Marking 20 years this December, The Military Coalition combines the power of its 36 member organizations to speak as one voice on Capitol Hill.

By Kris Ann Hegle

When Maj. Fred Epling, USAF-Ret., signed up for the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) in 1972, he was told that after he died his wife, Carolyn, would receive 55 percent of his retired pay for the rest of her life. Instead, Carolyn Epling’s SBP annuity dropped to 35 percent when she turned 62 and began collecting Social Security, causing her to lose more than $400 a month. n Epling vowed to do whatever she could to “right this incredible wrong.” Soon after, she became the legislative chair for MOAA’s Albuquerque (N.M.) Chapter, which allowed her to bring the SBP age-62 offset issue to the attention of her fellow chapter members. Unbeknownst to Epling, thousands of other surviving military spouses across the country also were looking for ways to make their voices heard on Capitol Hill.
 
Based on grassroots feedback, MOAA took up the issue in partnership with The Military Coalition (TMC), a powerful advocacy group composed of MOAA and 35 other military, veterans’, and uniformed services organizations. For more than a decade, TMC battled to end this inequity. Last year, its persistence paid off when Congress passed legislation that will phase out the age-62 SBP Social Security offset by April 1, 2008.

“The military widows who were affected by this were just like me,” says Epling, who now serves on the Auxiliary Member Advisory Committee to MOAA’s board of directors. “We were isolated. We were tucked away all over the country with no ties to each other, no organization, and no way to pull together. Until The Military Coalition got involved and picked this issue up for us, and we were able to back them in terms of grassroots support, we didn’t stand a chance.”

Speaking with one voice

TMC represents the interests of more than 5.5 million members of the uniformed services — officers, enlisted personnel, active duty members, Guard and Reserve members, veterans, and retirees — plus their families and survivors. In addition to having strength in numbers, the coalition provides the vehicle needed for its 36 member organizations to speak with one voice on Capitol Hill.

“There’s a multiplier effect that comes from working with other organizations that share the same goals,” says Master Chief Joe Barnes, USN-Ret., TMC cochair and national executive secretary for the Fleet Reserve Association. “You create significant synergy, which results in a win-win for all members of the coalition.”

MOAA and 11 other military organizations realized the value of speaking with one voice when they banded together to form TMC 20 years ago in 1985. At the time, the coalition’s primary focus was to repeal the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings deficit reduction law, which would have imposed a 22.5 percent reduction in military retired pay value. The law was repealed the following year, but TMC continued, and in 1996 it incorporated as a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization in Virginia.

In 2005, as TMC marks its 20th anniversary, the coalition addresses a wide variety of issues. These issues are examined by one of eight standing legislative committees: personnel and compensation; Guard and Reserve; health care; retirement programs; survivor programs; taxes and social security; veterans; and morale, welfare, recreation, and military construction.
To ensure active participation, each TMC organization agrees to have a representative serve on at least one committee. A commissioned officer and a noncommissioned officer serve as cochairs on most committees. Each committee prioritizes initiatives in its area of responsibility. Once this is done, the committee cochairs and TMC officers meet and recommend overall legislative priorities for the year, which then must be ratified by a vote of the coalition members.
 
Most of the issues considered by TMC come out of one of the eight legislative committees, most of which meet at least once a month. Initiatives arising from other sources are referred to the appropriate committee, which examines the merits of the issue and makes a recommendation. The initiative then comes before the entire coalition for a vote.

Although many issues are considered, TMC only focuses on those that have a broad base of support and best chance of success. This is reflected in the TMC’s “rule of five.” If five organizations object to a proposed initiative, the issue is no longer considered. However, organizations within the TMC still may pursue the issue — or even oppose it — on their own.

“Individual associations within the coalition don’t always agree,” says Joyce Wessel Raezer, TMC personnel and compensation committee cochair and legislative director for the National Military Family Association. “Just because we’re part of the coalition doesn’t mean we’ve stopped working issues independently, but where we have common goals, the coalition makes a big difference.”

Sharing resources and expertise

Working as a group provides other advantages, including sharing resources and expertise. This has been particularly helpful since the war on terrorism began, because many organizations within the coalition are confronting new issues.

“We have a lot of people on active duty now, and this brings about family issues and TRICARE issues,” says Master Sgt. Michael Cline, AUS-Ret., TMC president and executive director for the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS). “Through the coalition, we’re able to tap into other organizations’ expertise in these areas. In turn, we’re their go-to person on Guard and Reserve issues.”

Sharing resources and expertise helped TMC score an important victory last year when it won premium-based TRICARE coverage for Selected Reserve members (and their families) who have been mobilized at least 90 days since Sept. 11, 2001, and continue to serve in the Selected Reserve. Other important victories in 2004 include: getting permanent ID cards for spouses and surviving spouses of military retirees at age 75; winning a 3.5 percent pay raise in 2005 for active duty, Guard, and Reserve servicemembers; and doubling the survivor education benefit eligibility period to 20 years following a servicemember’s death while on active duty.

According to Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF-Ret., TMC cochair and director of MOAA’s Government Relations Department, better organization and increased cohesiveness have helped the coalition achieve more legislative victories in recent years.

“There’s no doubt that the secret of our success has been our willingness to work together to support each other’s goals and to mutually prioritize initiatives for joint action,” says Strobridge. “When we go to the Hill and testify, we generally do it together. When we send letters to the Hill, all of our names are on them.”

Mike Higgins, a professional staff member who works on the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee, believes the coalition’s grassroots support helped carry such issues as TRICARE For Life (TFL) and concurrent receipt. In fact, during the fight to win concurrent receipt, coalition members sent 25,000 communications to Congress in two days. "The postcards and phone calls we receive make a huge difference," says Higgins.

Unity and persistence continue to help TMC achieve legislative victories. However, not all victories involve legislation. Coalition members track and monitor policies that affect servicemembers and their families just as much as laws do. For example, when the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list came out recently, TMC members looked at how retired servicemembers would be affected in terms of access to health care, commissaries, and other benefits.

TMC members also follow up to see how a particular piece of legislation is implemented to ensure its intent is maintained. When TFL passed, for example, coalition members worked with DoD’s TRICARE Management Activity, establishing regular beneficiary advisory panel meetings to provide feedback on problems recipients were experiencing and discussing solutions.

Coalition members plan to build on their legislative successes. However, success in the legislative arena tends to come in cycles. “There are many competing issues, and while military personnel issues have enjoyed a great deal of success in the last five years, there are other contenders for the front seat,” says Higgins.

Strobridge says he believes the coalition will have to exert even more effort on preserving and protecting recent gains. The coalition is well aware that the secretary of Defense has chartered the Defense Advisory Committee on Military Compensation to review the military compensation system and make recommendations on possible changes to military pay and benefit programs.

The coalition will be carrying this fight, says Strobridge. “I see great things ahead for the coalition.”