A number of new issues have surfaced recently. All of these we discussed at the Apr. meeting. For those members unable to attend, I'll bring you up to date.
National received a letter from a member who recently moved to Texas. It was forwarded to me for action. It involves a military dependent trying to secure a Texas driver license. The dependent tried to use her dependent military ID card as proof of social security. The State does not recognize this as legitimate proof. In their documentation for proof, a 'health card', Medicare/Medicaid is proof; however, the ID is not. Yet, we are required to present our ID at medical facilities to receive service if we are enrolled in Tricare. I forwarded the member's E-mail along with a personal letter to my state representative. In this letter I state: "Number 4 of the code does specify that dependent military ID is invalid. This exceeds the point of logic. I can't imagine a State with as many military installations as Texas, would make it so difficult for dependents to obtain a driver license. This certainly is an issue that needs correction!" Perhaps some of you have experienced the same problem.
We also received two items from the State Veterans Land Board. "Patterson announces financial relief for Texas troops called to active duty; citizen- soldiers could save thousands of dollars." This item can be viewed by clicking on the Veteran icon on the Council Home page.
The second is: Resolution in Support of Qualified Veterans Mortgage Bonds. Mr. Patterson states: " In the tax reforms of the mid-1980's the federal government passed a law that veterans could be eligible for state-issued low-cost home loans only if they had served on active duty prior to January 1, 1977. This ruling excludes a large population of veterans and has no basis in sound public policy. There should be no distinction between active duty veterans who served before or after any given date." Mr. Patterson has asked for our support both on the State and National level. I forwarded this issue to National for consideration.
Their response: "Our Government Relations shop is contacting senior officials in the Veterans Benefits Administration office on your issue. The VBA "owns" policy for VA- sponsored home loans for veterans. But, frankly, our initial assessment is that the prospects would appear to be very very slim for a change in law on a number of counts. First, we're talking changing the laws governing the IRS. That means jurisdiction moves away from the Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committee, where we have the greatest influence. The House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees would need to be persuaded on the merits for such a change. That's a Herculean task under the best of circumstances. Second, the law in question is decades old. No doubt there have been earlier attempts to modify the limitation and they've gone nowhere. Third, we've had no other inquiries on this from our membership that Gov't Relations is aware of. If the situation is particularly onerous in Texas, we will need to rely initially on the Texas Council to generate grassroots support from the Texas delegation. Therefore, as a first step, we would suggest you contact your elected representatives to sound out their interest and support on a law-change. We will make the inquiry indicated and get back to you as soon as we have more information."
To reiterate, we addressed this issue at our 26th April Council meeting. You will find the entire letter along with the proposed 'whereas' and 'resolves' on the Council web page. We voted in support of Commissioner Patterson's proposal. I completed the form and returned it.
Don't forget, our next Texas Council meeting is scheduled for 22-23 August. We will have more on this later. Remember to check the council web page for 'up to date information.'
Ginny Alloway
Pres. TCC
Thanks to Col. Nelson Ringmacher, Capt. Bob Rymal, Col. Jim Costin and their crews, The whole affair came off as a big success. Hats off to all of you.
We all started off with a fine Dinner at Hackberry Country Club in Irving on Friday 25 May. On Saturday morning Delegates met in the La Quinta Motel at 8:30 for a quarterly meeting.
Present at this meeting were Admiral Norbert Ryan, President of MOAA and Colonel Jim Paul of National. Present to represent the Texas Board of Directors were Brigadier General Karen Rankin , Brig Gen J. Timothy Boddie Jr. and Lt. Colonel James A. Endicott.
Colonel Jim Paul , Asst to the Director of Chapters and Councils, spoke to us about their efforts while Storming the Hill to enact legislation for raising the SBP limits from 35% to 50% and urged all of us to write to ours Reps to support this legislation. Also, he urged all of us to keep our club membership supporting the Texas Council of Chapters as they need all of the support possible.
When the meeting ended, the group headed for the Grapevine Convention center, where we all gathered for a large Mexican style lunch attended by 105 members of Texas MOAA Chapters and Officers from MOAA National Headquarters. Admiral Norbert Ryan gave an inspiring speech extolling the Chapters efforts to support MOAA in Washington and promised us all that he would do his best to support us.
WILL YOU TAKE A STEP TO BUILD AFFINITY?
