|
Maryland Council (MD MOAA) |
Last Update: April 2020
BREAKING NEWS:
Message from Past
Council President, COL Harvey Kaplan, USA (Ret):
Good afternoon everyone,
I felt a need to share this message,
which I just received via e-mail. It is of importance to all of us,
including those who use the local Military Treatment Facilities or other
services on military installations here in Maryland. Key portions of the
message are below:
“Military personnel,
DoD civilian employees, their family members,
and DoD contractors are strongly encouraged to follow
CDC guidelines on the use of cloth face coverings
in public settings or where other social distancing
measures are difficult
to maintain.
Effective
immediately,
to the extent
practical,
all individuals on DoD property, installations,
and facilities will wear cloth face coverings
when they cannot maintain six feet of social
distance in public areas or work centers (this does not include in a
Service member's or Service family member's personal residence on a military
installation). This includes all:
• Military Personnel
• DoD Civilian Employees
• Family Members
• DoD Contractors
• All other individuals
on DoD property, installations, and facilities
”
My wife Naomi and I were just at Walter Reed (for
a scheduled follow-up face-to-face medical appointment with a staff MD).
The hospital issued us one medical mask each, as we needed to visit several
locations on the base--including the pharmacy to pick up refills on
medications. Please see the new guidance below which, it seems to us,
generally applies to all visits away from our homes. I don't think the
hospitals will continue to issue masks to out-patients now that this message
has been disseminated. Quantities remain in short supply!
Please feel free to share this message to your
members and colleagues, as appropriate.
Harvey. (6 Apr
2020)
Message from Council
President, LTC Bryon Hartzog, USA (Ret): Good morning. I pray all are well, healthy,
and heeding Gov. Hogan's guidance during these unprecedented times. As
our state continues to observe an increase of COVID-19 infections, I
strongly urge you to minimize your public outings to essential trips (e.g.
food, pharmacy, gas, etc.).
Being an optimist, I always look for the positive in all
situations. One positive of the shelter at home guidance is sufficient
time to catch up on professional and personal reading.
Another is the opportunity to continue our advocacy for important
legislative issues remotely. One such issue is the MTF restructuring.
Both National, MD MOAA and the MMC strongly feel this initiative will
result in greater harm than good.
I strongly recommend you:
1) read the MOAA Newsletter item, URL below, 'Congress Must Halt
Medical Billet Reductions, MTF Restructuring Amid COVID-19',
2) read the article posted to the Naval Institute Proceedings
website written by Rear Admiral Tom Jurkowsky, USN (Ret.), a National
Board Member of MOAA who resides in Maryland.
3) click on the embedded link to send a message to your
Representative and Senators.
http://takeaction.moaa.org/app/write-a-letter?0&engagementId=507024
You will recall that we discussed this issue at
some length during our virtual Council meeting on 14 March. Thanks in
part to our Council's inputs to the National office, MOAA has 'strapped on'
this issue as a priority. That's why we need all hands to Click the Link
and send the pre-formatted message.
4) The MD MOAA Council is planning for Erin Stone and Karen
Ruedisueli, the director of government relations for health affairs for MOAA. to speak at
our June quarterly meeting. Presently, National MOAA has cancelled
all face-to-face meetings and gatherings through the end of June due to the
uncertainty of COVID-19, so I am planning to host our June quarterly
meeting virtually using Zoom.
I am coordinating with National for Erin and Karen to
address the Council via video teleconference.
More to follow as we get closer to the day.
(31 Mar 2020)
Military Medical
Reform: From an email from Past Council President COL Harvey Kaplan, USA (Ret):
Here
is an article that was posted to the Naval Institute Proceedings website
yesterday. It was written by Rear Admiral Tom Jurkowsky, USN (Ret.), a
National Board Member of MOAA who resides in Maryland. I thought everyone
would be interested, so please take the time to read it. It complements
what our national organization is supporting now--in lieu of the typical
"Storming the Hill," which has been canceled as an in-person series
of meetings with the Members of Congress.
If
you have been following our Maryland Council Fact Sheet and Pilot Study
(regarding the subject of usage of Military Treatment Facilities [MTFs]),
you'll find this article consistent with the "pivot" on this issue that
our MOAA Board and Government Affairs Office has taken in consideration of the
current COVID-19 situation. We now will be dealing with the issue
of MTF support for retirees, family members, and surviving spouses, as well as
staffing/recruiting/retention. That is in addition to the other announced
Storming issues (i.e., thanking our Members of Congress for their outstanding
support of our priorities last year, erosion of military benefits over time,
and other medical-related matters). (27 Mar 2020)
Massing of the
Colors:
We do not have
an official update from Fort Meade, but expect this event to be cancelled for
2020.
