The theme for this quarter is Fort Bliss Military-El Paso Community Volunteerism. As we enter the 1st Quarter FY11 I want to encourage you each to seek out, and support volunteer initiatives focused on active and retired military service members support to less fortunate El Paso Community civilians. Your El Paso Chapter of the Military Officers’ Association of America (MOAA) is going to use this quarter to seek opportunities to continue serving our community and reinforce the close, mutually supportive relationship between El Paso and its active duty and retiree military community. I would like to lead teams of volunteers in serving Thanksgiving meals at the El Paso Homeless shelter, or solicit canned goods and linen for the Dame Le Mano Home for Unwed Mothers at Christmas. I want to solicit your suggestions and organize teams of volunteers to find ways to help the less fortunate, and also recognize others demonstrating the spirit of volunteerism. October, November and December will present numerous opportunities for our MOAA Volunteer initiatives. We are exceptionally fortunate to be a part of an extremely unique relationship between the military and El Paso citizens. We are part of a very special relationship here in El Paso and we’re going to take this quarter and attempt to demonstrate our appreciation of this unique relationship.. View Details
EL PASO -- A bill authorizing nearly $1 billion in construction for a new Beaumont Army Medical Center passed the House of Representatives on Thursday. "This new facility is necessary to serve the thousands of new soldiers and their dependents who are coming to El Paso," said U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, in a statement.
Major Issues
Are you aware of the major issues and MOAA's legislative initiatives? Educate yourself on the issues that affect you and your family. See what MOAA is really doing for you on Capitol Hill. View Details
Action Alerts
Check your legislators’ positions on key issues and urge them to support MOAA’s goals. View Details
SUBJECT: FLASH Immediate LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALL SERVICES, ALL COMPONENTS/ TCC 4/21/2010 Washington Report
Dear Fellow MOAA Texan:
Here's an update for you on your Texas Council of Chapters (TCC) office calls on your Congressional Representatives...one team visited both Senatorial offices on Thursday, 4/15, and three teams for Texas called on 32x US Representatives, or members of their staffs, representing the Congressional Districts of the State on Wednesday, 4/21.
What's Storming the Hill? Your State Council members are asked to participate in visiting their respective congressional offices and putting forward positions to your elected representatives at the national level in the District of Columbia considered important to you. Check this link for a description of the 2010 legislative effort at national: Event-By-Event Coverage of "Storming the Hill."
First of all, MOAA national conducts a super operation...the event could not have been conceived, planned, and executed better. “Hats Off” in a salute to national!
This year, the “Hill-stormers” met with their legislators and focused on the following issues:
• Finding a permanent fix to the threatened 21% cut to Medicare and TRICARE payments
• Upgrading the smallest proposed military pay raise in almost 50 years
• Fixing a Reserve retirement problem that unfairly denies credit for hundreds of thousands of Guard and Reserve combat tours since 9/11
• Fixing unfair compensation penalties imposed on thousands of disabled retirees and military survivors
MOAA Hill-stormers received very positive feedback from most legislators, and we hope to see a considerable jump in the number of cosponsors for MOAA-supported bills on these topics. Check your representatives’ and senators’ cosponsorship status for the bills listed below by clicking the link:
• Fix the 21% Medicare/TRICARE payment cut
• H.R. 333, H.R. 4525, S. 546 – End deduction of VA benefits from retired pay
• H.R. 775, S. 535 – End deduction of VA benefits from SBP annuities
• H.R. 208, S. 831 – Allow Reserve retirement age credit for all active service since 9/11
• H.R. 1592, H.R. 4427 – Upgrade the military pay raise
You can enhance MOAA’s Hill-storming results by entering your ZIP code in the applicable box for each bill to send your legislators a MOAA-suggested message.
Best guess handicapping on the part of the author at what will pass, and what will not, the 111th Congress out of this bag of important military issues during this session: Military gets the 1.4% plus MOAA add-on of .5% for a total 1.9% pay raise - Pass; and, Guard and Reserve get the retirement fix of Active Duty time since 9/11/2001...it was fixed from 2008 forward so now the gap from 2001 to 2007 inclusive gets fixed – Pass...so, here are the Not Passes...Concurrent Receipt for Chapter 61 Retirees with under 20 Years of Service off-sets between retired pay and VA compensation for disability; and; SBP/DIC offsets...the latter two at this point could be sandwiched into the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) but your TCC President remains skeptical as we've been down that road before...like in the 2010 NDAA resulting in no-cigar...no legislation for surviving spouses and “us” under twenty years of service “cripples”. Google “Undue Sacrifice” and see if you come up with the MOAA brochure on these last two legislative issues.
As far as the 21% Medicare/TRICARE payment cut, it's something that we've got to address as members...how? Join up with the national association and local chapter and stay posted on events and facts and use MOAA's Legislative Action Center to make your position known to your elected officials in Congress!
Warmest regards,
Ed Stone, Major, USA, Retired
President, Texas Council of Chapters (TCC)
West Point Society of El Paso Luncheon | View Details
Seventeen members serve on the El Paso Chapter of MOAA board of directors. They represent the seven uniformed services. Each is a volunteer and serves one, one-year term.
Seventeen members serve on the El Paso Chapter of MOAA board of directors. They represent the seven uniformed services. Each is a volunteer and serves one, one-year term. 
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