Recent news from The MOAA Newsletter. View previous editions of Council and Chapter News here. Send updates about your affiliate’s activities to chapters@moaa.org for possible inclusion in future editions.

Apply Now for a Community Outreach Grant

The MOAA Foundation is accepting applications until Feb. 28 for the 2025 Community Outreach Grants. Grants of up to $5,000 are offered to MOAA councils or chapters providing services to local military and veteran families — either directly or through partnerships with other community organizations — in one of 10 areas of critical military and veteran family need: housing, food assistance, employment, health (including behavioral health), family strength, community reintegration, financial assistance, legal assistance, transportation, and emergency relief. Visit moaacharities.smapply.us to apply.

MOAA is currently negotiating with a national carrier to provide affordable options for the liability insurance required of our affiliates before executing the use of foundation Community Outreach Grant funding. Our affiliates are not required to obtain liability insurance in the application process.  

Surviving Spouse Corner: What You Need to Know About Reserve-Component Benefits

Understanding, and applying for, these benefits can be a confusing process. MOAA can help.

By Capt. Kathy Thorp, USN (Ret), MOAA board member and Surviving Spouse Advisory Council member

Did your spouse die before he or she turned 60 years old and before reaching the age to apply for retirement with pay? Are you confused about what death benefit you might be eligible for, and how to apply for it?

Let’s take this step by step to explain Reserve Component-Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP) eligibility. If you can find your loved one’s notice of eligibility letter (20-year letter), it will outline what was selected at the 20-year mark in your spouse’s career. If the “immediate” annuity was selected, it is known as Option C (DD2656-5) and you are immediately entitled to your spouse’s RCSBP. Option B is a deferred annuity; the annuity is deferred to your spouse’s eligible age of 60 if he or she were alive today. Option A is when one declines election and the surviving spouse will not have any RCSBP.

[FOR PREMIUM AND LIFE MEMBERS: Guard and Reserve Retirement Guide]

If you are unable to locate the 20-year letter, call the appropriate service casualty office and report your spouse’s passing, and they can help you. Find more contact information online at these sites:

• Army Reserve: http://www.hrc.army.mil/
• Air Force Reserve: http://www.arpc.afrc.af.mil/
• Navy Reserve: https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-Management/Reserve-Personnel-Mgmt/Reserve-Retirements/
• Marine Corps Reserve: http://www.marforres.marines.mil/
• Coast Guard Reserve: http://reserve.uscg.mil/

For example, a surviving spouse of a Navy servicemember who was a gray-area reservist should call (833) 330-6622 and report the passing of your loved one. Mail a request for death benefits, along with an original death certificate, to:

Navy Personnel Command

ATTN: PERS-912E 5720

Integrity Dr. Bldg. 768

Millington, TN 38055

If your spouse reached the 20-year mark and was eligible for retirement (regardless of branch), you will need to call the Defense Finance and Accounting Service at (800) 321-1080 to report the death.

There are various types of coverages for RCSBP, such as spouse-only; spouse and child(ren); child(ren) only; former spouse; former spouse and child(ren); and natural interest person (insurable interest).

If you are eligible for RCSBP, you have only six years from the date of your spouse’s death to apply for the annuity or the annuity might be denied.

Find more details on the process at this link.

Read past Surviving Spouse Corners.

Did You Know?

New Leader Checklist

As new leaders take office in your affiliate, be sure they review this important document from national MOAA that highlights important steps and resources for their success. Download the PDF.

Affiliates Can Request a National MOAA Visit

We would like to see you. MOAA councils are eligible for a visit from a national MOAA representative annually and chapters are eligible every two to three years. These visits are a great opportunity to showcase your council or chapter, have us provide a guest speaker for your event or membership drive, and give us the chance to learn how to better support our affiliates. To request a visit, please complete the online form. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Fahria Hossain at chapters@moaa.org. 

Upcoming Important Events, Dates, and Deadlines

• Dec. 19: Monthly chapter leader virtual roundtable, 7 p.m. Eastern: The topic is MOAA annual awards. This roundtable will discuss the criteria and updated process for affiliate leaders to nominate for the Levels of Excellence Award, Col. Marvin J. Harris Communications Awards, Col. Steve Strobridge Legislative Chair/Liaison Award, and the Surviving Spouse Liaison Excellence Award. Join here at the time of the meeting. (Meeting ID: 994 1635 9910; Passcode: 762173)
  
  
• Jan. 14: Quarterly Council President/Independent Chapter President Meeting, 2-3:30 p.m. EST. Topics will include prospective member information sharing and communications privacy concerns. Invitation and virtual meeting link to be provided.  
  
