MOAA Clearwater Chapter Volume XVII, Issue 6 Mi l i tary Off icers Associat ion of Amer ica , Inc.

June 2019

• President’s Message 1

• Board Meeting Minutes 2

• Speaker Info/Luncheon News 3

• MOAA News 4

• Chapter News 5

• Luncheon Photos 6

• Our Patriotic Advertisers 7

DRUMBEAT

Board Meeting Jun 12, 2019

Lunch Meeting None

Board Meeting Jul 10, 2019

Lunch Meeting None

Board Meeting Aug 14, 2019

Luncheon Meeting Jun 13

Lunch Meeting None

Board Meeting Sept 11, 2019

Lunch Meeting Sept 25. 2019

Clearwater Chapter

MOAA Membership

Total Members

Regular 64

Spouses 29

Surviving Spouses 21

Total 114

.

Thanks to the nearly 50 members and guests who attended our Spring Season

Ending BBQ

lunch event on May 24th. Your continued loyal participation makes it possible to

lineup engaging and enlightening speakers. A big thanks to Navy Captain (Ret)

Jim Facinelli, Senior Naval Science Instructor, Dunedin HS JROTC and Cadet Law-

rence Judd for their in-depth presentation of their award-winning program. Also,

thanks to one of our own, Monty Stokes, who provided a mission overview of the

Veterans Affairs Inspector General’s Office located at Bay Pines Medical Center

and answered questions from the membership.

Reminder: Our luncheon program will restart on September 28th. Be on the look-

out in our August Drumbeat for speaker and event information.

The chapter held its annual Charity Golf Event on May 19th at Eastlake Woodlands

Country Club. We had 39 players from all over the local area including the chap-

ter, the Clearwater Coast Guard Air Station, Vietnam Veterans of America, and

Eastlake Woodlands Country Club. A great day was had by ALL and approximately

$2400 was raised for our charitable fund that supports both Clearwater and Dun-

edin HS JROTC programs, Honor Flight, and the Clearwater Veterans Mall. Thanks

to Jim Patrick for leading this effort, and Norm Belson, Bob Behm, Shirley Apt and

new member, Howard McLymont for volunteering to support this important event.

Also, a BIG THANKS to those who contributed funds, though they could not play.

For those members departing the area over the summer, we wish you safe travels

and look forward to your return this fall. The board will continue to meet monthly

over the summer and we will continue to produce the Drumbeat as well as update

our website with important information for all.

Again, thanks to ALL of you who continue to SERVE our VETERANS and the COM-

MUNITIES where we live, and in MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE for June 2019 Drumbeat

We had another successful luncheon for May, I hope you

enjoyed our guest speakers the two Marine ROTC Cadets who

talked to us about their future endeavors. It certainly restored

my hope in our younger generation.

If you were not at our monthly luncheon you missed us awarding Scholarship’s

Awards to two Clearwater HS Marine JR ROTC Cadets. We awarded Cadet

Commander CPT Noah P. Evans and Cadet XO CPT Maria Moreyra $1,500 each.

Both of these cadets were outstanding students and also an example what we

expect a good ROTC Cadet to be. We also interviewed another Cadet SSGT Ethan P.

Campbell but at the awards ceremony at the HS he informed me that he had joined

the Navy and would not be attending College. At the ROTC awards ceremony I

presented Cadet Sergeant Evelyn Nascimento the MOAA JR ROTC Medal. It was an

honor sitting in the Clearwater High School auditorium knowing that some of the

Cadets will be joining the military and they are our future. The Clearwater HS Marine

JR ROTC will be joining Steve Hodges and myself at the Largo Memorial Day

Ceremony. They will provide us with an Honor Guard and a 2 Person Rifle Drill Team

for this event.

Please join me in welcoming our newest member Elaine Levesque

You may not be aware that the Department of Veterans Affairs has notified

veterans in several states that the address the agency has on file for them may

have been incorrectly changed. In social media postings and press releases, the VA

has stated that both the Veterans Health Administration and Veterans Benefits

Administration have "detected inconsistencies with how veterans' permanent

mailing addresses are being updated and stored at VHA medical facilities and

shared with the national enrollment system." The postings urge all veterans to verify

that the information the VA has on file for them is correct. To do this, veterans

should go to www.va.gov/change-address and verify that their mailing and home

addresses, phone number and email information are all correct.

