washingtonscene
by drilling reservists. Under current rules, Other topics covered at the well-received
DoD Halts Air Force
the gray-area premiums would be about symposium included building a better mili-
Personnel Cuts
$289 a month for a single person and $975 tary marriage, fi nancial management op-
■ The Pentagon an-
a month for a family. However, a recent tions, and family support and employment.
nounced in June an
GAO report concluded that current TRS
“immediate” end to Air
premiums are 45 percent to 75 percent too
Judge: Pay
Force personnel cuts. In
high. Both the House and Senate versions
February, the Pentagon
of the FY 2009 Defense Authorization Bill
proposed cutting Air
Widows
Force manpower by about
direct the Pentagon to recompute and re-
13,000 for 2009, and
duce the premiums.
DoD will appeal SBP/DIC case.
both Armed Services com-
mittees already signed off
Program for
on that. MOAA is pleased
C
ongress changed the law several
with the reversal, but now
years ago to restore VA Dependency
Congress has to find the
Spouses a Hit
money to fund more Air
and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
Force people.
Aim is to spark legislative
payments to previously eligible widows
who remarried after age 57.
activitism among families.
Several of those widows who also
were eligible for Survivor Benefi t Plan
L
egislative action was one of the (SBP) annuities sued the government to
key issues discussed at MOAA’s claim that the specifi c wording of the law
second annual Spouse Symposium required continuation of their SBP in ad-
in Virginia Beach, Va., June 19, attended by dition to DIC, without the normal dollar-
more than a hundred active duty, Guard, for-dollar offset.
Reserve, and retired military spouses. The judge in the case seemed sympa-
The main session and breakout sessions thetic and ordered DoD to show why he
addressed the how and why of getting in- shouldn’t rule in their favor. But Pentagon
volved in advocating legislative issues that lawyers didn’t reply.
affect military families. On June 12, the judge directed DoD to
MOAA deputy director for Government restore the widows’ SBP annuities. But
Relations Cmdr. René Campos, USN-Ret., DoD lawyers aren’t fi nished and are ex-
joined staff experts from the Senate, DoD, pected to appeal the decision, in hopes
and other distinguished spouse advocates that the appeals court judge will be more
to provide the inside story about how Con- sympathetic to the government.
gress, state legislatures, and associations DoD won’t have to restore the SBP
work to improve quality-of-life issues. annuities until the appeal is heard by the
MOAA deputy director for Government Re- higher court.
lations Joy Dunlap, the spouse of an active MOAA commends the tenacity of these
duty servicemember, moderated the panel. widows in bringing the suit and is encour-
Attendees learned methods that are aged by the court’s reasoning. But anything
most (and least) effective in legislative can happen in the appeals process, so wid-
advocacy. They also received up-to-the- ows aren’t out of the woods yet. MO
minute status information on the GI bill,
education and employment initiatives, a
— Contributors are Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF-
proposed spouse and family monument,
Ret., direc tor; Col. Mike Hayden, USAF-Ret.; Col.
Bob Norton, USA-Ret.; Cmdr. René Campos, USN-
in-state tuition eligibility, the military chil-
Ret.; Cmdr. John Class, USN-Ret.; Col. Phil Odom,
dren’s educational compact, and a variety
USAF-Ret.; Joy Dunlap; Cass Vreeland; and Bret
of other personnel and benefi ts initiatives. Shea, MOAA’s Government Relations Department.
AUGUST 2008 MILITARY OFFICER 39
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