Military Officer - June 2008 - (Page 47)

chaptersinaction council and chapter newsletters and Web sites.) Some use unique forms of communication to reach members, such as e-mail or phone-tree networks. These avenues of communication not only inform members about pending bills, they also let members know how they can inﬂuence the legislative process. MOAA members who live in those states often are unaware of how they could help with these efforts, because they don’t belong to an MOAA chapter. If they join a chapter, they’ll receive monthly updates about how they can help. In Montana, the state’s only veterans’ cemeteries are in the eastern part of the state, making it extremely difﬁcult for families in western Montana to visit a loved one buried there. In 2001, members of the Western Montana Military Ofﬁcers Association tackled this important issue and started the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery Committee. The committee, composed largely of chapter members, spent countless hours in the next three years laying the groundwork to establish a new state veterans’ cemetery in Missoula in western Montana. During this period, chapter members learned what they needed to do to keep the effort moving forward by reading the chapter’s newsletter. They also contacted local TV stations and newspapers to increase community support. “Construction is going on right now,” says chapter president Col. Gary Sorensen, USA-Ret. “I expect they’ll dedicate the new cemetery this coming Veterans Day.” YOUR OPINION What state-level issues relating to servicemembers and their families do you think could use a legislative push? Visit www.moaa.org/discussion and click on State-Level Legislative Push. Making an impact on the state level Good communication has helped council and chapter members in Virginia achieve numerous statelevel legislative victories. Each year, chapter newsletter editors and webmasters publish the legislative priorities established by the Virginia Council of Chapters (VCOC), which coordinates its lobbying efforts with the state’s Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service Organizations. (To view the VCOC’s 2008 legislative objectives, visit its award-winning Web site, www .virginiamoaa.com.) Many of these legislative objectives ensure active duty servicemembers and state veterans receive the beneﬁts they’ve earned and deserve. “We tell people in Virginia that all of their beneﬁts come out of MOAA,” says VCOC president Lt. Col. Pat Green, AUS-Ret. “If you want your beneﬁts to stay strong, you join national MOAA and you join a local chapter.” Chapters are not just for retirees anymore Currently serving military ofﬁcers sometimes are reluctant to join a local MOAA chapter, because they think the chapter has nothing to offer them. Yet council and chapter members often help pass legislation that beneﬁts active duty servicemembers and their families. Three years ago in Arizona, chapter members temporarily shelved A group effort — and a little patience — go far MOAA council and chapter members in Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, and North Carolina have been lobbying to fully exempt military retired pay from state income tax. Unfortunately, national their efforts to fully exempt military retired pay from state income tax and instead threw their support behind a lobbying effort to exempt active duty, National Guard, and Reserve servicemembers’ pay from state income tax. Their efforts proved successful, and the legislation, which had a one-year limit, passed in 2005 and became permanent in 2006. In 2007, members of the Texas Council of Chapters (TCOC) coordinated their lobbying efforts with other state veterans’ groups and passed legislation that helps wounded warriors and their families. One bill, which takes effect in 2009, provides a 100-percent property exemption for veterans who are rated 100-percent disabled. A second bill sets up a reintegration program for wounded warriors and their families. The bill assists veterans struggling with traumatic brain injuries, PTSD, and other issues and mandates the state maintain an accurate and current database of available counseling services for veterans and families. “We have a lot of servicemembers here in Texas, and we want to make sure they know their service is appreciated,” says Col. David Briggs, USA-Ret., vice president of legislative affairs for the TCOC. JUNE 2008 MILITARY OFFICER 47 http://www.moaa.org/discussion http://www.virginiamoaa.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - June 2008

Military Officer - June 2008 Contents MOAA Online From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire MOAA Member Services Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor MOAA Scholarship Donors Cover Story: Mission to Modernize World War Web Playing to Win Fitness in Numbers Fighting Infection Pages of History Faces of MOAA Information Exchange Member Books Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - June 2008

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