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THE BULLETIN BOARD |
| MERRY CHRISTMAS HAPPY HANUKAH HAPPY NEW YEAR HAPPY HOLIDAYS |
Our speaker for the November meeting, Lt. Gen. Wayne Marty, Adjutant General, Texas National Guard, was most informative as he spoke of the mission and dedication of our forces deployed in various parts of the world. His talk was well received by those present. Make a note on your calendar that our December meeting will be held on the SECOND Wednesday evening because of its proximity to the Christmas holiday season. December 8th is the date for our annual Christmas-Holiday dinner and dance, and we hope to see you there. The food is great, the music is wonderful, and the chance to highlight the season by visiting with other members is too great to miss. Note that the cost for this meeting is $20.00 per person, so it is still a very inexpensive way to celebrate the season. In February we will be hosting the quarterly meeting of the Texas Council of Chapters. More about that later. We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving, and we look forward to seeing you in December.
EVENTS FOR DECEMBER 8 DECEMBER-DINNER DANCE-1830 HOURS 14 DECEMBER-BOARD MEETING-1330 HOURS 17 DECEMBER-ROWC-LUNCHEON-AUSTIN | NOTES FROM LEGISLATIVE UPDATES- The 108th Congress has proven to be a fairly successful session for the Military community. I'm sure everyone knows that the law has been passed that will correct the injustices of the SBP legislation, and raise the minimum annuity for survivors age 62 and older. It is not an immediate raise, but will go from the present 35% of retired pay to 40% as of1 Oct., 2005; 45% on 1 April, 2006; 50% on 1 April, 2007 and finally, 55% on 1 April, 2008 To be sure, some of us will not be around to see the final raise, but surviving spouses and/or other dependents will benefit for many years to come. And we must remember that it would not have happened at all without the determination and perseverance of Senator Mary Landrieu and Representative Jeff Miller-one a Democrat, the other a Republican. The key part that each of these elected officials played in accomplishing the SBP reform cannot be emphasized enough. The part played by many other members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees is also greatly appreciated. And not the least of the players, the job probably could not have been done without the strong grassroots support of our Military organizations, both at the National and Local levels. Your postcards, letters and phone calls and visits with legislators were of great importance and certainly helped in the final accounting. It is awfully easy to do nothing and think that somebody else will pick up the slack, but this victory proves what can be done when all the somebodies get together and move. [Editor]
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| EXCERPT FROM LEGISLATIVE
UPDATE, 19 NOV S. 2486 includes........Rights and Protections ..... rein-
states Dept. of Labor reporting requirements to Congress on reemployment
cases; requires employers to provide notice of rights, benefits, and
obligations under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment
Rights Act (USERRA); clarifies that waivers of service members rights and
protections under the Civil Relief Act [SCRA] must be in writing; protects
dependents as well as service members under the SCRA for residential and
motor vehicle lease termination provisions on joint leases.
HEADS UP--- Again The Council of Chapters quarterly (winter) meeting will be held in Austin on the 11-12 Feb, 2005, with the Austin Chapter acting as Host for the occasion. More information and details will be forthcoming at a later date, but if you have an interest in the workings of MOAA, keep the dates in mind, and plan to attend the meetings.. IT IS WHAT WE THINK WE KNOW ALREADY THAT OFTEN PREVENTS US FROM LEARNING. CLAUDE BERNARD [1813- 1878] PHYSIOLOGIST [Bits & Pieces] Volunteers needed- Especially Air Force-Col Del Vecchio is working on the RDTC-JRDTC Program for the Spring and needs Volunteers to present awards. This is a very rewarding activity for the presenter. You gain a new perspective on today's youth. Our ROTC Cadets are Proud of their organization , their uniforms and their achievements. New Feature-Birthdays in December Lt.Col. R. M. [Don] Bosserman, USA | December Birthdays-Continued Mrs. Maxine Wilson Mrs. Stella Barrett Mrs. Stella Barrett Mrs. Jay Marie Buttress Mrs. Frieda Cummings Mrs. Pat Harris Mrs. Jo Anne Hatley Mrs. Nancy Kronbergs Mrs. Sarah Romero Mrs. Joyce Turner HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU -- WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS CDL CHARLES D. BUSH, USA AND WIFE, JANICE It's not worth getting up in the morning if you can 't learn something new by the time you get back in bed at night. Bill Binder in Bits & Pieces DIC BENEFITS DEADLINE LOOMING Surviving spouses of deceased veterans who remarried after age 57 have until Dec. 15, 2004 to apply for reinstatement of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation [DIC] benefits. An application received after this deadline will be denied. Highlights of The FY05 National Defense Authorization Act---- 1. SBP correction over 3 1/2 years, discussed on Page 1. 