Bush Gardens has announced that they are offering free admission to all Veterans

and families up to 3 guests. This will take place from May 31 to July 15.

Just a reminder that the 2019 Annual Florida State Convention is at Safety Harbor

20-23 June.

Finally, I hope that you all have a safe and healthy summer break and hope to see

you all back here in September.

Bob Behm

Currently No Members in distress.

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MOAA BOARD MEETING MINUTES - May 8. 2019

The meeting was called to order @1000 HRS. at the Clearwater Country Club by the President, Bob Behm. Those present

stood, faced the flag and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

In Attendance: Bob Behm, Sandy Behm, Pat Hughes, Rob Risberg, Jim Souders.

Secretary’s Report: Reviewed March Minutes prepared by Sandy Behm. A motion was made by Rob Risberg

and seconded by Pat Hughes to accept the Minutes as written; all approved. The minutes were accepted as written.

Treasurer’s Report: Bob Behm presented the Treasurer’s report. Checking Account $ 20,888.63, Charitable Account

$ 8,647.39, TOTAL $ 29,536.02. A motion was made by Pat Hughes and seconded by Rob Risberg

to accept the Treasurer’s report; all approved. The report was accepted as submitted.

Membership Report: Rob Risberg reported that there are 114 members, down 2 from last month. 64 regular members, 21

surviving spouses, 29 spouses. The dues roster shows 77 paid, 37 unpaid members. In June the board will take a vote to

remove unpaid members from the membership list. Bob Behm will make one last attempt to reach unpaid members.

Program Report: See Below

Drumbeat Report: Jim Souders said nothing to report at this time

Web Report: Rob Risberg said that there is nothing new on the redesigning of the page. He did add the Army ball and the

Warrior games.

Surviving Spouse/Spouse Report – Violet Smith - No Report tabled until Sept.

Members in Distress: Bob Behm sent a card to Howard McLymont as his Mom Thelma had a stroke. He also sent a letter

thanking Bill and Meredith Slavins for their years of service in our club.

ROTC Scholarship Report: Steve Hodges not in attendance

Old Business: Bob Behm reported that he called the 15 people getting the newsletter by email. 7 of them said they are getting

and the others were left msg and never responded back.

Bob Behm reported to Len Friedlander that because of our location we would not be hosting the 2021 FCOC Convention. He

told Len that even in the off season our area was too costly to host a convention here in Clearwater.

New Business: Bob received a list of 17 email addresses and names from MOAA National for potential new members. He sent

a personal email and welcome msg to each person. He received only 2 responses back. We will add BG Dole to our email list.

Bob will attend the ROTC Awards presentation on May 17th at 11:40am and will present our ROTC Award to a preselected

Cadet.

Bob Behm reported that we need to continue recruitment, as we need a second vice president.

Future Speakers:

May 22 Luncheon - ROTC Scholarship Recipient

Sept 25 - William Pearson – Update on Veterans Benefit’s

With all business being concluded. A motion was made by Jim Souders and seconded by Rob Risberg, to conclude the meeting.

It was approved by the Board.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:40am.

3

VA Provides MedicAlert Device

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through their VA.

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device is right for you. Our mobile personal emergency system has provided veterans the security and confidence of having

peace of mind for their well-being. The personal alert device is provided at no additional charge to Veterans, through their

VA.

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will give you the assurance, that you are protected 24/7 in the event of an emergency.

When speaking with your local VA Hospital, doctor or occupational therapist, ask them to order the MedEquip Alert™ with

Monitoring for one year or two years. The device must be ordered using GSA# GS-35F-202GA.

Click on: MedEquip

Budweiser Folds of Honor

Budweiser Says Service Never Stops. A tribute to veterans by Budweiser.

Click on: Budweiser Folds of Honor

75th Anniversary Of D Day Is Coming

From Connecticut to Normandy, vintage planes help mark 75th

anniversary of D-Day

Seventy-five years after dropping airborne troops into Nazi-

occupied France, vintage warplanes bearing the black and

white invasion stripes of Operation Overlord are set to take off

from Connecticut on Sunday for a return flight to Europe.

