MOAA Clearwater Chapter Volume XVI, Issue 12 Mi l i tary Off icers Associat ion of Amer ica , Inc.

December 2018

• President’s Message 1

• Board Meeting Minutes 2

• Speaker Info/Memorial for

Sue Morse 3

• MOAA News 4

• JROTC News/ Old Photos 5

• Nov. Luncheon Photos 6

• Our Patriotic Advertisers 7

DRUMBEAT

Board Meeting Dec 12, 2018

Lunch Meeting Dec 7, 2018*

Board Meeting Jan 9, 2019

Lunch Meeting Jan 23, 2019

Board Meeting Feb 13,

Luncheon Meeting Jun 13

Lunch Meeting Feb 27, 2019

Board Meeting Mar 13, 2019

Lunch Meeting Mar 27, 2019

Clearwater Chapter

MOAA Membership

Total Members

Regular 59

Spouses 30

Surviving Spouses 21

Total 110

.

Thanks to the nearly 50 members and guests who attended our Spring Season

Ending BBQ

lunch event on May 24th. Your continued loyal participation makes it possible to

lineup engaging and enlightening speakers. A big thanks to Navy Captain (Ret)

Jim Facinelli, Senior Naval Science Instructor, Dunedin HS JROTC and Cadet Law-

rence Judd for their in-depth presentation of their award-winning program. Also,

thanks to one of our own, Monty Stokes, who provided a mission overview of the

Veterans Affairs Inspector General’s Office located at Bay Pines Medical Center

and answered questions from the membership.

Reminder: Our luncheon program will restart on September 28th. Be on the look-

out in our August Drumbeat for speaker and event information.

The chapter held its annual Charity Golf Event on May 19th at Eastlake Woodlands

Country Club. We had 39 players from all over the local area including the chap-

ter, the Clearwater Coast Guard Air Station, Vietnam Veterans of America, and

Eastlake Woodlands Country Club. A great day was had by ALL and approximately

$2400 was raised for our charitable fund that supports both Clearwater and Dun-

edin HS JROTC programs, Honor Flight, and the Clearwater Veterans Mall. Thanks

to Jim Patrick for leading this effort, and Norm Belson, Bob Behm, Shirley Apt and

new member, Howard McLymont for volunteering to support this important event.

Also, a BIG THANKS to those who contributed funds, though they could not play.

For those members departing the area over the summer, we wish you safe travels

and look forward to your return this fall. The board will continue to meet monthly

over the summer and we will continue to produce the Drumbeat as well as update

our website with important information for all.

Again, thanks to ALL of you who continue to SERVE our VETERANS and the COM-

MUNITIES where we live, and in MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE for December 2018 Drumbeat

As I complete my tenure as your President, I would like to thank everyone

who has helped make this year a resounding success!

I hope everyone had a bountiful Thanksgiving with family and friends. As we

move from Black Friday into the frenzy of the month of December and

preparations for the Holidays let’s not forget the “Reason for the Season”!

It is my privilege to announce that Bob Behm has stepped up to assume the

duties as President of the Chapter. Pete Keish will assume the duties as

Secretary, Jane Belson will remain as Treasurer and Reservations Chair. We

still need volunteers to assume the Positions of 1st VP and 2nd VP. The

positions sound daunting; however, their duties are to assist the President when he is not

available and to coordinate Speakers for our functions. The Board will continue to conduct

business as usual during the summer months when Bob goes up North for the summer. He

can remain in the loop via telephone conferencing.

Keith Collins gave an informative presentation on how Vet-2-Vet Reconnect can assist

Veterans in navigating the VA. This included assistance with disability claims, housing

assistance to include grants to retrofit a home to ADA compliance etc. His presentation was

followed with a question and answer session. Keith is a knowledgeable source and is

available to anyone who might need assistance in processing their claims with the VA or has

questions to which they cannot get answers from anywhere else.

FYI: Would you like a family member or caregiver to call Medicare on your behalf?