2. All military retirees rated at 100% disabled will receive full concurrent receipt, starting on 1 Jan., 2005. This may NOT include veterans drawing 100% disability from the VA based on Individual Unemployability. This determination may come at a later date. 3. Permanent ID cards will be issued by all Services to dependents of military retirees and survivors of retirees who are eligible for benefits after the dependent or survivor reaches age 75. 4. Authorized an across-the-board pay raise for all uniformed service personnel. 5. Created a new healthcare benefit for members of the Reserve component by authorizing Tricare coverage for members who have served on extended active duty.-90 days prior to mobilization and 180 days, members and families, when the member separates from active duty. 6. A new program of educational assistance. 7. A permanent increase of $225/month for hostile fire duty and of $250 family separation |
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THE BULLETIN BOARD DINNER MEETING - Dance, 8 December, 2004 Note: Reservations may be made with your assigned caller or with your service representative by calling before 2100 hours on the Sunday before the Wednesday dinner. Cancellations should also be made by the aforementioned time. Individuals who do not honor reservations will be billed. |
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-------COME AND JOIN YOUR FELLOW MEMBERS - SUPPORT MOAA! If you don't participate in the activities, you have no standing to complain if you are unhappy. Put on your gala party clothes and come out to "trip the light fantastic"---- |
| PROGRAM To be sure, it won't be "on the sidewalks of New York" but the dance floor will be better than the sidewalk, and I'll wager that Corky Robinson and the Keynoters are as good or better than any Band you would find in New York. Besides, it will cost you a lot less. This will be the best bargain of the Holiday Season-Dinner with drinks and Dancing for 20 dollars per-you couldn't touch it any place else. And the Keynoters play the kind of music you like with a variety that will suit any taste. PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE TO THE SECOND WEDNESDAY, THE 8TH OF DECEMBER. -Please Note: If you are not being called each month concerning the dinner meeting on the third Wednesday, please call your service representative (listed elsewhere in the Bulletin] and ask that he/she add your name to the calling lists. Your Service Rep may have changed, and your caller may have, also. lf you have not been called by Sunday Evening and wish to attend the dinner, and cannot reach your own Service Rep, please call one of the others. They will be glad to accommodate you and turn in your reservation. MOAA Name tags available-Members who wish permanent name tags should contact COL Ben A. Meharg at 280-2569. E-mail bmeharg@austin.rr.com . The cost is 3.00, but they will last a lifetime-unless you lose them. | ORDER OF THE EVENING SEATING CHARTS WILL BE PLACED ON TABLES AT 1830 HOURS
MENU Spinach Salad w/Feta Cheese, Bacon & Tomato Cornish Game Hen Rosemary Roasted Sweet & Red Potato Corn Pudding Whole Wheat Rolls-Butter Cheese Cake Coffee-Tea-Iced Tea ATTN; SINGLES We try to sit together at MOAA dinners. Look for the sign-SINGLES- and sign your name if you want to sit with us. We are not guaranteeing a singles spot-You do not have to sit there. |
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CHAPTER OFFICERS 2004-2005
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Appointed Board Members | |||||
| Chaplain | LtC. Ernest S. Dean | USAF | 477-5390 | Duties | |
| Assistant Chaplain | Col. Leon Holland | USA | 335-1224 | Duties | |
| Personal Affairs Officer | Capt. William K. Brown | USN | 345-5420 | Duties | |
| Austin Military Coalition Representative | Col. Bruce Conover | USAF | 282-1844 | Duties | |
| Legislative Affairs Officer | LtC. Carlos W. Higgins | USAF | 258-3564 | Duties | |
| ROTC Awards Coordinator | Col. Bill Del Vecchio | USA | 244-3248 | Duties | |
| Newsletter Editor | LtC. Mary Kelso | USA | 346-7140 | Duties | |
| Webmaster | LtC. J. R. Howard | USAF | 255-2206 | Duties | |
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LEGISLATIVE THOUGHTS by LTC Carlos Higgins
