Younger members often ask, "I know MOAA has been working hard to win health benefits for members over 65, but that's in the future for me. What's MOAA doing for me right now?" The answer is a very great deal, indeed.

First, we hope our TRICARE For Life (TFL) efforts will give younger members peace of mind. TFL will save you $100,000 or more in health expenses as you get older — meaning you'll have $100,000 more of your retired pay, 401(k), or ira to spend on other things.

Second, MOAA's focus on concurrent receipt is aimed at helping disabled retirees of all ages — many thousands of whom are under age 65.

Third, our primary legislative efforts throughout the 1990s were aimed at protecting retired pay — particularly fighting off cuts in inflation-based cost-of-living adjustments (cola). The younger you are, the more that battle is worth to you. (Sixty percent of total lifetime retired pay for a 20-year retiree comes from colas.)

In 2000, we won repeal of retirement penalties and pay caps imposed on active duty, and Reserve and Guard members. A major goal in 2003 is to improve Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) coverage to give you better value for your SBP premium.

Another huge issue is upgrading the TRICARE program to attract more doctors and assure your family members' health care access.

Hopefully, you've been part of our grassroots efforts on all of these issues. After all, if you don't support others' issues (and they don't support yours) because they don't affect you personally, we all lose. Only by combining our collective clout can we maximize our chances of winning.

Each year, MOAA lobbies, often behind the scenes, for issues with smaller price tags that still have dramatic individual impact. Victories like repealing the "dual compensation" penalties for retirees working as federal civilians, extending SBP coverage to survivors of members who die on active duty, improving relocation allowances, and protecting retirees from having to choose between Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs health care don't happen by themselves. They happen because MOAA lobbyists keep making the case — year after year if necessary — until we get action.

Often, progress must be won incrementally. The stage was set for this year's concurrent receipt battle back in 1999, when TROA and The Military Coalition convinced Congress that at least some retirees deserved relief from the disability offset to retired pay. It wasn't much to start with — $100 to $300 a month for 20-year retirees who incurred at least a 70 percent disability rating soon after retiring.

This year, a much broader class of disabled retirees — those with at least 20 years and a Purple Heart or combat- or operations-related disabilities rated at 60 percent or higher — will get full relief from the offset. It's well short of our full goal but a giant step forward from that first legislative toehold in 1999.

We're making real progress on a broad array of issues affecting younger members. But there's a lot left to do, and we'll need your strong support.