Military Officers Association of America



In this issue:

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From National MOAA

• MOAA Teams With Veterans Groups to Support Burn Pits Accountability Act

• When To Start Collecting Social Security

• The Pentagon Is Making it Tougher for Academy Athletes to Go Pro

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MOAA Teams With Veterans Groups to Support Burn Pits Accountability Act

Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) is mobilizing behind a bill to assign DoD responsibilities related to veterans exposed to open burn pits and toxic chemicals.

Two Army combat veterans support federal legislation that would “direct the Secretary of Defense to include in periodic health assessments, separation history and physical examinations, and other assessments an evaluation of whether a member of the Armed Forces has been exposed to open burn pits or toxic airborne chemicals,” according to the text of the bill.

The legislation, H.R. 5671, Burn Pits Accountability Act, introduced by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), an Iraq veteran, and cosponsored by Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), an Afghanistan veteran and double amputee, addresses this important topic - especially to our veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This is the first proposed legislation to address the burn pits issue within DoD and would mandate DoD responsibilities regarding accountability at several checkpoints before a servicemember leaves service.

MOAA strongly supports this legislation, and we are working closely with several of our partner organizations in The Military Coalition as well as with Reps. Gabbard and Mast to see it become law. Follow us at our 10 a.m. EDT news conference addressing the legislation May 17 on Capitol Hill.

If you are currently serving or a veteran who has been exposed to burn pits or other toxic chemicals and you have experienced health problems, please let MOAA know about your experience by emailing us.

More about the H.R. 5671

The bill seeks to address a problem experienced by many of my fellow veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who have been exposed to open burn pits and other toxic chemicals while deployed and who have themselves later become afflicted with rare cancers and other health issues. These veterans, when addressing their health issues with the VA, have been consistently told it is - like was said for many years with regard to veterans exposed to Agent Orange - not supported by science.

In reality, it is also an issue of documentation and accountability, not just science. As a result, there remains a level of responsibility and accountability on the part of DoD.

Specifically toward a solution, the Burn Pits Accountability Act would evaluate the exposure of U.S. servicemembers and veterans to open burn pits and toxic airborne chemicals by:

• Requiring the Secretary of Defense to record whether servicemembers have been “based or stationed at a location where an open burn pit was used or exposed to toxic airborne chemicals, including any information recorded as part of the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry,” in Periodic Health Assessments (PHAs), Separation History Physical Examination (SHPEs), and Post-Deployment Health Assessment (PDHAs).

• Enrolling any servicemember who meets the above criteria in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, unless he or she opts-out.

• Requiring the secretary of defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to share information relating to exposure of burn pits and toxic airborne chemicals recorded in PHAs, SHPEs, and PDHAs.

When To Start Collecting Social Security

For your whole working life, you've paid your Social Security taxes.

Now, if you’re age 62 or older, you’re eligible to start receiving your earned Social Security retirement annuity.

But it’s not “free money.” Your decision on when to begin receiving Social Security checks has some long-term consequences you need to think about before making your election.

When can I start taking Social Security? 

You can start drawing your check anytime between age 62 and age 70. If you start drawing it before your “full retirement age,” your benefit will be reduced. Full retirement age can vary, depending on what year you were born. For people born between 1943 and 1954, full retirement age is 66 years. If you were born in 1956, it’s 66 years and 4 months. Calculate what it is for you.

How does the timing of my election affect the amount I will get? 

In general, the older you are when you start taking Social Security (until age 70), the larger your check will be. You can estimate the amount of your benefit using the online calculator.

What is the penalty for taking Social Security before my full retirement age? 

The amount of your benefit will be reduced by 5/9 of 1 percent for each month before your full retirement age, up to 36 months early, and by an additional 5/12 of 1 percent for each month earlier than that. So if you were born in 1956 and elect to start receiving Social Security this year at age 62, your full retirement benefit will be reduced 26.67 percent [that’s (36 x 5/9) + (16 x 5/12) = 26.67].

Can I draw my Social Security check while I’m still working? 

The short answer is yes. If you wait until full retirement age to draw Social Security, there’s no penalty for continuing to work. But if you elect to take Social Security before your full retirement age, your already-reduced Social Security benefit will be cut by another $1 for every $2 you earn above $17,040 in 2018. So taking Social Security before your full retirement age is usually not a good idea if you expect to continue working for more than that modest amount. Once you take early retirement, you can’t change your mind.

Is there a benefit for delaying receipt of Social Security even after attaining full retirement age? 

For people born in 1943 or later, each month you wait after full retirement age to start drawing Social Security will add 2/3 of 1 percent to your full-retirement Social Security benefit or (8 percent per year of delay). If you were born in 1952, you will attain full retirement age (66) in 2018. If you wait until age 70 to draw your first Social Security check, that check will be up to 32 percent higher.

Does it make more sense to take Social Security at full retirement age or delay the election to get a bigger check? It depends on your personal circumstances, and everyone has to make their own decision. Remember, the larger Social Security amount between spouses becomes the survivor benefit — something to consider if your other survivor benefit options are limited.