New Laws In Texas Affect Senior Citizens' Pocketbooks Well, now, that heading does tend to get your attention, huh? It's a true statement, though. And it happens every two years, when the Texas Legislature comes to town. They're coming, so hold on to your wallets. The session starts in January, and you can bet that a host of bills will be filed - many of them affecting you. The Legislature absolutely will change a bunch of our laws by next June. It'll be a major tug of war between all kinds of advocates, lobbyists, individuals, groups and legislators, all interested in how the state pie is baked and who gets a piece of it - what kind of budget is cooked up, and who are the winners and losers. One set of advocates is an organization called the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature. (TSHL) Members of this group are elected from all over the state. They must be at least 60, and to vote for them, you must be at least 60. They were chartered in 1985 by the Texas Legislature to act as advocates for seniors, and to bring legislative recommendations to the Texas Governor and Legislature on issues of particular interest to Texas senior citizens. The TSHL is ready with its recommendations for this coming session. They are in the form of Resolutions, adopted during the TSHL's legislative session held in September. Their session is patterned after the process used by the Texas Legislature, and was held in the State Capitol, in the House Chambers. Legislative ideas were submitted by individual members of the TSHL; they were discussed and debated in Committees and finally on the House Floor. Some were adopted; some were rejected. The 68 adopted Resolutions have now been published in book form, and will be distributed to all our lawmakers in early January. TSHL members will be explaining those recommendations and looking for sponsors in the Legislature to convert them to Bills, and then to laws on the books. Our members stay busy during the Legislative session as advocates for Texas seniors, not only with respect to TSHL recommendations, but also watching for any Bill that might have some significant effect, good or bad, on Texas senior citizens. Members meet frequently with Legislators and their staffs, attend many committee meetings to keep up with pending legislation, and frequently testify before committees in support or in opposition to a variety of pending Bills. Can any of this effort affect you? You bet! The TSHL tries to speak up for the many seniors who are unable to speak for themselves in the legislative arena, but who do need a little helping hand here and there. For example, we try to make things a little better for seniors in nursing homes on Medicare. We try to make it more difficult for criminals and abusers to get jobs in those nursing homes. We push for stronger laws and better enforcement against those who take advantage of seniors. Most of the abuse - physical, mental and financial - is done by (you may have guessed) the senior's own family members. Most often, it's by the senior's own children. We keep pushing for some geriatric training to be given in all medical schools. As you probably have discovered, there can be a huge difference in the body and mind of a 50 year old, versus that of a 75 year old. We believe anyone in the medical field who will be treating elderly patients should have some early exposure to and appreciation of the many differences. We're concerned with property taxes, that keep going up and up. Too many seniors finally reach the point where the property taxes simply get so high, they have to move out. One of our Resolutions this year has already drawn the ire of the Texas Municipal League. They represent cities, and think we ought not to tamper with the way property taxes are imposed by cities. We're concerned with scams against seniors, telemarketing abuses, and fine print too small to read. We're against converting existing roads (and taxpayer dollars) to toll roads. Our 68 Resolutions cover a rich variety of issues. Some of them mostly affect seniors in nursing homes; some of them affect you. If you want to look them over, look on the internet (or get your grandchild to pull it up for you) on the TSHL Web site at http://WWW.TXSHL.ORG/ And if you have questions, I'll be happy to try to answer them. I'm Carlos Higgins, a member of MOAA, and also Speaker Pro Tern of the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature.
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DUES FORM Please fill in the form below, detach it, and mail it with your check (payable to AMOAA) to:
Military Officers Association of America o New Member o Returning Member o Current Active Member Dues for 1 Jan thru 31 Dec are $ 15 for Officers and $ 10 for Widows and Widowers
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