Affinity is an interesting word. The dictionary defines it as "a relationship by close ties other than those of blood; an inherent likeness or agreement; a close resemblance or connection." If you think about it, the word "affinity" probably describes why most military officers, active or retired, join MOAA and MOAA chapters.
Yet, you have to ask yourself, "Is the term all-inclusive?" Why, for example, should a Guard or Reserve officer join?
What are the close ties, the connections that link the association to these officers?
The answer can be found in the word affinity. Let's look at some basic facts. As in the case of regular active and retired members, active or retired Guard and Reserve officers are members of our nations armed forces. And, while many of these officers may have to wait until age 60 to receive their retired pay, they will eventually receive the same level of compensation and entitlements as those who serve 20 or more years on active duty. As for the sacrifices made for their country, their record of service in places such as the Persian Gulf or in relief efforts in places such as Bosnia and elsewhere speaks for itself. I don't think anyone could say that our Guard and Reserve personnel haven't earned their place at the table.
There are other similarities. Like Guard and Reserve units, MOAA Chapters are made up of local community members. Like Guard or Reserve units, MOAA Chapters often function on both a national and a local level. Each is vitally interested in the preservation of a strong national defense while also being vitally interested in the betterment of their community.
Given these connections, affinity seems very appropriate. All the ingredients are present for each group to have a close relationship. But that relationship doesn't exist to the extent it should. It seems all that is missing is for each group to be brought together. Will you be the chapter leader to make that happen?
Will you reach out to your local Guard or Reserve commanders and invite them as your guests - free of charge -to one of your chapter dinners; introduce them to your members; find out what they are doing and how your chapter might be of help to them personally or to their families; and appreciate that, regardless of affiliation, we all are fighting for the same causes? If you do become that thoughtful and insightful leader, my hat's off to you. You will have brought true meaning to the word affinity.
Col. Chris Giaimo, USAF-Ret.
Director, Council and Chapter Affairs
APRIL 2003 THE Affiliate
The Texas Family code, Section 231.302(c)(1), Texas Transportation Code, Sections 521.044 and 522.021 and the administration Roles, Section 15.42 .and 16.40, require that a social security number be obtained from every applicant for a drivers license or commercial driver license (CDL). The SSN will not appear on the license itself and will be disclosed only to those entities that have statutory authority to receive the social security number. This includes the child Support Division of the Office of the Attorney General, State of Texas, The United States Selective Service Administration, and the Texas Secretary of State.
All Applicants for a Texas driver License are required to show proof of his or social security number before the initial license will be issued. On all duplicate and renewal driver license applications, documented proof of the social security number shall be obtained where the number is not currently part of the driver record. After the social security number becomes part of the drivers license record, all future duplicate and renewal transactions occurring in a driver license office will be verified for the correct social security number. Should the social security number on record not match the number provided the applicant will be required to provide acceptable documentation for verification.
Individuals who are ineligible to obtain a SSN, have never applied for or received a SSN will be required to ign an affidavit certifying this information prior to the issuance of a driver license. The affidavit will be available at the driver license office and must be sworn to before an authorized department employee . Providing a false statement to the department in connection with this affidavit will result in cancellation. Providing a false statement to the department in connection with this affidavit will result in cancellation of the license and may result in criminal charges. The affidavit is not acceptable for the issuance of a commercial driver license. To be eligible for a CDL the person must have a SSN
Documentation for proof of the Social number may include:
All documents submitted as proof of Social security number are subject to review and final approval by the Driver License Office.
To apply for a SSN or to replace a lost Social Security card, please contact the Social Security Administration On line at http://www.ssa.gov/online/ss-5.html or by telephone at 1-800-772-1213 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
A message may be left after those hours.
Suzanna Gratia Hupp
State Representative, District 54
P.O, Box 2910
Austin TX 78768
Dear Representative Hupp,
As President of the Texas Council/Military Officers Association of American (MOAA), I was confronted with a military dependent issue.
Attached is an E-mail I received from Capt. Jesse Dickens USCG (Ret) regarding the difficulty his dependent wife encountered while securing a Texas drivers license. What he says is true- I checked with the local DL division this morning. It concerns the SSN and what is accepted as proof.