The Pentagon Is Making it Tougher for Academy Athletes to Go Pro

A 2016 DoD memo eased the road to professional sports by allowing officer-athletes to serve in a reserve capacity immediately upon graduation from a service academy, assuming a professional sports binding contract was secured. The policy, however, was short-lived. 

On April 29, 2017, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis signed a second memo to cancel the 2016 memo. Two years of nonnegotiable active duty service now are required before a deferment for professional sports can be considered. 

Record-holding former Midshipman Keenan Reynolds graduated the Naval Academy the year before Mattis' 2017 memo and entered the NFL draft right after he graduated. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round, bringing scores of headlines praising the relaxed policy. For Reynolds, though, it was simply a different way he felt he could serve and represent the Naval Academy. 

“I was really surprised because I didn't come to the Naval Academy to play in the NFL,” Reynolds says. “I knew what the rule was when I first enrolled, so upon hearing that I'd be able to do both, I was just really happy and really thankful that I was given that opportunity. I also understood that it was a responsibility to make sure I represented the military and the Navy well and also that I was on top of all the things required of me as a reserve officer.”

Reynolds is currently with the Redskins and assigned as a cryptologic warfare officer. “It really is a blessing that I was able to fall in that pocket of opportunity,” he says. “One year later or earlier, that may not have been the case.”

Jalen Robinette is the Air Force Academy Falcons' all-time leading receiver. Prior to graduating, he had been considered a strong potential for immediate entry for the NFL draft. Mattis' new memo - rendering Robinette ineligible for the 2017 draft - was signed on the last day of the 2017 NFL draft, held April 27-29. 

Afterward, Robinette told The Denver Post, “I felt a lot of things. … Part of me wanted to be angry, a part of me wanted to be sad, but a big part of me understood that I came to the academy and I know what I signed up for. It's to do something that's bigger than me, bigger than football.”

In September 2017, The Denver Post reported Robinette was serving his active duty requirement at Nellis AFB, Nev. Under Mattis' current ruling, he would be eligible to join the NFL in 2019.

Students at the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Military Academy, and Air Force Academy, all funded through DoD (the U.S. Coast Guard Academy is funded through DHS) agree to five years' active military service in return for the taxpayer-funded training and education they receive. The estimated cost for a service academy education is $400,000. 

Over the years, the academies have produced some exceptional athletes. Several have succeeded at their professional sport after fulfilling part of their service requirement. 

Professional stars

NFL Hall of Famer Roger Staubach is one of the most notable academy graduates to turn professional football player. Staubach played 11 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, leading the team to two Super Bowl victories. He did so after serving four years of active duty service, two of which were served in Vietnam prior to the end of the Vietnam War. 

Staubach credits the academy and his service for his success in life. 

“There's no question that being in the service is a tremendous asset to whatever you do for the rest of your life as far as being able to appreciate teamwork, hard work, and perseverance,” Staubach says. “I felt I was very fortunate. I'd go back and do it again in a second as far as being in the service before I played football.” 

“When I came out of college, I felt I could play professionally. And I thought, after four years, I'm probably more mature. I think I was a little stronger, too,” Staubach says. “I had the confidence that I could play, or I wouldn't have got out. I would've stayed in the service if I didn't have a chance to play football. I really like the service. I liked everything about it and made a lot of great relationships there.”

Chad Hennings, a 1988 graduate of the Air Force Academy and Dallas Cowboys draft pick the same year, admits he was torn about military service over his professional career. 

“When I graduated from the academy knowing I had been drafted by the Cowboys, I felt inner turmoil between my head, knowing that fulfilling my commitment was the most important thing, and my heart, knowing that I wanted to compete at the next level in the NFL,” Hennings says.

Hennings' initial active duty commitment was eight years because he was a pilot. However, after serving four years and flying 45 combat sorties over Iraq, force reductions allowed Hennings to move to the reserves. He won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys between 1992 and 1996. He remained in the Air Force Reserve individual mobilization augmentee program throughout his professional career.

The political debate

After Mattis' memo, debate continued in Congress. An early version of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2018 included a provision intensifying the commitment expectation for officer athletes, enforcing the five-year active commitment for all graduates. 

Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida argued against the provision, saying in part it “would make it nearly impossible for graduates of the military service academies to play professional football, basketball, or any other sport.” 

Sen. John McCain of Arizona led an effort to ease the requirements on officer-athletes, arguing for a return to the 2016 memo. McCain and his former legislative fellow, retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joe Ruzicka, argued last year there were more options available, including deferring active service until after a professional sports contract is fulfilled. 

Ruzicka added that with this option, athletes who think they have a potential professional career will attend service academies, increasing the institutions' athletic competitiveness and positively affecting service recruiting overall. 

On the other hand, retired Army Lt. Tom Slear argued in a Washington Post editorial, service academies “exist to instill young men and women with a mindset of selfless service to the country. There is no other justification for the significant public expense that supports them.”

Mattis' memo states: “The Military Service Academies or Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs exist to develop future officers who enhance the readiness and lethality of our Military Services. During the first two years following graduation, officers will serve as full-fledged military officers carrying out their normal work and career expectations of an officer who has received the extraordinary benefits of an ROTC or military academy education at taxpayer expense.”  

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