Fort
Meade and the MG George G Meade Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars
will conduct the 34th Annual Massing of the Colors at the Pavilion
on Fort Meade. The event will take place from 1430-1600 on Sunday 17 May 2020.
All MOAA Chapters have been invited to participate, perhaps using local JROTC
cadets to carry your Chapter’s colors. Please contact COL Ken McCreedy, USA
(Ret), at kmccreedy1954@gmail.com if you will
be able to attend.
(20 Feb
2020)
Maryland General
Assembly 2020 Session:
The 2020 Session ended early due to the COVID-19 situation. We
will leave CAPT Smith’s Legislative Trackers up through the summer. (27 Mar 2020)
CAPT
Brian Smith, USN (Ret), Vice President of the Maryland Military Coalition, will
be providing periodic updates of legislative activity. As with last year’s
updates, the tracker goes well beyond just identifying the bills. It also will
give a brief synopsis of what the bill does, whether MMC supports the bill, and
preview of what VSO’s intend to appear to testify at hearings…plus lots of
other great stuff. It’s worth LOTS of money, but you get it for FREE!
In the meantime, please a
look at Maryland Matters take on 10 issues that will likely
drive this session.
Be sure to check out the
GREAT piece about the military retirement income tax subtraction on the Free State Veterans blog.
Here is a link to the Towson
University study explaining how Maryland will benefit from not taxing military
retirement:
Read the Legislative Trackers
here:
20 Jan Legislative Tracker
22 Jan Legislative Tracker
25 Jan Legislative Tracker
29 Jan Legislative Tracker
3 Feb Legislative Tracker
5 Feb Legislative Tracker
10 Feb Legislative Tracker
17 Feb Legislative Tracker
24 Feb Legislative Tracker
2 Mar Legislative Tracker
9 Mar Legislative Tracker
(25 Jan 2020)
WIDOWS TAX AXED:
“'We Did It': Military Widows, Supporters Celebrate After Senate NDAA
Vote”
Lt. Gen. Dana Atkins,
USAF (Ret), President and CEO of MOAA, stands with Candace Wheeler, Senior
Advisor for Policy and Legislation for the Tragedy Assistance Program for
Survivors, and military widows Kristy DiDomenico, Edie Smith and Capt. Kathy
Thorp, USN (Ret) [Annapolis Chapter member], during a reception to celebrate
the repeal of the SBP-DIC offset in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 17. (Photo by
Amanda Dolasinski/MOAA)
Read the entire article
at MOAA.org
(19 Dec 2019)
2018 Levels of
Excellence Awards: The 2018 Levels
of Excellence Awards were presented to the Council and five Chapters at the 2
Nov Council meeting. See photos below. (8 Nov 2019)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Welcome to the Web Pages of the Maryland Council of Chapters, an affiliate of the Military Officers Association of America. The Maryland Council was awarded a Five Star Level of Excellence for 2018 (as of August 2019).
The Maryland Council is composed of ten chapters, spread geographically across the state. Here is a list of the Chapters, with links to their individual Web Pages. All Chapters have an informational page here, and some have additional pages, as shown with additional links (Stars indicate the Level of Excellence rating earned by the Chapter for 2018 – as announced in August 2019.):
·
* * * * * Ft George G Meade
·
* * * * * Star Spangled Banner (Winner of 5 Star Col
Marvin J Harris Communications Award for 2018, as of May 2019)
·
* * * * * General
Smallwood
·
* * * * * Montgomery County (Winner
of 5 Star Col Marvin J Harris Communications Award for 2018, as of May 2019)
·
Susquehanna – Chapter Site at MOAA
·
* * * * * Upper Potomac – Chapter
Site at MOAA
The 2018 Levels of
Excellence Awards were presented to the Council and five Chapters at the 2 Nov
Council meeting. COL Teri Coles, USA (Ret), MOAA Director of Council and
Chapter Affairs (and a Fort Meade Chapter member) presented the awards:
Council 2VP Gary Palmer
and Fort Meade
member Dave Fox Gen
Smallwood – Naomi Kaplan
