Routine medical travel changes for overseas retirees

  • Published
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFPN) --  Effective Oct. 1, Pacific Air Forces officials will no longer purchase commercial tickets for retirees living or traveling outside of the United States for routine medical appointments as required by the Joint Federal Travel Regulation.

Overseas retirees and their families are still eligible for aeromedical airlift when in-flight medical care is required, said PACAF officials here.

The change is a result of the retirement of C-9 Nightingale aeromedical aircraft in 2003, which had operated within PACAF out of Yokota Air Base, Japan. Before the retirement, overseas retirees were able to fly on invitational travel orders to routine medical appointments.

The Air Force aeromedical evacuation mission is now “requirements-based,” meaning those patients needing urgent or priority care are flown via the Air Force’s current fleet of mobility aircraft, such as KC-135 Stratotankers, officials said.

Servicemembers and their families who do not require in-flight medical care fly commercially for routine appointments with PACAF covering the cost, said Lt. Col. Stephen Clutter, PACAF spokesman.

Since the retirement of the C-9, PACAF officials have been working with U.S. Transportation Command officials to create a new space-available category called “MedPAX," which would be for people traveling for routine medical services who do not require in-flight medical care. If approved, the MedPAX category would give retirees and their families higher priority than they currently have when seeking space-A seats on military aircraft.

As a result of the changes, only patients requiring in-flight medical attention will be airlifted via the military aeromedical evacuation system. This applies to flights to the continental United States as well as missions within PACAF, Colonel Clutter said.

Retirees and family members who require in-flight medical care en route to a medical facility may be airlifted on Department of Defense aircraft with AE-qualified crews.

Military aircraft available for air evacuation include the C-130 Hercules, C-141B Starlifter, C-21A, C-17 Globemaster III and KC-135.

If in-flight medical attention is not required, retirees or their family members may use military air to travel to an appointment if space is available, or use commercial means at their own expense.

There is no charge for military space-A flights within PACAF and only a nominal customs fee for flights to the United States. (Courtesy of Pacific Air Forces News Service)