Military Officer - November 2007 - (Page 24)

rapidfire Spouse Council M OAA has established the President’s Currently Serving Spouse Advisory Council with the purpose of helping the organization better understand the needs and issues facing today’s ofﬁcers and families. The council, which met for the ﬁrst time Sept. 12, consists of 13 military spouses representing the active duty service branches and the active components of the Guard and Reserve. “While MOAA already does a lot for spouses and families of currently serving military members, we want to increase our knowledge of their issues and concerns so we can provide better support to them,” says MOAA’s president, Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USNRet. The council is an internal focus group that reports directly to Ryan with its deliberations, discussions, and recommendations. Council members will meet quarterly and fulﬁll one-year terms. Each serves on one of four committees: Outreach, Government Relations, Products/Services, and Communications. The council members, chosen by MOAA headquarters staff, represent a diverse mix of spouses who can offer a range of perspectives. Council members are (front row, from left) Joy Dunlap, Alison Loefﬂer, Kelly Kimball, Wanda Castellaw, Nina Valli, Cathy Jackman; (back row, from left) Debbie Koss, Paula Sumrall, Bill Hammond, Michele Rubeor, Nicole Alcorn, and Rosemarie Nemeth. (Member Tanya Biank is not pictured.) — Tanya Biank Learn a Language For Free Have you ever wanted to study a foreign language but weren’t ready to attend classes or weren’t sure which program to buy at the store? Well, now the language courses developed by the Foreign Service Institute for the U.S. government are available free to the public. These free language courses are available in an electronic format on the Web site www .fsi-language-courses .com. An independent, nonprofit effort to foster the learning of worldwide languages led to the creation of this online program. Courses are made available in an electronic format because of the private efforts of individuals who are donating their time and resources to provide quality materials for language learning. Now you can be ready to better communicate on your next overseas trip or at your favorite French restaurant down the street. The program requires no registration and charges no fee. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT A Helping Hand VA program, Aid and Attendance (A&A), provides ﬁnancial help to veterans or surviving spouses requiring in-home care or who are living in a nursing or assisted-living home. Veterans who served 90 days on active duty with at least one day in combat and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable are eligible. Also, wartime veterans who entered active duty on or after Sept. 8, 1980 (ofﬁcers as of Oct. 16, 1981), and completed 24 continuous or total months of military service are eligible. If the difference between unreimbursed medical expenses and total household income is lower than set annual thresholds, A&A will make up some of the difference. Thresholds vary by year; for 2007 they are $18,234 for a veteran only, $21,615 for a veteran and one dependent, $11,715 for a surviving spouse, $13,976 for a surviving spouse and one child, and $1,866 for each additional child. To learn more, visit www.moaa.org/november2007. A 24 MILITARY OFFICER NOVEMBER 2007 http://www.fsi-language-courses.com http://www.fsi-language-courses.com http://www.fsi-language-courses.com http://www.moaa.org/november2007

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

Military Officer - November 2007 Contents From the Editor President’s Page Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Cover Story: Commanding the Corps With Love, From Home Financial Guidebook Financial Tuneups Banking on Your Time Pages of History MOAA Scholarship Recipients Faces of MOAA MOAA Scholarship Donors Member Books Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps MOAA Member Services Encore

Military Officer - November 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.