Past President
Harvey Kaplan accepting
Montgomery County
President Star
Spangled Banner member Upper
Potomac President
Dave Peterson Chuck
Rishel Hugh
McIlroy
Council
Officers
Here are the Council officers for 2019 – 2020 (as of 14 Mar 2020):
|
President |
Bryon |
Hartzog |
LTC |
USA |
||
|
1st Vice Pres |
Norton |
Bob |
COL |
USA |
||
|
2nd Vice Pres |
Gary |
Palmer |
Lt Col |
USAF |
||
|
Secretary |
Dave |
Peterson |
CAPT |
NOAA |
||
|
Treasurer |
Jim |
Campbell |
Capt |
USAF |
||
|
Webmaster |
Jim |
Shiffrin |
Maj |
USAF |
jim.shiffrin@gmail.com |
|
|
Chaplain |
Jim |
Campbell |
Capt |
USAF |
||
|
Immediate Past Pres |
Harvey |
Kaplan |
COL |
USA |
||
|
Legislative Liaison - Interim |
Harvey |
Kaplan |
COL |
USA |
||
|
Transition Liaison |
Annie |
Brock |
CPT |
USA |
annie.s.brock@gmail.com |
|
|
Spouse Liaison - Interim |
Naomi |
Kaplan |
||||
|
Md Veterans Commissioner |
Brad |
Jewitt |
COL |
USMCR |
bjewitt@msn.com |
|
|
MOAA
Director – Maryland Military Coalition |
Harvey |
Kaplan |
COL |
USA |
||
|
Annapolis |
Andrew |
Fallon |
COL |
USA |
||
|
Ft Meade |
Bryon |
Hartzog |
LTC |
USA |
||
|
Gen Smallwood |
Daniel |
Donohue |
COL |
USMC |
||
|
Montgomery Co |
Dave |
Peterson |
CAPT |
NOAA |
||
|
Prince Georges |
Steve |
Regner |
Col |
USAF |
||
|
Southern MD |
|
|
|
|
Combined with Gen Smallwood |
|
|
Star Spangled |
Tom |
Seybold |
COL |
USA |
||
|
Susquehanna |
Robert |
Hanson |
CDR |
USN |
||
|
Upper Eastern Shore |
Mike |
Johnson |
CW5 |
USA |
mjnmi1@verizon.net |
|
|
Upper Potomac |
Hugh |
McIlroy |
LtCol |
USMC |
germac03@gmail.com |
|
The Southern Maryland Chapter is currently functioning as an affiliate of the Gen Smallwood Chapter.
Here are the Maryland Council Bylaws, updated on 12 Jan 2019. (13 Mar 2019)
Here are the Maryland Council of Chapters Goals for CY2019-2020, approved by the Council on 12 Jan 2019. (19 Jan 2019)
Watch this space for details of the 2020
Congressional Luncheon as they are announced. (21
Oct 2019)
MOAA
membership is open to all current, former, and retired officers of any of the
seven Uniformed Services. Visit the Why Join MOAA
page at the MOAA Web Site for details on the three classes of membership, and
to join.
There
is a new “Why MOAA” video produced by the MOAA National Office. Please use the following link to access the video:
For those concerned about embedded links and cyber security,
please do the following:
1) Go to the YouTube website by
typing: www.youtube.com
in your web browser
2) Type MOAA in the search bar
3) Click on the link to the MOAA
channel
4) Once the MOAA channel comes up,
you will immediately see the “Why MOAA” video.
5) If you want to cut and paste the
video web address for others, click on the “Videos” link, then select the “Why
MOAA” Video
6) Once the video begins playing,
highlight and then copy the web address at the top of the screen. It
should exactly match the hyperlink listed in this email.
If you are a MOAA member who is not
a member of a Maryland Chapter, please
click here to find the chapter in your area.
Council
Calendar
The Council officers and Chapter Presidents meet quarterly, on call of the President. Meetings are currently held at O’Loughlin’s Restaurant, 1258 Bay Dale Drive, Arnold MD 21012, starting at 1130. Here are the recent and upcoming dates, with links to the minutes of each, as they are available (older minutes are available here)
Jan 21, 2017 - Minutes
Mar 4, 2017 - Minutes
June 10, 2017 - Minutes
Sep 9, 2017 - Minutes
Dec 9, 2017 - Minutes
Mar 10, 2018 - Minutes
Jun 9, 2018 - Minutes
Sep 8, 2018 - Minutes
Nov 1, 2018 (At National Meeting) - Minutes
Jan 12, 2019 - Minutes
Mar 30, 2019 - Minutes
Jun 22, 2019 - Minutes
Aug 24, 2019 - Minutes
Nov 2, 2019
Jan 11, 2020
Mar 14, 2020
Jun 13, 2020
Editorial
Policy
MOAA, the Maryland Council of Chapters and the individual chapters
in Maryland are non-partisan. Information on this web site reflects the position
of the Maryland Council of Chapters only.
