|
Maryland Council (MD MOAA) |
Last Update: January 2020
BREAKING NEWS:
Maryland General
Assembly 2020 Session: 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.
Read the Legislative Trackers
here:
20 Jan Legislative Tracker
22 Jan Legislative Tracker
25 Jan 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)
Legislative Update: The Maryland Military Coalition has released
its Legislative Goals for the 2020
Maryland General Assembly. (14 Dec 2019)
Veterans’ Resources: 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. (18 Nov 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 19 Jan 2019):
|
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 |
Brian |
Smith |
CAPT |
USN |
btsmith1184@outlook.com |
|
|
Transition Liaison |
Jim |
Dittbrenner |
MAJ |
USA |
||
|
Spouse Liaison |
||||||
|
Md Veterans Commissioner |
Brad |
Jewitt |
COL |
USMCR |
bjewitt@msn.com |
|
|
Annapolis |
Andrew |
Fallon |
COL |
USA |
||
|
Ft Meade |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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 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
The
winning unit this year is the Processing, Exploitation and Dissemination (PED)
Team, 6th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion, MDARNG. The
award was presented on 14 July 2019 during a unit event in Laurel, Maryland.
The
plaque reads, in part “In recognition of their extraordinary performance and
success in providing geospatial aerial analysis and intelligence support to the
organizations and forces supporting forward operations under Operation Freedom
Sentinel. The unit’s performance was in
keeping with the highest traditions of the Maryland National Guard and the
United States Army.”
Read the full citation for this award.
COL
James M. Shelley (left, in photo) was our presentation officer from the Maryland
MOAA Council of Chapters. The other individuals are unidentified.
(15 Jul 2019)
Highlights
of recent and upcoming Chapter activities
The position of Legislative Liaison for the Maryland Council
of Chapters is currently vacant. If you are interested please contact the
Council President and 1st Vice President at bkhartzog@gmail.com
and rfcknorton@verizon.net.
(3 Mar 2019)
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)
There is an email address, mdcoclegis@gmail.com, to reach the Legislative Liaison Officer.
·
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)
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 Spouse/Surviving Spouse Liaison Officer, Naiomi Kaplan, has prepared a list of Pertinent
Issues for Spouses and Surviving Spouses. (29 Feb 2016)
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.