Medicare can’t give personal health information about you to anyone unless you give

permission in writing first. To do this, you must fill out form CMS-10106: “Authorization to

Disclose Personal Health Information.” This can be completed by logging into your MyMedi-

care.gov account and following these steps:

1. Navigate to “my Account” tab

2. Click “Authorized Representative.

3. Click “Medicare Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information form.”

4. Enter the requested information and click the “Continue” button.

If you do not have a MyMedicare account you can visit MyMedicare.gov to get started. Alter-

natively, you can print and mail form 10106 to Medicare.

As many of you make plans to travel and spend the holidays with loved ones, please be safe

on the roads and in the air. Jane and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas

and a Happy and Healthy New Year!.....NORM

* Pearl Harbor Day Luncheon

No known members ill or in distress this month.

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MOAA BOARD MEETING MINUTES - NOVEMBER 10, 2018

The meeting was called to order @1005 HRS. at the Clearwater Country Club by the President, Norm Belson. Those

present stood, faced the flag and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

In Attendance: Norm Belson, Jane Belson, Jim Souders, Pat Hughes, Rob Risberg, Bob Behm and Steve Hodges.

Secretary’s Report: Reviewed October Secretary Minutes. Motion to accept the Minutes as written. The motion was

seconded, all approved. The minutes were accepted as written.

Treasurer’s Report: Jane Belson presented the Treasurer’s report. Checking Account $19,222.59, Charitable Ac-

count $8,221.89, TOTAL $27,444.48. Motion was made and seconded to accept the Treasurer’s report, all ap-

proved, the rep ort was accepted as submitted.

Drumbeat Report: Jim asked that all information for the December Drumbeat be submitted to him ASAP.

Web Report: Rob would like to talk to Tom Cuba to see if he can work the website remotely. We need to see if Tom

can attend the December board meeting so Rob can spend some time with him to discuss what it would entail for

him to become webmaster.

Members in Distress: None that we are aware of.

Surviving Spouse/Spouse Report – No report at this time. Violet was unavailable to attend the meeting.

Future Speakers: Keith Collins of Vet-2-Vet Reconnect will be speaking at the November Luncheon along with a

short presentation by Carol Burgess, Area VP of West Central FL District of MOAA.

Membership Report: Rob advised we currently have 110 voting members, 59 regular members, 21 surviving spous-

es, 30 spouse members - a net decrease of 1 from last month. A memorial to Sue Morse will be placed in the De-

cember Drumbeat.

Old Business: December - The Pearl Harbor Flyer has been sent out by Clearwater MOWW. Reservations will be ac-

cepted at the November Luncheon and by mail to the Treasurer’s address. We still have Leadership vacancies to fill

for the Chapter, which we will be discussing at the November Luncheon.

All is still on track per Steve for the Golf Tournament.

New Business: Bob Behm has advised that he will accept the President’s position on a part-time basis during the

time he is in town (Sept thru June). This actually works since the Chapter does not hold functions during the months

of June, July and August. The Board can continue to meet during the summer with the past presidents conducting

business in his absence

Upcoming Speakers:

January 2019 – Col Bill Horne - Clearwater City Manager

February 2019 – Diane Vandiver – Tarpon Woods Golf Course

Still need Speakers for the months of March, April and May! Emergency readiness was discussed for one of these

months.

With all business being concluded the meeting adjourned at 1110 hrs.

:jeb

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December 2018 Speaker

Speaker will be provided by MOWW

Friday December 7, 2018 MOAA Monthly Luncheon/Pearl Harbor Day

Join us for Lunch at the Clearwater Country Club; 525 N Betty Lane, Clearwater. Directions: from Drew Street turn North it’ll be the last

right turn before the railroad tracks, from Palmetto Street turn South it’ll be the first left after the tracks. COST: $28 per

person. Please make check payable to Clearwater Chapter MOAA . Meal selections are to be made by calling Jane Belson:

(727) 535-9151 NLT 12:00 Nov 28, 2018. Reservation and payment may also be made at the November Luncheon.

Cancellations must be called to Jane Belson NLT 12:00 Nov 29, 2018 ! Clearwater Country Club cannot accept cancellations! Failure

to cancel by the date shown will result in being charged for the missed meal.

NOTE: Use the Chapter Web Site to make reservations and meal selections will not be available for Peral Harbor Day .

