President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Biden,
On behalf of the more than 350,000 members of the Military Officers Association of America
(MOAA), I congratulate you on your election victory.
MOAA, as the largest military service
organization and fourth largest veterans service organization, is proud to represent officers
from all uniformed services, past and present, to advocate for the interests of all
servicemembers.
MOAA looks forward to working with the Biden-Harris Administration to continue supporting
our national defense and those who serve and have served.
In these challenging times, we urge
the administration to commit to transparency and collaboration with military and veterans
service organizations. MOAA stands ready to support efforts to assist servicemembers,
veterans, their families, and survivors whenever you ask.
In addition to urging a collaborative relationship, I write to share areas of immediate concern
where the administration can quickly exert influence through executive actions. We hope that
you will encourage your departments and agencies to implement the following changes.
Department of Defense
Department of Defense
• Full Pay Raise – Include a full servicemember pay raise in the President’s FY 2022 Budget
request in line with the Employment Cost Index (2.7% for FY 2022).
• No TRICARE Fee Increases – Include no proposals for TRICARE fee increases in the
administration budget request. Such fees unfairly shift health care costs to military
beneficiaries.
• Reconsider Medical Billet Cuts – These plans to eliminate approximately 18% of medical
billets could have negative impacts on medical readiness and beneficiary access to care.
• 30-Day Reserve Component Orders – Require the use of federal orders in increments over
30 days for members of the reserve component activated to help with future COVID-19
support or vaccination efforts.
• Military Installation Modernization – Direct DoD to include military installation family
housing, child care facilities, barracks, and facility buildings as part of the designated
strategic support area that requires modernization, and to explore predictive maintenance
sensors that detect moisture and mold problems that have cost taxpayers billions in
construction and health care.
• Plan the Future of Our National Cemetery – Direct DoD to designate a location for the next
national cemetery that affords full military honors once Arlington National Cemetery
reaches capacity, and grandfather those currently eligible.
• Improve Dependent GI Bill Transfer Process – Review the service obligation process and
inter-department communication for GI Bill transfers to dependents. Administrative errors
are leading to dependents being required, unfairly, to pay back GI Bill payments.
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Veterans Affairs
• Address Agent Orange Presumptives – Add hypertension to the list of Agent Orangeconnected diseases. It has met the same scientific standard as bladder cancer,
hypothyroidism, and Parkinsonism, all of which were added via the FY 2021 NDAA.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• Restore the 48-Hour Review Period – the VA’s decision to rescind this review will lead to
more errors in claims, clog the appeals process, and ultimately harm veterans. Multiple
veterans service organizations, including MOAA, have joined in this effort.
Department of Education
• Support Death Certificate Review of Veterans Who Pass from COVID-19 – The survivors of
veterans with underlying service-connected conditions who died from COVID-19 are at risk
of their Dependency and Indemnity Compensation being denied. The VA policy for COVID-19
deaths should be updated to require an additional medical screening if any serviceconnected disabilities are not listed as principal or contributory causes of death.
• Waive Dependent Debt for GI Bill Administrative Errors – Direct the VA to waive dependent
GI Bill debts stemming from administrative errors that led to servicemembers failing to
complete obligated service.
• Delay VA Debt Collection – All such collection by the VA should stop until the pandemic is
over.
• Reinstate Public Facing Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) – The removal of these
documents limits a veteran’s ability to independently submit a doctor’s medical evidence in
a format consistent with VA requirements. Provide a public portal for access to the DBQ
forms.
• Pause VA Contract Exam Changes – MOAA seeks this delay to address whether these
changes would negatively affect exam quality and timeliness. The GAO and VA’s Office of
the Inspector General have expressed similar concerns.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• Restart Military Lending Act Supervisory Compliance Exams – Monitoring compliance is
necessary for this act to work the way it was intended.
Department of Education
• Support Defrauded Students – Rescind the 2019 borrower defense rules that limit the
ability for defrauded students to get their tuition reimbursed.
• Fix Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) – Simplify the PSLF process for those who have
met the public service requirement to have student debts repaid. Servicemembers who
have served on active duty since the creation of the program need to have their service
recognized.
Department of Labor
Department of Labor
• Track Military Spouse Unemployment Rates – Require the Bureau of Labor Statistics to
create methods to better quantify this issue at the heart of financial security for many
military families.
• Improve Military Spouse Licensure – Require the Department of Labor to prioritize statelevel technical assistance training to educate occupational licensing boards on current
military spouse licensure laws and compacts.
• End Forced Arbitration – Support rulemaking to end forced arbitration for Uniformed
Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act disputes.
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Treasury
• Preserve Parole in Place (PIP) – Allow PIP to continue for the families of military members
and veterans, and direct the United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) to
process applications for those in removal proceedings and adjudicate all PIP applications
within 60 days.
• Support Servicemember and Veteran Naturalization – Ensure servicemembers have access
to expedited paths to citizenship by:
• Rescinding DoD memos requiring O-6 certification of honorable military service.
• Restoring Basic Training Naturalization through a USCIS directive.
• Directing USCIS to expedite processing of all servicemember and veteran
applications.
• Directing USCIS to provide resources to assist qualified members of the armed
forces to navigate the application and naturalization process (as outlined in Public
Law 115-91, Section 530).
Department of Treasury
Department of Treasury
• Coordinate Stimulus Payments with the VA – Simplify and expedite the process for
veterans who aren’t required to file income taxes to receive future payments. Veterans with
service-connected disabilities and survivors receiving Dependency and Indemnity
Compensation faced uncertainty about the status of past payments; this experience was
frustrating to many because the VA had all the information required for an accurate
payment. Fixing this process will ensure our most vulnerable receive support quickly.
In closing, I want to personally thank you for your persistent leadership to care for nation’s
veterans and their families.
Sincerely,
Dana T. Adkins