Legislative Update 15 July 2016: COLA Popping, TRICARE Fees, Pay Changes and More

Beginning this week I am simplifying these Legislative Updates as follows: 

The unnumbered Issues as shown below are copied and pasted directly from the MOAA Veteran Legislative Updates as I receive them, usually on Friday each week, with the brief (usually) two line summaries as appear below. There will usually be 2 to 5 or more Issues each week.  Clicking on the respective brief underlined titles of the Issues will get you to an expanded text and maybe a video covering the Issue in more detail. Some of those texts mayl include additional links usually underlined and/or merely shown in color and may appear underlined when clicking on it. You can click on those links for additional detail at your discretion. And if there is an action item for an Issue, it will usually appear near the end of the text as, for example: “Send your legislators a MOAA-suggested message “.

 

Clicking on MOAA-suggested message will get you to the usual LEGISLATIVE ACTION CENTER where you will be able to scroll down as usual past Delivery Method: (leave Emailchecked  or check Printed Message if desired), and scrolling further you will see the Subject: and Editable text: of the draft message that can be edited on line if desired. Then after viewing the text fill in the Your Contact Information: if it does not appear automatically from your past participation. And at the end you can hit Send Message. After getting confirmation that the message was sent, seen at the net screen, you can come back to this Email and process the next Issue until you have done them all.

 

In some cases clicking on a brief underlined title will take you directly to a LEGISLATIVE ACTION CENTER message for forwarding to our Legislators.

 

The Issues shown below are from this week’s update.

 

If you have found it helpful to use the Here is the Process at the end of my past Emails that had action items (shown at the end of this message as a sample), I suggest that you copy and save that Here is the Process section as basic guidance for future use, as I do not plan to include this in future updates, unless I hear from enough of you who strongly want me to keep it.

 

And you might consider copying and saving the first page of this Email with these instructions for use until you get used to the process as I will probably not be including this text in future Updates.

 

And in closing, be advised that I will continue to process State Veterans Updates as I have done in the past.

 

Respectfully,

 

Gene Fenstermacher

 

We have No Action Items today 

 

Issues

 

VISIT YOUR LEGISLATORS IN AUGUST

Congress has to make big decisions on military pay and benefits proposals

From today through Labor Day, most elected officials will return to their home states and districts to meet with constituents. Let MOAA prepare you to visit your legislators’ local offices and highlight your concerns.

 
 

COLA POPPING

June’s Consumer Price Index released

Follow the trends on MOAA’s COLA Watch page.

 
 

NEW MOAA SURVEY

We need your feedback

MOAA is combining all of our e-newsletters into one and, as a valued member, we would appreciate your input.

 
 

YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY

We asked, and you answered

See what active duty and retired members reported as their #1 legislative priority.

 

 

Collectively We Can and Are Making a Difference

 

FOR ALL, Please feel free to pass these Weekly Legislative Updates on to your group of Veteran Friends –

don’t be concerned with possible duplications – if your friends are as concerned as we are with Veteran issues, they probably won’t mind getting this from two or more friendly sources

 

J

 

Here is the Process I recommend that you review all of the steps below and then you might want to copy this process by high lighting all of the steps below.  Then click on “File” at the top of your screen, select “Print“, then click on “Selection” at the next display and then hit “Print“; or print the selected portion as you usually do this kind of task.

 

  1. Click here on http://capwiz.com/moaa/issues/or copy and paste it in your browser to put you at the  “Legislative Action Center” screen.
  2. Scroll downunder “Current Action Alerts” and below Congress click on Stop Defense Bill Personnel/Compensation Cuts
  3. 3.If applicable, at the next screen scroll down to the TAKE ACTION NOW! lineand enter or confirm your Zip code and /or hit “Go!”
  4. 4. Orat that next screen under“COMPOSE MESSAGE” leave the “Message Recipients Delivery Method” as “Email” at your discretion, and then scroll down to “Issue Area” and select an appropriate issue; e.g. ‘Veteran affairs’
  5. Scroll down to the  “Editable text” areaand edit/modify the text of the message if desired,
  6. Insert “Your Closing” (I show ‘Respectfully), and “Your Name” and fill in the rest of the mandatory {asterisked} SENDER INFORMATION.
  7. Fill in the “Guest Type“, “Service“, “Rank“, “Component“, and “Status” if you want that information to show in your message (recommended).  You may be prompted to include a phone numberif you try to send the message without entering your phone number. Don’t be concerned about entering a phone number. I haven’t  received return calls except on rare occasions to thank me for my interest in a particular piece of Legislation, at which time you can comment (pro or con) to the staff member on how the Senator stands on the issue.
  8. Check “Remember Me” (recommended) if you don’t want to have to re-enter all of your Sender Information the next time you send a message. You can always change your information or uncheck ‘Remember Me’ anytime in the future.
  9. Hit “Send Message”
  10. If Printed Letter was selected at Step 4 above, at the screen after hitting “Send Message” leave “Plain Paper Style” and “Word Processor (RTF)” checked unless you have another preference. Then left click on “Print Letter(s)” at the end of the “PRINT LETTER” screen. At the File Download” alert that appears next, click on “Open”. You can then edit and print or save the letter for editing, printing, signing and mailing.

 

   

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That’s it for today- Thanks for your continuing help!