Menu:

Petite Filet or Grilled Citrus Salmon, garden salad, green beans & carrots, roasted red potatoes, rolls & Dessert

IN MEMORY OF SUE MORSE

Sue was the widow of David P. Morse and died peacefully on Monday, October 29th, 2018. Born in Paintsville, Kentucky, she was the

daughter of the late Virgil Ray and Garnet Cline Ray. Survivors are her sister, Betty Ray McCoy of West Columbia, SC; daughter, Denise

Morse Peterson (Bart) of Duluth, GA; grandchildren, Sara Peterson, Richard Carignan, Kyle Peterson; special niece, Marilyn Rollings

(Larry) of Hartsville, SC; nephew, Charles Stepp (Roberta), nieces, Lynda M. Tilley, Amanda M. Parker (Kenny) and numerous grandniec-

es and grandnephews. Sue was born and raised in Kentucky and upon graduation from Inez High School, attended Morehead State

College obtaining a degree in nursing. She was a veteran of the US Air Force where she retired as a Captain. Sue served in the Philip-

pines during the Vietnam War, where she met her husband David. After returning to civilian nursing, she enjoyed a lengthy career spe-

cializing in labor and delivery. Upon retirement, Sue was the editor of the MOAA newsletter, Clearwater Chapter for over ten years, for

which she received numerous awards. As an avid golfer, she enjoyed organizing golf tournaments benefitting her MOAA Chapter.

Memorials may be made to MOAA Scholarship Fund, PO Box 1824, Merrifield, VA 22116-9917

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MOAA NEWS

Concurrent Receipt of Military Retired Pay and VA Disability Compensation

http://takeaction.moaa.org/concurrent_receipt_military_retired_pay

SBP-DIC Offset for Survivors

Issue: Current law unfairly makes military survivors forfeit part or all of their military Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity when military service

causes the member's death.

Background: SBP allows uniformed services retirees to elect to provide continuing financial support for an eligible

survivor. SBP provides the survivor 55% of the servicemember's military retired pay. Enrollment is elected at the time of

retirement, and the retired member pays 6.5% of retired pay as a premium. Automatic coverage is extended to survivors of servicemembers

who die on duty.

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation is a VA program providing a modest annuity for survivors of veterans whose death is determined

to have been caused by military service.

Under current law, survivors who are eligible for both SBP and DIC must forfeit a dollar of their SBP annuity for every dollar of DIC received

from the VA. Often, the offset wipes out the SBP annuity the military retiree paid for. In such cases, the survivor receives a proportional re-

fund of SBP premiums - with no interest on what often has been many years of premium payments.

The October 2007 report of the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission urged elimination of the offset for all SBP-DIC widows, asserting

that when military service causes the member's death, the indemnity compensation from the VA should be paidin addition to SBP coverage,

not subtracted from it.

In multiple Congresses, a majority of House and Senate members acknowledged the inequity and cosponsored corrective legislation to rec-

ognize SBP and DIC are paid for different reasons. SBP is a servicemember-purchased annuity, whereas DIC is an indemnity payment when

military service caused the member's death. Further, service-disabled retirees have limited opportunities to purchase additional life insur-

ance, and policies that are available impose exorbitant premiums.

In 2008, Congress acknowledged the inequity in law, authorizing a modest Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance (SSIA) for SBP-DIC widows

to begin phasing out the offset. In June 2009, Congress took the next step, increasing SSIA monthly payments to $150 beginning in FY2014

and rising to $310 in FY2017.

The accompanying House Armed Services Committee press release said,"This legislation (SSIA) is latest step in our continuing effort to elimi-

nate the so-called 'widow's tax', which has long denied surviving family members the full payment of their Survivor Benefit Plan benefits…

this bill does not completely end the offset … the House Committee …will continue to explore every opportunity to pursue legislation that

brings us closer to eliminating the 'widow's tax'."

In the ultimate irony, a separate law, validated by the courts, terminates the offset for SBP-DIC-eligibles who remarry at age 57 or later. So

current law punishes survivors who remarry before age 55 by ending their SBP and DIC eligibility - and punishes survivors age 57 or older

who don't remarry by imposing the SBP-DIC offset.