Evidently they are not old enough for a Medicare card; however, the ID card does serve as proof for medical care in all medical facilities. The United States Congress passed the Tri-care for life nearly 5 years ago and Tri-care for Life policy nearly two (2) years ago. In this, an individual's ID card serves in lieu of a Medicare card for those not receiving a SSN.
The Texas Family Code, Section 231.302(C(1).Texas Transportation Code, Section 531.044 and the administrative Rules, Section 15.42 and 16.40,requioe that a social security number be obtained from every applicant for a driver license, ."This code presents the acceptable and unacceptable documentary proof. Number 4 of that code does specify that dependant military ID is invalid. This exceeds the point of logic as Capt. Dickens points out. I can't imagine a State with as many military installations as Texas would make it so difficult for dependents to obtain a drivers license. This certainly is an issue that needs correction!
Position: Accept a valid military dependent's ID card.
Issue: Military retiree survivor benefits, relative to premiums paid, fall short of what was promised and what is afforded survivors of federal civilian retirees. Restoring equity and the promised bene- fit-to-premium ratio requires an increase in the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity for survivors age 62 and older.
The Benefit Reduction Shock: The military SBP entails a sharp annuity drop for survivors after they have attained age 62. For some, this offsets the amount of the survivor's Social Security benefit attributable to the member's uniformed service. For those who attained retirement eligibility since 1985, it is a reduction from 55 percent to 35 percent of SBP-covered retired pay. Many older retirees and survivors were not informed of the age-62 reduction when they signed up for SBP in the 1970s and are shocked to learn their survivor's annuity will be far less than they expected.
The Broken Promise: When SBP was enacted in 1972, Congress intended that the govern- ment would pay 40 percent of the cost. That was short-lived. Over time, because of too-pessimistic actuarial assumptions, the government's cost share has declined to 25 percent Retirees' premi- ums now cover 75 percent of expected long-term program costs versus the intended 60 percent.
The Military-Civilian Inequity: In contrast, the federal civilian SBP enjoys a 33 percent sub- sidy for employees under the post-1984 Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). For those under the pre-1984 Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), the subsidy is 48 percent. Further, FERS survivors receive 50 percent of retired pay, and CSRS 55 percent, with no reduction at age 62. Although federal civilian premiums are up to 10 percent of retired pay compared to 6.5 per- cent for military retirees, military retirees pay SBP premiums for far longer than most civilians because they are required to retire at a younger age. Because military and civilian retirees' mortali- ty isn't much different, this means federal civilian retirees have a far more advantageous benefit- to-premium ratio.
Proposed Fix: To balance cost and equity considerations, Sen. Olympia Snowe's (R-Maine) soon-to-be-introduced Senate bill and Rep. Jeff Miller's (R-Fla.) H.R. 548 would increase the SBP benefit to 55 percent over five years. Under this plan, the age-62 SBP annuity would increase to 40 percent of retired pay on Oct. 1,2004, followed by additional increases to 45 percent in 2005, 50 percent in 2006, and 55 percent in 2007. The legislation would authorize a one-year open season (also beginning Oct. 1,2004), similar to that conducted in 1992-1993, to allow currently un-enrolled retirees to enroll. This would reduce retired pay outlays by increasing deductions of SBP premiums from retired pay, thus offsetting part of the cost of the surviver.
I know dues are an unpleasant subject but it was noted at our quarterly meeting that only fifteen chapters had paid their dues. Dues were due in January. Lets bring our dues up to date .
I am hoping everyone enjoys reading the newsletter as it comes via E-mail or snail mail. We could make it more interesting if some of you would submit timely articles of interest you may glean from other magazines related to the military retirees. Send them E-mail to me at JJLU4923@aol.com.
Also send articles by snail mail.
The newest chapter The North Coastal Bend Chapter in MOAA was officially chartered 15 May 2003 at the Rockport Country Club in Rockport, Tx. On hand to charter the new club (Chapter 32) was Col. Chris Giaimo, USAF, Ret. Director of Council and Chapter Affairs for MOAA. Accepting the Charter and the challenge was the Chapter President, Max Jardon. The Texas Council of Chapters was represented by Gil Rodriguez, 2nd Vice President and Ed Marvin, Council Secretary. It was a very well attended and exciting event. The Chapter leadership indicated a lot of interest in participating in the Texas Council of Chapters. We wish them the best.