WASHINGTON (April 20, 2018)
— Leaders of the Florida Council of Chapters of MOAA visited legislators’
offices Wednesday, April 18, on behalf of Florida’s service members and
veterans and their family members and survivors. The Hill visits were
coordinated through the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) as part
of the association’s largest annual grassroots advocacy event: Storming the Hill.
Along with the rest of the
Florida team, local chapter president, Colonel Mike Borders, U.S. Army,
retired, met personally with legislators and staff members from the offices of nine
senators and representatives, to convey MOAA national’s unified messages on key
issues.
MOAA national prepared
material regarding maintaining military pay and benefits in order to recruit
and retain an all-volunteer force. Colonel
Borders asked legislators and their staffers to support the proposed
2.6-percent pay increase for our active duty servicemembers for 2019 and to
further protect against the erosion of military pay and benefits. He also
discussed ending reduced pay for Chapter 61 retirees. Chapter
61 retirees, so named because of the chapter in Title 10 U.S. Code that covers
disability retirements, have been medically retired prior to reaching a 20-year
service career with a disability rating of 30 percent or greater. There are
over 200,000 such individuals caught in a “Catch-22”, with over 90% being former
enlisted personnel.
“MOAA members spent
Wednesday calling for important legislative actions to benefit service members,
veterans and spouses. We clearly made a statement as 150 MOAA members fought
for the 200,000-plus Chapter 61 retirees, the president's 2.6 percent pay raise
for 2019 and for further protection for military pay and benefits,” said MOAA
President and CEO Lt. Gen. Dana T. Atkins, USAF (Ret). “We also shared vital
information regarding extraordinary TRICARE fee increases, and the need for
legislation to end the “Widows’ Tax” for those surviving spouses who lose some or
all of their Survivor Benefit Plan annuity to pay for the Dependency Indemnity
Compensation. While the Storming effort rings a loud bell on Capitol Hill, its true
impact will be realized in the weeks to come, as MOAA's government relations
staff continues to work with members of Congress to make these critical actions
a reality.”