THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 26, 1994 TAG: 9410250342
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
Where can a retiree get his teeth done?
It depends on what you plan to have done to your teeth. If you're looking for complicated, nonemergency procedures like denture fittings, you'd be wise to seek out civilian help. The Naval Dental Center is inundated with care requests by active-duty service members, and if you know anything about the priority of care established by U.S. Code, Title 10, you know that retirees are Priority 4, which actually means they are fifth on the list to receive care.
This does not mean, however, that the Navy refuses to help you. Rather, it means that retirees can make appointments on a stand-by basis. If a space opens, they can receive care such as cleanings and fillings.
If you have a dental emergency, the dental center will see you to stabilize the injury and relieve the pain. Follow-up care may or may not be available depending on space.
What is the Navy Sponsor Program?
In 1970, the chief of naval operations instituted the Navy Sponsor Program ``to facilitate the relocation of naval personnel and their families.'' Put more simply, a sponsor is someone from your new duty station who contacts you before you move, helps smooth your move, and then helps you settle into your new permanent duty station when you arrive.
Normally, the sponsor is someone of a similar rank and background who will meet you at the airport, help you look for quarters and point you in the correct direction for services.
While some commands assign sponsors to incoming personnel, others use volunteers. The quality of the sponsor program varies, with the stateside program being less consistent than the overseas program. If you are making a permanent change of station and haven't been contacted by a sponsor, call your new command's sponsor coordinator.
The Navy also maintains a computer network called SALTS (Streamlined Automated Logistics Transmission System) that is partially dedicated to the Sponsor Program. The sponsor coordinator at your old command should have access and can retrieve information about some ships and commands, as well as communicate with other sponsor coordinators.
Is there a listing of base services that are available to civil service employees?
Maybe, but we can't find it. What we do know is that Department of Defense civil service employees are entitled to some services, depending on their base. At Norfolk Naval Station, for instance, civil service employees can rent camping equipment up to and including pop-up campers. Other services include access to swimming pools and the auto hobby shop, and the only caveat for most of these facilities is that active-duty military get first priority. The recreation department recommends that you make reservations where available.
No one we've contacted in Navy Public Affairs knows of a master list of services for DOD civil service employees at each base. If someone knows of such a list, please call us at 446-2033. MEMO: Hot Line runs every other week. To submit your questions, see the
INFOLINE box at left. Call 640-5555.\ by CNB