MOAA: News Notes

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans to develop new national cemeteries in three communities - Sarasota County, Fla.; Birmingham, Ala.; and Greenville/Columbia, S.C. - that it has identified in a recent report as having the greatest need for burial space for veterans.

"We must ensure that [the] VA continues to meet its obligation to provide America's veterans with a dignified and respectful final resting place," says Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. "Now and in the future, this study will serve as a valuable planning tool for decisions on where and when to build new cemeteries."

During the next two decades, the VA will face the challenge of providing burial space for a rapidly aging veteran population. Veteran deaths, estimated at 674,000 in 2002, are expected to peak at about 687,000 in 2006 and then decrease slightly each year to about 545,000 in 2020.

The VA report pinpoints those areas of the country with the largest number of veterans without access to either a national or state veterans' cemetery within 75 miles of their homes. New national cemeteries are expected to open by 2005 in Atlanta; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Pittsburgh; Detroit; and Sacramento, Calif.

Nationwide MEDIPLUSŽ TRICARE Supplements

The insurance departments of the states of New Hampshire and Washington approved the pending MEDIPLUS TRICARE Supplement filings for those under age 65. Residents of those states once again can purchase MOAA's TRICARE supplements.

To request an information packet, please call the insurance office toll-free at (800) 247-2192 or visit MOAA's new insurance Web site, www.moaainsurance.com.

MOAA's Online Tax Site

MOAA's Complete Tax Guide Site will be up and running Feb. 1. This online feature will include information on individual, state, and federal taxes; tax calculators; and links to sites that help people prepare their tax returns. The updated site covers currently available income tax information pertinent to all military personnel (active and retired) and covers state sales taxes, state personal income taxes, state property taxes, state inheritance and estate taxes, federal income tax deductions, military disability retired pay, and Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation. It links to useful state and federal tax Web sites for state departments of revenue and the Internal Revenue Service and also offers links for federal and state tax forms.

HEALTH BEAT

Hot news for you on medical care benefits

VA Benefits and Programs for Multiple Sclerosis

To better address the needs of veterans with Multiple sclerosis (MS), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials have announced the creation of two Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence. The VA is committing more than $8 million for the centers over the next four years. One will be established at the VA medical center in Baltimore; the second will be run jointly by medical centers in Seattle and Portland, Ore. Each of these chosen sites has a close relationship with affiliated schools of medicine that has resulted in strong, coordinated efforts in MS diagnosis, treatment, and research.

MS is a chronic disease of the brain and spinal cord. The illness is thought to result from an autoimmune attack on the central nervous system focused on myelin, which is a protective coating on nerves. The symptoms of MS vary from patient to patient, depending on the areas of the central nervous system affected. Initial symptoms include difficulty in walking, abnormal sensations such as numbness, and visual problems due to optic neuritis or an inflammation of the optic nerve. There is no cure, although drugs can help slow the course of the disease or symptoms in some patients.

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, approximately 350,000 Americans have MS, and about 200 new cases are diagnosed each week. VA medical centers treat at least 22,000 MS patients each year. More than 11,193 veterans receive disability compensation for the illness.

In addition to developing education and training programs for patients, families, students, and health care professionals, the Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence will conduct research including basic biomedical, clinical, rehabilitation, and health services studies. The centers will be supplemented by the VA's telemedicine network to reach veterans in all locations.

Online Patriotic Shopping

Americans looking for a way to support the military now can shop for patriotic clothing, decals, flags, and patches - all online.

Fort America, a gift shop in the Pentagon, has launched a new Web site for shoppers who are unable to visit the Pentagon but can log on to the Internet. The shop offers a wide variety of military-oriented products including apparel, commemorative coins, plaques, stationery, jewelry, flags, and statues, as well as Pentagon logo merchandise.

The Web site also features information links such as History of Military Patches, a virtual tour of the Pentagon, and a "Kids Corner" with interesting facts about the country's largest government building. Visit Fort America's Web site through MOAA's links page, www.moaa .org/magazine/links.asp.

New Membership Category

Officers married to officers now will have an incentive to lend both their voices to MOAA's membership roster - adding clout on Capitol Hill, where every member counts in the association's lobbying efforts. Dual-officer memberships now are available to married officer couples (if both are eligible for MOAA membership) at the low rates of $32 for one year and $62 for three years.

When it created this category of membership, MOAA's board of directors stipulated that both dual-officer members may vote on issues affecting the organization and, if retired, may be elected to serve on the board of directors. Both will be assigned individual membership numbers and will receive all privileges, benefits, discounts, and access to member services. Both will qualify for the member rate for tricare supplements, which could save them, as a couple, a considerable sum of money.

As the largest military officers association today, MOAA has the power and expertise to fight for and protect the rights of all uniformed services officers. This initiative will allow married officers to maintain their individual identities as officers and lend their voices to those of thousands of their colleagues as full members of MOAA.

To take advantage of this new membership category or for more information, call MOAA's Member Service Center toll-free, (800) 234-MOAA (6622).

Scholarship Deadline March 1

Worried about college money? MOAA's Base/Post Scholarship application is available online (www.moaa.org/education) until noon, March 1 (Eastern time).

Pictured at center [print edition only] is recent recipient Frances Montemayor, one of 100 students from bases around the world chosen to receive a scholarship in 2002. With Frances are, from left to right, Col. and Mrs. John Montemayor, USMC; Trey Linnemeier, program development officer for MOAA's Scholarship Fund; and Assistant Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources Brig. Gen. John Paxton Jr., USMC.

Orphans Reaching Out

During World War II, more than 400,000 members of the U.S. armed forces were killed in the line of duty. Left behind were an estimated 183,000 children who would grow up never knowing their fathers. The American wwii Orphan Network (awon), a nonprofit organization, is striving to connect these children - now adults - to each other so they can share the emotions and experiences of growing up without a parent.

Founded in 1991, awon has contacted more than 3,000 sons and daughters of men killed during World War II. In addition to offering a forum for emotional healing, awon provides a registry of orphans and families of World War II casualties; national, regional, and local gatherings; guidance in locating information from military and government records; online network communication for members; a Web site and newsletter; and the opportunity to create an electronic memorial.