No other federal surviving spouse is required to forfeit his or her federal annuity because military service caused their sponsor's

death. Further, the offset does not apply to surviving military children - only to the spouse. And no other federal survivor is required to re-

marry to avoid a reduction in his or her survivor annuity eligibility.

The FY2018 NDAA permanently extended SSIA payments at $310, and will adjust that payment according to COLA each year going forward.

http://takeaction.moaa.org/survivors

Issue: Congress needs to fully eliminate the law that makes most disabled uniformed services retirees forfeit part or all of their mili-

tary retired pay for VA disability compensation.

Background: For decades, MOAA has sought legislation providing full relief from the 19th century law that required a dollar-for-dollar

offset of military retired pay for VA disability compensation. MOAA strongly believes retired pay is earned for a career of uniformed

service, and VA disability compensation is recompense for pain, suffering, and lost future earning power due to service-connected

disabilities.

Since we persuaded Congress to make the first very modest step in 2003 for a small, yet significant, group of disabled retirees,

we’ve made steady incremental progress almost every year in broadening eligibility. In the ensuing 6 years, we’ve fully restored

earned service-based retired pay for 100% disabled retirees with at least 20 years of service and all combat-disabled retirees witout

regard to length of service or percentage of combat-related disability.

Additionally, we’ve won a scheduled 10-year phase-out of the disability offset (to be completed by 2014) for retirees with 50% or

higher-rated non-combat-related disabilities who have at least 20 years of service or were retired under the Temporary Early

Retirement Authority of the 1990s.

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WE WERE YOUNG AND WARRIORS ONCE

We received a lot of positive feedback when we ran a series of old photos of our members when they were young, had a full head of hair

and it wasn’t snow white. Please take a look in your archives and send us copies of your old photos to share and get a smile as we

reminisce. Below are a couple of examples from your Drumbeat editor and the Board.

Bien Hoa RVN 1969 122 mm Rocket

debris

Funabashi Japan 1958

Tokyo Rose Broadcast Antennas

March AFB 1970

JROTC NEWS

Four JROTC Members Run Inside Burning Building to Save Residents

Four heroic teenage Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) members ran inside a burning building Wednesday to save

residents trapped inside.

The four teenagers, who are all friends involved in the JROTC program at a local Massachusetts high school, had been driving

back from a “Friendsgiving” celebration on Wednesday night when they noticed flames coming from a building.

“You could see the flames heavy coming out the back,” said Marquis Bell, one of the teens who responded to the fire.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/11/25/video-four-jrotc-members-run-inside-burning-building-save-residents/

These are the kind of young people we support with our scholarship program and who will keep America free!

Norm Belson Leading Company A Berlin

Brigade in 1967

Jane Belson Senior Year

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Drumbeat Honorable Mention 2003

Drumbeat 2nd Runner Up 2007

Drumbeat 2nd Runner Up 2009

Outstanding Chapter

1992

Five Star Chapter

November 2018 Luncheon Photos

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SALUTING OUR FINE PATRIOTIC ADVERTISERS

Free Parking

https://www.paljoeyspizza.com/

http://www.seasearidersdunedin.com/

https://stores.perkinsrestaurants.com/us/fl/clearwater/2626-gulf-to-bay-blvd.html

Clearwater Perkins Restaurant welcomes you to come and enjoy a meal, open 24-7. Perkins Res-taurant is located at 2626 Gulf-to-Bay Blvd, Clear-water, FL-PH-727-799-2019. Stop by for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Wine and beer available upon request

You are encouraged to patronize our patriotic advertisers and to be sure to mention you are an

MOAA member. Please bring a copy of the advertisement and show it to the manager. Also

encourage your friends and family to patronize them and to let them know you suggested it.

Please send a testimonial about the establishment to the Drumbeat Editor at

jim_souders@hotmail.com to be included in the Drumbeat and show appreciation for their

support.

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www.clearwatermoaa.org

Military Officers of America (MOAA)

Clearwater Chapter

P. O. Box 15521

Clearwater, FL 33766-5521