Spouse
and Surviving Spouses Newsletter
Below
are recent newsletters from the former Spouse and Surviving Spouse Liaison
Officer, Mrs. Naomi Kaplan. (22 Aug 2018)
-
Feb
2018
-
Apr
2018
Note
– The Nov/Dec 2019 Surviving Spouses Newsletter is the final one from Mrs.
Naomi Kaplan, who has served in this post for the past four years. We thank her
for her service and are asking for volunteers to (try to) fill her shoes. (29 Dec 2019)
Maryland
National Guard Unit of the Year
Stay
tuned for the announcement of the National Guard Unit of the Year for 2020. (24 Feb 2020)
Highlights
of recent and upcoming Chapter activities
The Maryland
Military Coalition has released its Legislative
Goals for the 2020 Maryland General Assembly. (14 Dec 2019)
We now have a list of the members of the Maryland House of
Delegates Veterans’ Caucus, and the Maryland
Senate Veterans’ Caucus.
Note – this list is NOT UP TO DATE for 2019. (3 Mar 2019)
Make MOAA's One Powerful Voice® heard in
Maryland. It will take each MOAA member living in Maryland to make this happen.
Act now to do your part!
Here is a list of Points
of Contact for the Maryland Congressional delegation (both Senators and all
eight Representatives) (updated 16 Apr 2019)
·
From
time to time, we will suggest messages we would like Maryland members to send
to Annapolis on upcoming bills of interest to all of us. There are two
web-based methods you can use to contact your State Legislators:
·
The
Maryland Legislature maintains a Web Site that you can use to contact your
Senator or Delegate. To use it, visit http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmmain.aspx?pid=legisrpage&tab=subject6,
and select the legislator’s name. If the legislator accepts e-mail (I hope most
of them do today), you will see a link to Contact Online. Click on that link.
Enter your identifying information, and type or paste the text into the Message
box.
·
Another
method is to visit http://mdelect.net/.
This site, run by the Maryland State Archives, allows you to enter your address
(Zip+4 will do, unless district lines go through your Zip+4 area – then enter
your full address), and it will tell you who your Federal and State legislators
are. There are links to their web sites. Some have e-mail tools built in;
others will link into Outlook, as above. (21
Jan 2013)
·
NEW
– here is a link to a roster provided
by the Legislature with office locations and phone numbers for all of the
State Senators and Delegates. Some have moved since last year. (26 Jan 2018)
You can find information on
MOAA’s national legislative priorities at the MOAA Take Action web page.
Maryland
Veterans Commission
There
are no recent reports from the Maryland Veterans Commission. One will be posted
here when available.
Looking for a new job, or know someone who is? Visit the MOAA Transition and Career Center
for Career Information.
Veterans’
Benefits
An organization called DeployCare.org (from their web site: “DeployCare
was established to offer understanding and support to our service members and
their families before, during, and after deployments. We have worked to compile
necessary resources as well as research solutions to many of the challenges
associated with military deployments.”)
has prepared a list of financial resources for veteran families. As always,
appearance here does not imply any endorsement by MOAA or the Maryland Council
of Chapters:
211.org for
Veterans http://www.211.org/services/veterans
Career Resources for our Veterans https://hiring.monster.com/employer-resources/recruiting-strategies/workforce-planning/veteran-employment-resources/
The HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing https://www.va.gov/homeless/hud-vash.asp
Moving? How to Use a Relocation Calculator https://www.angieslist.com/articles/how-use-relocation-calculator.htm
Step-by-Step Guide to the VA Loan Process https://www.military.com/money/va-loans/step-by-step-guide-to-the-va-loan-process.html
VA Home Loan Calculator https://www.mortgagecalculator.org/calcs/va-loans.php
Moving Companies That Offer Military Discounts https://www.move.org/military-discount-moving-companies/
What Documents Are Needed to Sell Your House? https://www.redfin.com/resources/documents-to-sell-a-house
Find Family Services and Resources Near You https://feedourvets.org/family-services-resources-near-you
Military Buddy Finder from VetFriends.com https://www.vetfriends.com/
Veteran Healthcare Resources http://veteranscominghome.org/health-resources/
Important Medicare Facts That Every Veteran Should Know https://www.medicareadvantage.com/resources/medicare-for-veterans
Mental Health Resources for our Veterans Families https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/veterans-military/
10 Tips for Keeping a Relationship Strong During Deployment and
Separation https://www.militaryonesource.mil/family-relationships/relationships/managing-deployments-and-separations/10-tips-for-keeping-a-relationship-strong-during-deployment-and-separation
7 Crucial Components to Highly Effective Deployment
Communication https://themilitarywifeandmom.com/deployment-communication/
International Phone Plan Options During Overseas Deployment https://www.verizonwireless.com/solutions-and-services/international/
Military Care Package Ideas: What To Put In A Care Package https://www.herocarepackages.com/homefront/military-care-package-ideas-and-what-to-put-in-a-care-package-in-2019/
Post-Deployment Adjustments Military Couples Face https://www.liveabout.com/post-deployment-marriage-challenges-2357141
The How-to Guide for Veterans: Creating a Peaceful At-Home
Atmosphere Upon Returning Home https://www.homeadvisor.com/r/veterans-guide-to-creating-a-peaceful-home/
(18
Nov 2019)
Drugwatch.com is a free website covering topics such
as prescriptions and personal health. They have published a veterans health
guide that details issues like hearing loss, PTSD, environmental hazards, and
more: https://www.drugwatch.com/
The Howard County Office of Veterans and Military Families publishes periodic notes with links to other resources to benefit veterans and military families. They are not endorsed by that office, or by the Military Officers Association of America or the Fort Meade Chapter. With that caveat, feel free to browse the latest notes.
