Spotting scams tied to military patient portals | Benefits and healthcare

Now, benefits and healthcare headlines presented by the Military Officers Association of America

TRICARE users who receive care from military facilities or clinics are probably very familiar with the MHS Genesis patient portal

Unfortunately, so are cybercriminals. Scammers can create websites designed to look like the portal, the Defense Health Agency warned in a recent press release

An unsuspecting TRICARE user entering the information on a fake website could give scammers access to sensitive medical and financial details

and could pave the way for identity theft. So, how do you avoid becoming a victim

First, always go directly to the official portal website, which will end with a dot mill

Don't click a link in an email or a text. Don't follow a link from a non-government website

Second, don't share login information. Make sure you use a strong password

Third, if you think you've stumbled upon a suspicious site, contact your TRICARE regional contractor

If you think you may have used a scam site, change your password immediately

and file a report with the DHA and the Federal Trade Commission

Speaking of TRICARE benefits, a new tool for patient advocates at military treatment facilities

will help better manage feedback and resolve patient concerns. It's called the Patient Advocate Assistance Reporting Tool

and is designed to improve data collection and increase transparency. It replaces a system that prevented advocates from sharing information across military facilities

Now the Defense Health Agency will have a better tool for finding and addressing widespread problems

MOA and other advocates are supporting legislation that would introduce a system-wide setup, allowing patients to provide direct feedback and track their access issues

Visit moa slash careact to learn more Military spouses continue to be an untapped talent pool for employers with unemployment rates about four times higher than the national average

One Pentagon-run program designed to help spouses in their job search announced a major milestone

last month, with 1,000 employers now partnering in the effort. The Military Spouse Employment

Partnership launched in 2011. It announced 168 new partners at its annual meeting in January

The partners report regular spouse employment data like new hires and promotions

and they promote spouse-friendly career paths. More than 360,000 spouses have been hired by the program, according to the organization

Partners range from large corporations to universities to local governments and small businesses

Interested in becoming a partner or interested in finding a job through the program? Head to militaryonesource.mil and search spouse partnership

Thinking about using your VA benefits for online school? New rankings from U.S. News and World Report, the people who bring you the annual Best Colleges

ranking, looked at the top online programs for veterans. The University of Florida took first

in the rankings for bachelor's programs, followed by the University of North Carolina Charlotte and Arizona State University. U.S. News also ranked a series of master's programs for veterans

everything from an MBA to a criminal justice degree. To make the list, the school had to

participate in the Yellow Ribbon program or charge in-state tuition that can be covered by all

applicants using GI Bill benefits. If you are thinking about a remote education

remember full-time students in all virtual programs get half the national average housing allowance. In-person students, even if it's just one class in

a full course load, would get the full standard allowance. For more tips on

maximizing your GI Bill and for links to the full US News Survey, visit moa.org

slash virtual schools