MOAA'S ADVOCACY MISSION: LEGISLATIVE GOALS FOR 2019
Although the
calendar year is changing, you can expect to see some of the same goals from
MOAA's advocacy team year over year.
“In 2019, MOAA
Government Relations will engage the 116th Congress early and often on issues
of greatest importance to our members, the men and women in our uniformed
services, their families, and their survivors,” says Col. Dan Merry, USAF
(Ret), vice president of Government Relations. “As military experience among
members of Congress has declined over the years, with just over 17 percent
having experience in uniform at the onset of 2019, these goals are instrumental
to our efforts to inform and influence members of Congress and their
staffs.”
The split
political power between the two houses promises to bring new challenges and
opportunities. Those cannot be addressed until the new Congress is sworn in and
committee assignments have been finalized.
However, a first
step in any new congressional session is to reintroduce legislation that was
not passed in the previous legislative cycle. MOAA's national and grassroots
supporters will work directly with members of Congress to ensure our interests
are properly represented by proposed and reintroduced legislation.
For more about
MOAA's legislative advocacy mission, including how you can make your voice
heard, click here.
For membership information, click here.
The
Goal: Ensure any TRICARE reform sustains access to top-quality care.
Background: Access to
quality care is paramount for all beneficiaries in TRICARE programs and VA
Community Networks - regardless of location. Access has been enhanced by
technology, such as the DoD-VA Electronic Health Record and the expansion of
telehealth capabilities.
MOAA's
Stance: Savings
gained from reforms should benefit the health care system and beneficiaries.
Military treatment facilities (MTFs) remain instrumental to an operational
medical force, which is necessary to support a military ready force, and should
continue to support beneficiary care to sustain medical training platforms.
Actions: Strengthen
our partnership with Defense Health Agency (DHA) working groups and executive
sessions. Engage The Military Coalition's Healthcare Committee. Continue to administer
and drive results of MOAA's health care surveys. Closely monitor the new role
DHA has for oversight of MTFs.
The
Goal: Prevent disproportional TRICARE fee increases.
Background: The
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently introduced, as a potential
option, TRICARE for Life enrollment fees and minimum out-of-pocket
requirements as ways the federal budget could escape red ink. Independent of
the CBO report (PDF), DoD and
Congress have stated retiree health care costs are spiraling out of control,
and beneficiaries do not pay enough for their health care. Based on DoD's own
data, MOAA knows this is not true - the difference is attributable to rising
institutional and readiness costs. Despite that, the report and the ongoing
budget pressure have turned TRICARE For Life into a potential target for fee
increases to offset readiness or other programs.
MOAA's
Stance: Military
retirees, through their service and sacrifice, have paid in full for their
TRICARE For Life benefits. Congress - not DoD - should determine appropriate
TRICARE fees.
Actions: Reverse or
significantly decrease the 2018 TRICARE Prime copayment increases for
grandfathered/Group-A beneficiaries. Modify fee structure to reduce
out-of-pocket costs for successive specialty appointments, such as physical
therapy or mental health care. Protect TRICARE For Life as a second payer to
Medicare Part B.
The
Goal: Sustain military pay comparability with the private sector.
Background: A residual
2.6-percent pay-raise gap still exists between servicemembers and
private-sector civilians, attributable to three years of pay-raise caps.
Political pressure to reduce costs might lead Congress to again cap military
pay raises, widening the pay-raise gap between military and civilians.
MOAA's
Stance: As
the cost of labor increases across the nation, so too should the paychecks of
our uniformed servicemembers. Adequate pay and allowances - including
competitive raises - are key to recruiting and retaining an effective
all-volunteer force. This issue affects all currently serving uniformed
personnel and their families, and succeeding on this issue has a positive,
far-reaching impact. Any pay raise set by the FY2020 National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) must match the Employment Cost Index (ECI) increase of
3.1 percent -- anything lower will make the pay gap wider.
Actions: Maintain
continuous, unified messaging to legislators and service leadership, advising
annual military pay raises approved by Congress correlate with ECI to help
overcome damage done by the three recent pay caps (2014-2016). Coordinate with
The Military Coalition to address this wide-reaching imperative of support to
those in uniform, and seek closure of the 2.6-percent gap as soon as feasible.
The
Goal: Stop erosion of compensation and non-pay quality-of-life benefits.
Background: Other
components of compensation are equally essential to recruiting and retaining
the all-volunteer force. Political pressure to reduce costs could encourage
Congress to reconsider the calculations for the basic allowance for housing
(BAH), as it has done in recent years. First was an attempt to do away with BAH
for dual-military families. The following year, Congress attempted to do away
with the with-dependent rate BAH for those dual-military couples with children.
MOAA's
Stance: Other
pays and allowances are essential to shaping the force with the proper skill
sets and experience. As the Blended Retirement System matures, these pays will
become even more important to recruiting and retention.
Actions: Continue to
oppose proposals to reduce compensation or undermine long-term retention.
Assess progress of the Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation's review of
Regular Military Compensation and potential changes to a salary system.
The
Goal: End financial penalties for military survivors.
Background: Nearly
67,000 military survivors lose between $900 and $1,500 per month due to
the widows tax.
The widows tax is the amount of Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) payment offset by
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC).