Placid Lassie, D-Day Doll, That’s All, Brother and other planes

of the D-Day Squadron are to depart from Waterbury-Oxford

Airport and leapfrog across the Atlantic to take part in Daks

Over Normandy. The international gathering of volunteer pilots,

crews and historic planes is to culminate on June 5 with a

jump by about 250 paratroopers into the same drop zones

used in the June 6, 1944 invasion.

Click on: Vintage War Planes Return To Normandy

Study finds military families face widespread problems in private housing

A new survey released Wednesday reveals the scope of the problems inside the military's housing privatization program.

Based on nearly 16,000 responses from military families who have lived in privatized housing within the last three years, the

report by the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) found 55 percent of respondents had negative experiences with their

corporate landlords.

Families complained of housing issues at more than 160 military installations across the country, citing problems including

routine maintenance delays, illnesses and water quality concerns. Nearly 30% of respondents reported issues with mold in

their residences, and more than 1,500 detailed problems with vermin or pest infestations.

Click on: Housing Problems

Chapter News

MOAA NEWS

VA Care Improvements to Debut On June 6

The long anticipated program mandated in the MISSION Act is about to debut in VA medical facilities around the country starting June 6.

After the launch of the new VA Community Care Program, or VCCP, veterans can expect:

• “To continue to have access to community care under current programs and then transition to the new program when regulations are final

and published.

• To follow an improved process to receive community care under the new program, with better access to community providers and improve-

ments to customer service, such as more streamlined eligibility requirements.

• A new benefit that provides eligible Veterans with access to urgent, non-emergency care for non-life-threatening conditions in VA’s network

of community providers

• Improved care coordination as VA transitions to a single information technology system that better links together VA and community provid-

ers.

• Your provider to receive timely payments for bills as VA transitions to better claims processing systems.”

Click on: VA Care Improvements

MOAA Answers Your Questions About Surviving Spouse Benefits

More than 2,400 MOAA members registered for a May 8 webinar where MOAA experts provided information for surviving military spouses to

navigate benefits.

Financial and benefits experts Capt. Paul Frost, USN (Ret), and Lt. Col. Shane Ostrom, USAF (Ret), who presented the webinar, said families

should work together to choose financial plans and understand military benefits.

One of the unique benefits discussed was DoD’s Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), which is an annuity paid to dependents after a retiree’s death.

However, SBP is offset by the VA’s Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), which is a tax-free monetary benefit paid to survivors who

die from a service-connected injury or disease.

MOAA has long advocated to repeal the offset, known as the widows tax.

[TAKE ACTION: Tell Your Representative to End the Widows Tax]

MOAA regularly hosts webinars as a way to empower its members, as well as the broader military audience. Premium and Life members can

watch the webinar here, or search past webinars here; To become a MOAA member or upgrade your membership, visit here.

MOAA Life and Premium members have access to financial and benefits experts through email at beninfo@moaa.org.

After the webinar, Frost and Ostrom addressed member questions submitted during the event. Some examples:

Q. How do you check the status of your SBP?

A. The status of your SBP annuities will be on the monthly retiree activity statement on your online Defense Finance and Accounting Service

(DFAS) myPay account. It’s important to note the status will be listed as “spouse,” and not under a person’s name. If you don’t have access to

your online account, you must call DFAS customer service at 888-332-7411 to find the SBP status.

Q. Will my MOAA Life membership transfer to my spouse?

A. Yes, Life member privileges automatically transfer to your spouse after your death at no extra cost. This ensures that your spouse has help

sorting through your military survivor benefits. Surviving spouses of Premium members receive one free year of Premium membership starting

the day the death is reported. Surviving spouses may renew that membership at a discount or upgrade to become Life members.

Q. Is a spouse who marries a servicemember after he or she retires from service eligible to receive benefits?

A. Yes, spouses who are married after a servicemember retires are still eligible to receive benefits. Eligibility is limited for spouses who are mar-

ried for less than one year and for divorced spouses.

[RELATED: MOAA Answers Your Health Care Transition Questions]

Q. JAG seems to take a cookie-cutter approach to creating a will, but the civilian services are more expensive. How can I get a more personal-

ized will?

A. Although writing a will is not required, it is recommended to ensure your wishes are carried out after your death. Legal assistance staff are

located on almost every military installation. However, if you want a more personalized approach, you’ll need to contact a specialized lawyer,

which will come at a cost.

