, effort and vigilance. Learning how can put you on a course to financial well- being." But even the most financially savvy consumer can make an ill-advised choice or fall victim to a scam, she wrote, which is when it's important to know where to find help. In 2013, Petraeus wrote, the CFPB and the Federal Trade Commission, combined, received more than 81,000 complaints from military members. "While these complaints ranged from identity theft to student loan debt to veterantargeted pension scams," she wrote, "the most important common factor in all the complaints was that the member of the military community who submitted the complaint had taken the time to seek help on a pressing consumer issue from a trusted source." Petraeus urged military consumers to take a minute to ask themselves where they would turn for help regarding consumer or financial problems they are unable to solve on their own. "A better-informed resource could be us, our [Military Consumer Protection Day] partners, a military personal financial manager, an attorney general's office or one of many other state and local organizations that specialize in helping protect service members, veterans and military families from financial harm," she wrote. "Remember that when it comes to consumer issues," she added, "information is your first defense." Additional information, tools and resources that can help safeguard against consumer fraud, illegal business practices and bad financial deals are available on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's website, Petraeus wrote. "If you have an issue with a consumer financial product or service that you haven't been able to work out yourself complain," she added, "we are here to help. One day a year may be set aside for [Military Consumer Protection Day], but protecting your financial wellbeing should be something you think about every day." Consumer tips on avoiding stammers BY TERRI MOON CRONK DOD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON - Service members and their families can be easy targets for scammers, and financial education is key to prevention, the deputy director of the Pentagon's office of family policy and children and youth. In an interview with DOD News, Navy Cmdr. Peter Hoegel noted that July 16 is Military Consumer Protection Day. The July 16 observance is part of the long-term Financial Readiness Campaign, in which DOD, the Federal Trade Commission and many other organizations highlight efforts to protect service members and their families. "Military members are trustworthy and trusting members of society who work hard, have a regular income, and they want to be helpful and serve," Hoegel said. "Unfortunately, it makes them a target for unscrupulous people who are trying to get into their pockets." Other service member vulnerabilities include frequent relocation, separation from family and friends, and deployment stresses. Identity theft is the number one crime affecting service members and their families, Hoegel said. "We want to make sure folks understand the scope of the problem and just how cunning some [scammers] are, trying to get their hands on personal and financial information," he added. "[Identity theft] can be a tremendous drain. You have to understand how stammers come at you and how to protect yourself." Hoegel cited the following statistics from the Federal Trade Commission: • In the past 12 months, 43 percent of service members or their spouses experienced a financial shortfall; this number was 51 percent in the E-1 to E-4 ranks; • 21 percent of E-ls to E-4s have no emergency savings fund, and another nine percent have less than $100 in emergency savings; • 33 percent of service members describe their financial condition as difficult, and 20 percent say their condition is worse than it was 12 months ago; • A recent study shows fi- nancial education had positive results for service members' retirement savings and other financial issues; and • In 2013, the Federal Trade Commission received nearly 73,000 complaints from military consumers. Identity theft topped the list with 22,000 complaints, and others concerned debt collection, imposter scams, bank, lender and credit bureau issues, information furnishers and report users, and auto-related complaints. "The Military Consumer website contains resources to raise awareness and explain the details of scams and other things service members and families can fall prey to, and how to avoid them," Hoegel said, noting that financial scammers can harm military fami- lies stateside and overseas, particularly where language and cultural barriers exist. Financial stability is a DOD priority, he added, and leaders believe that a service member's sound financial readiness is critical to mission readiness. The department's financial readiness resources are available to help service members and families plan budgets, spend accordingly, save for retirement and emergencies, and "get ahead of the curve to give people the tools and knowledge they need before they're scammed or taken advantage of," Hoegel said. "We want to make sure they're thinking ahead and getting their financial affairs in order before scamming becomes an issue," he added. Acting VA secretary outlines problems, actions taken Air Force News Service WASHINGTON — In testimony before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs July 15, Acting VA Secretary Sloan D. Gibson outlined serious problems regarding access to health care and key actions the department has taken to get veterans off waiting lists and into clinics. "The trust that is the foundation of all we do — the trust of the veterans we serve, and the trust of the American people and their elected representatives — has eroded," Gibson said. "We have to earn that trust back through deliberate and decisive action, and by creating an open and transparent approach for dealing with our stakeholders to better serve veterans." Gibson discussed six priorities to begin restoring trust: • Get veterans off waitlists and into clinics; • Fix systemic scheduling problems • Address cultural issues • Hold people accountable where willful misconduct or management negligence are documented • Establish regular and ongoing disclosures of information • Quantify the resources needed to consistently deliver timely, high-quality health care. Gibson said the VA needs about $17.6 billion in additional resources to meet current demand for the remainder of fiscal year 2014 through fiscal year 2017. The funding, he added, would address challenges such as clinical staff, space, information technology and the benefits processing necessary to provide timely, highquality care and benefits. "We understand the seriousness of the problems we face," Gibson said. "We own them. We are taking decisive action to begin to resolve them. We can turn these challenges into the greatest opportunity for improvement in the history of the department." Gibson also outlined actions VA is taking now to address problems with access to VA health care: • The Veterans Health Administration has reached out to more than 160,000 veterans to get them off wait-lists and into clinics. VHA also has made more than 543,000 referrals for veterans to receive care in the private sector — 91,000 more than in the comparable period a year ago. • VHA facilities are adding more clinic hours, aggressively recruiting to fill physician vacancies, deploying mobile medical units, using temporary staffing resources, and expanding the use of privatesector care. • VA is moving rapidly to augment and improve its existing scheduling system while simultaneously pursuing the purchase of a state-of-the-art system. • Gibson has directed medical center and net- work directors to conduct monthly inspections, in person, of their clinics to assess the state of scheduling practices and to identi- 1—REElayqy mazDa Joel G. Kenny Attorney at Law Up to $1 ,750 UPGRADE CASH TO A NEW 2015 MAZDA 6 AD 42 MPG $269/MO LEASE OPEN JULY 24th * We Are Open To Serve You! 801-455-5612 Mazda Makes 1st Payment 843 W. 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