MOAA's
Stance: SBP
and DIC are two different payments for two different reasons. The offset should
be eliminated, and DIC should be improved to align with other federal survivor
benefits. Additionally, survivors' and dependents' educational assistance
benefits should be increased.
Actions: Ensure legislation
is introduced in the 116th Congress to address survivor benefits. Educate
legislators, staffers, and other stakeholders about the inequities. Mobilize
MOAA members and The Military Coalition to engage and press for legislation to
be included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The
Goal: End concurrent receipt penalties for military retirees.
Background: Retirees
with a 40-percent or lower disability rating and those with a 30-percent or
higher disability rating who are forced to retire before completing a full
20-year military career, are prohibited from receiving military retired pay
concurrent with VA disability compensation. Political pressure to keep budget
costs down has remained the main threat to getting legislation passed to end
these financial penalties.
MOAA's
Stance: All
eligible retirees should receive both retirement and disability
compensation.
Actions: Ensure
legislation is introduced in the 116th Congress to address Chapter 61
inequities. Educate legislators and congressional staff about the impact these
financial penalties have on some of our most vulnerable retirees. Mobilize our
membership and The Military Coalition to engage Capitol Hill.
The
Goal: Achieve equity of benefits for Guard and Reserve members with their
active duty counterparts.
Background: An
operational Guard and Reserve is an essential component to the national defense
strategy because they make up approximately 38 percent of U.S. uniformed
manpower.
MOAA's
Stance: Achieving
pay and benefits parity with active duty forces is vital to recruiting,
retaining, and sustaining forces for the Guard and Reserve supporting our
nation's defense strategy.
Actions: Encourage
Congress to advance equal pay and benefits for similar service by the Guard and
Reserve relative to active duty troops. Build partnerships with federal
agencies, such as the Department of Labor, Employer Support of the Guard and
Reserve, and state governors to expand and strengthen employer support for
Guard and Reserve members. Appeal to The Military Coalition and its Guard and
Reserve Committee to expand influence and reach in all areas affecting pay and
benefits issues.
The
Goal: Strengthen DoD-VA collaboration and services to support wounded warriors
and an expanding population of women veterans.
Background: Programs
developed to support wounded warriors and their families and caregivers since
Sept. 11, 2001, continue to be essential to readiness and the war-fighting
mission of the future. Veterans who served in past and current wars still struggle
to obtain needed benefits due to the lack of congressional action on key
issues, particularly toxic
exposures and their long-term impacts. The Pentagon has
worked to forge collaborative relationships with other government and
nongovernment agencies - most significantly the VA. Also evolving is a greater
appreciation for the specific differences in health care and support for women
veterans.
MOAA's
Stance: Improving
upon this collaboration will require investments in leadership, resources, and
funding - to include oversight and reporting.
As we progress,
DoD's and the VA's evolving systems must continue in sync and remain fully
aligned to delivering seamless care and benefits.
Actions: Monitor the
FY 2019 NDAA requirement for a review and assessment of DoD and service wounded
warrior programs. Seek legislation forcing the VA to address known gaps in
benefits to veterans. Involve The Military Coalition's Veterans Committee to
expand influence and reach in all areas affecting veterans' issues. Engage and
advocate on behalf of the VA - when needed - to ensure the agency is adequately
resourced and equipped to deliver benefits to veterans without backlogs or
delays. Preserve the integrity of and access to DoD and VA health systems for
dually eligible beneficiaries.
The
Goal: Ensure timely access to service-earned VA benefits.
Background: The veteran
population of nearly 22 million is projected to decline in coming years. Demand
for VA health care and benefits, however, steadily grows because of the aging
and unique demographics of this population.
MOAA's
Stance: Major
health care and benefit system reforms have been implemented in recent years
but require an ongoing commitment and investments to meet demand and ensure
timely access. Continuing implementation will pose challenges to fund evolving
technologies, infrastructure, electronic health
records, full staffing at every echelon, and the various
support systems that tie these efforts together. Further, political forces
continue to threaten or erode the core VA health and benefit missions and
foundational services.
Actions: Oppose
efforts to use veterans' disability benefits compensation or other benefits to
pay for VA system improvements and diminish or restrict access to
service-earned benefits. Press DoD and the VA to achieve true interoperability
of electronic medical, personnel, and benefits records to improve medical
outcomes and delivery of benefits. Mandate DoD and the VA to develop protocols
and establish a mechanism to address service-connected illnesses and
environmental exposures and institute a framework for managing toxic exposures
that might happen in the future.
The
Goal: Protect military and veteran family support programs and policies.
Background: Congress and
DoD recognize military and veteran family quality of life is critical to
recruiting and retaining the all-volunteer force. Often, support programs for
military and veteran families are the first to be cut when government funds
become tight.
MOAA's
Stance: It
is necessary to update family support programs and policies to reflect the
needs of today's military families. Spouse employment, children's education,
special needs, commissaries and exchanges, and morale, welfare, and recreation
(MWR) programs are essential today. Adequate, affordable, and safe housing
remains a concern for all military families, especially those in high-cost
areas where options are limited.
Actions: Educate
members of Congress and their staffers on the importance of military family
readiness and issues affecting military and veteran families. Protect
programming and subsidies essential to MWR and family readiness. Eliminate
health and safety hazards in military base housing. Decrease military spouse
unemployment and underemployment. Ensure quality of life and health of military
and veteran families.