Military Officer - October 2007 - (Page 30)

washingtonscene reversed course, voting 12-1, stating “Congress should eliminate the ban on concurrent receipt for all retirees and disability separations. Future priority should be given to Chapter 61s [medical retirees] with less than 20 years of service and greater than 50-percent service-connected disability and all combatdisabled Chapter 61s.” MOAA couldn’t agree more. This is a giant step toward resolving a major inequity in the current disability compensation structure and validates years of effort by MOAA and The Military Coalition to repeal the ban on concurrent receipt of military retired pay and VA disability compensation. When Congress failed to authorize full concurrent receipt for all disabled retirees, it authorized the disability commission to examine the case of lowerrated, non-combat, and medical retirees. Hopefully the commission’s October 2007 report to Congress will endorse full concurrent receipt for all categories of disabled retirees and clear the way for long-overdue legislative action. Hugo Grant, editor-in-chief and executive vice president of The Hill newspaper (left), recognized MOAA President Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., with The Hill’s “top lobbyist” award. staffers, and other lobbyists and Hillwatchers. MOAA was one of only two organizations selected in the ﬁeld of military and veterans’ issues. The paper singled out MOAA President Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., and MOAA’s Director of Government Relations Col. Steve Strobridge, USAFRet., as “running an effective shop for the largest professional association of military ofﬁcers.” While accepting the award, Ryan commented, “It’s always nice when your work is noticed. But it’s our 368,000 members who really make the difference in what we do.” We can make the best possible case to legislators, but in the end, it’s those thousands of e-mails, postcards, letters, and phone calls from all of our councils, chapters, and individual members who get the heavy lifting done. “Our main job is to help mobilize and inform our members. When enough of them weigh in on something that’s important to them, Congress listens. And that’s really what this very nice recognition is all about,” Ryan said. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT MOAA Lobbyists Lauded Ryan and Strobridge receive awards. T 30 MILITARY OFFICER he most widely circulated newspaper on Capitol Hill, The Hill, recognized MOAA as one of “the best in the business” in the ﬁeld of congressional lobbying in a special newspaper feature and a July 26 award ceremony in Washington, D.C. The newspaper made its “Washington’s Top Lobbyists” selections based on input from legislators, congressional OCTOBER 2007

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - October 2007

Military Officer - October 2007 Contents From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Cover Story: A Hero's Welcome? Partners in Patriotism Tales from Beyond the Battlefield Financial Results of MOAA Pages of History Information Exchange Faces of MOAA Member Books MOAA Scholarship Donors Advertising Index MOAA Member Services MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - October 2007

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