Q. Does the Coast Guard use the same pay agency as the other armed services?

A. No. The Coast Guard, NOAA and U.S. Public Health Service all use the Coast Guard Pay and Personnel Center, which is based in Topeka, Kan-

sas. The phone number is 800-772-8724. MOAA can help members navigate obtaining documents through that center; email msc@moaa.org.

[DOWNLOAD: Browse MOAA Publications, Including Survivor Benefit Details]

Q. Is a will good from state to state?

A. Our benefits experts are not lawyers. As with any legal document, it’s best to have the will reviewed by a lawyer who understands the estate

planning laws of the state you will reside in. This is especially important for people who may spend different parts of the year in different states.

Click on: Surviving Spouses

5

MOAA NEWS (Cont.)

VA, DoD Electronic Health Records Still Aren’t Compatible, and Lawmakers Are Angry

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan was grilled by lawmakers Wednesday on the lengthy and costly effort to

develop compatible electronic records systems between the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"I don't ever recall being as outraged about an issue than I am about the electronic health record program," Rep. Kay

Granger, R-Texas, told Shanahan at a House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the DoD's proposed fiscal

2020 budget.

She said a hearing last month with DoD and VA health program managers on the progress of meshing the records "was

terrible."

"I can't believe that these program managers think that it is acceptable to wait another four years for a program to be

implemented when we've spent billions of dollars and worked on it for over a decade," Granger said.

"For 10 years we've heard the same assurances" that the electronic health records problem will be solved," Rep. Hal

Rogers, R-Kentucky, said. "It's incredible that we can't get this fixed."

Veterans are suffering "because of bureaucratic crap," he said.

Click on: Health Records

Navy Vet Lawmaker Introduces Measure to Repeal Tax Hike for Gold Star Families

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers are backing a bill that would repeal a tax increase on benefits paid to families of U.S.

service members who died in the line of duty.

The 2017 tax reform law increased the taxes on certain payments to survivors of the fallen, primarily children who re-

ceive survivor benefits from the Defense Department. These benefits were previously taxed at rates of 12% to 15%, but

now are taxed at 37% -- the rate used to calculate taxes on income on trusts and estates.

Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Virginia, introduced the legislation, the Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act, or H.R. 2481, which would clas-

sify survivor benefits as earned income, reducing the tax burden of the payments.

A retired Navy commander and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, she said Gold Star families have "already paid the

ultimate price" and shouldn't have to suffer.

"It broke my heart when a surviving spouse from coastal Virginia alerted me to this injustice," Luria said in a release. "I

knew I had to fight for her in Congress to fix a broken system that should be working for her and her family."

Click on: Repeal Gold Star Tax

Deep Cuts Are Coming to Military Medicine

If you use any military medical facility for your or your family’s health care, you may be affected by the impending harsh

reduction of military medical personnel. These cuts in medical staff would span all specialties and may affect active duty

families and all retirees, both under and over age 65, if you are currently using any military hospital or clinic.

How can this happen? The Defense Department’s fiscal 2020 budget calls for the elimination of about 18,000 military

medical positions — this is the result of massive reforms mandated in the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act

to standardize and streamline the delivery of military medicine. This is roughly 20% of the military’s medical force. This

reduction in medical capacity seems to have been developed absent a medical readiness requirement analysis in support

of combatant operational plans. Instead, the cuts appear to be based on a market or network analysis in the vicinity of

installations.

Can TRICARE Networks handle more? A force reduction of this size will result in a change to the military health system,

which will cause unintended consequences and have ramifications affecting all of American health care. These conse-

quences will be felt in the areas of combat casualty care capabilities; recruitment and retention; and in the already taxed

civilian health care sector. Retirees could see, and many are already experiencing, reductions in care, including pharmacy

services. Many TRICARE Prime enrollees, including active duty families, are already being a pushed into the civilian network

for all of their care resulting in higher out of pocket costs.

Click on: Cuts in Military Medicine

6

May 2019 Luncheon Photos

ROTC Scholarship Recipients Noah Evans and Maria Moreyra

LTC Mason, Noah Evans

7

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You are encouraged to patronize our patriotic advertisers and to be sure to mention you are an

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encourage your friends and family to patronize them and to let them know you suggested it.

Please send a testimonial about the establishment to the Drumbeat Editor at

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8

www.clearwatermoaa.org

Clearwater Chapter MOAA

MOAACLW@gamail.com