SE Connecticut News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On June 22, Rep. Joe Courtney’s (CT-02) Sergeant First Class Michael Clark TRICARE Reserve Parity Act was passed in the House Armed Services Committee as an amendment to the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act. During the committee’s markup of the annual defense authorization bill, the committee voted to include the amendment within the larger authorization bill, which will be voted on by the House later this year. This marks an important first step to advance Courtney's bipartisan bill to honor Sergeant Clark and his family.

“Soon after Michael Clark’s tragic death during a training mission, his family was notified that the cost of their health care coverage would significantly increase—all because of an inexplicable gap in our laws,” Rep. Courtney, Ranking Member of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, said. “After hearing from the Clark family about this injustice, I worked to fix the flaw and bring parity to coverage for National Guard members, Army Reservists, and their families. The passage of this bill as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act is a critical first step in the process of getting this bill signed into law.  I thank Representative Trent Kelly, Chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, for his support of this effort and service as a Major General in the Mississippi National Guard.”

Background

On April 27, 2023, Representative Courtney introduced the Sergeant First Class Michael Clark TRICARE Reserve Parity Act after the family of Sergeant First Class Michael Clark—a resident of eastern Connecticut who died during a 30-day training exercise at Fort Gordon—was set to have their TRICARE benefits severely altered.

Under current law, survivors and their families have a six-month window to remain on TRICARE Reserve Select if the service member dies within less than 30 days while on training or weekend drills. The Sergeant First Class Michael Clark TRICARE Reserve Parity Act would amend existing statute and extend that six-month window to three years – bringing parity for guard and reserve survivor benefits to that of active-duty personnel.

The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Trent Kelly and endorsed by the American Legion, Reserve Officer Association, and National Guard Association of the United States.

Original source can be found here.