MAJ Jeffery Burbank, an Army Chaplain at Fort Leavenworth and the son of former Fort Meade Chapter member CW5 Larry Burbank, has prepared a list of web-sites that provide information on Veterans benefits and how to file/ask for them. There are many sites that explain how to obtain books, military/medical records, information and how to appeal a denied claim with the VA. Please pass this information on to every Veteran you know. Nearly 100% of this information is free and available for all veterans, the only catch is: you must ask for it, because they won't tell you about a specific benefit unless you ask for it. You need to know what questions to ask so the right doors open for you and then be ready to have an advocate who is willing to work with and for you, stay in the process, and press for your rights and your best interests. (Note – the Maryland Council of Chapters has nothing to do with any of the listed sites and is not responsible if any of them are no longer active.)
The consumer website MoneyGeek.com has recently published a student
financial aid guide for military veterans, including a list of scholarships
offered to veterans and their family members and an interactive map tool to
help veterans find schools that participate in the Yellow Ribbon benefit
program. The guide is available at http://www.moneygeek.com/
Here are some other sites with military discounts and deals:
Dealhack.com: https://dealhack.com/blog/military-discounts-guide
Offers.com: https://www.offers.com/b
WikiBuy from CapitalOne: https://wikibuy.com/blog/military-and-veteran-discounts-c5f318b5497d
(Again, the inclusion of these links does not imply any endorsement by MOAA or the Maryland Council of Chapters.) (26 Feb 2109)
The website SeniorLiving.org has shared with us a Veteran Care Guide
“designed to help veterans and/or their surviving spouses determine their
eligibility, explain how to apply for benefits and cover the various veteran
care options.” Neither MOAA or the Maryland Council of Chapters endorses the
site, the guide, or any links contained within it. (5
Oct 2018)
The website Mattress Clarity wants to share an article based on everything
veterans should know about sleep. More than half of vets report having
sleep deprivation, so they believe this could potentially help a
lot of people who have returned to civilian life and are going through
transitions in their sleep patterns or are suffering from sleep disorders. Here
is the article: https://www.mattressclarity.com/blog/what-veterans-should-know-about-sleep/.
Neither MOAA or the Maryland Council of Chapters endorses the site, the
guide, or any links contained within it. (10 Sep
2019)
The Council’s former Spouse/Surviving Spouse Liaison
Officer, Naiomi Kaplan, has prepared a list of Pertinent
Issues for Spouses and Surviving Spouses. (29 Feb 2016, updated 19 Feb
2020)
Military discounts at Kohl’s: Active, retired and veteran members of the military can get a discount at Kohl’s stores on Mondays, part of a new “Military Mondays” program by the retailer. The 15% discount is good all year, Kohl’s said in a statement. Customers must show a valid military ID, military dependent ID or veteran ID at the cash register. “Through Military Mondays, we are proud to strengthen our support of our military families who have made sacrifices to ensure the safety of our communities,” said Doug Arnoldi, Kohl’s vice president, district manager, in the statement. Kohl’s Cash fans, beware: The military discount can’t be combined with other discounts. Read more about the program at Kohls.com. (19 Apr 2019)
Please send any comments and suggestions to the Webmaster using the email address shown in the listing of Council Officers above.