  
• Feb. 28: MOAA Foundation Community Outreach Grant application window closes.

From the Field

MOAA chapters give back to their communities through fundraising efforts, community- service projects, scholarship programs, and other initiatives. Here are some recent activities.

The Roadrunner (N.M.) Chapter recently presented a $1,500 check to each of three local Junior ROTC (JROTC) programs. The donation will allow these future leaders to travel and participate in activities that develop leadership, teamwork, and core values. The chapter raised the $4,500 via a member matching donation challenge. As part of its community outreach, the Roadrunner Chapter asked leaders of these JROTC cadres to speak at its membership luncheons, and they described the expenses required to ensure their high school students have opportunities to develop leadership and teamwork. Chapter members viewed their donation as an investment in the next generation of military and civic leaders.

The Green Valley (Ariz.) Chapter sponsored a contactless nonperishable food and groceries drive for homeless veterans in November. The VA currently has about 350 veterans in its homeless program in Tucson. And there are about 1,700 homeless veterans in the Southern Arizona area, about half of which have been moved into HUD housing by the VA. In addition to donating items for the drive, members also made monetary donations that the chapter used to purchase additional items.

The Florida Council of Chapters is holding its annual leadership training and convention Jan. 17-19 at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando. In addition to training MOAA leaders, the council will hold a charity Casino Night fundraiser for The MOAA Foundation. MOAA President and CEO Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, USAF (Ret), is the guest speaker. Registration is now open at www.FLMOAA.org. All MOAA members and guests are invited.

The MOAA Public Affairs and Communication Professional Virtual Chapter became the association’s seventh virtual chapter in October. Its mission is to assist councils and chapters with their public affairs and communication efforts while supporting the MOAA’s overall mission. Membership is open to designated public affairs professionals as well as MOAA council and chapter members in communication-related roles, such as newsletter editors, webmasters, and community relations liaisons. Read more.

The Greater Cincinnati Chapter sponsored a comprehensive veteran, spouse, and surviving spouse educational seminar Nov. 1. Speakers and panel members from the Cincinnati Tri-State region (Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana) provided attendees the most current and relevant information on TRICARE, VA medical care and benefits, long term care insurance, and estate planning. Representatives from Cincinnati Veterans Administration, Hamilton County Veterans Service Commission, the American Red Cross, Wright Patterson AFB, and a number of civilian firms were involved.

National MOAA Travel Schedule

Here are the councils and chapters MOAA leaders will be visiting over the next few months.

• Dec. 5, Heritage Hunt (Va.) Chapter, Capt. Jim Carman, USN (Ret), vice president, Council/Chapter and Member Support
• Dec. 6, Coastal Carolina (N.C.) Chapter, Dena Kilgore, Affiliated Councils and Chapters
• Dec. 8, Columbia River (Wash.) Chapter, Capt. Frank J. Michael, USN (Ret), Affiliated Councils and Chapters
• Dec. 10, Chattanooga (Tenn.) Chapter, Capt. Frank J. Michael, USN (Ret), Affiliated Councils and Chapters
• Dec. 11, MOAA Public Health Service Virtual Chapter, Dena Kilgore, Affiliated Councils and Chapters
• Dec. 12, Pikes Peak (Colo.) Chapter, Capt. Frank J. Michael, USN (Ret), Affiliated Councils and Chapters
• Jan. 8, White River (Ind.) Chapter, speaker TBD
• Jan. 9, Portsmouth Area (Va.) Chapter, Capt. Jim Carman, USN (Ret), vice president, Council/Chapter and Member Support
• Jan. 10, Columbia (S.C.) Chapter, Capt. Frank J. Michael, USN (Ret), Affiliated Councils and Chapters
• Jan. 15, Susquehanna (Md.) Chapter, Capt. Kathy Thorp, USN (Ret), MOAA board of directors
• Jan. 16-18, Florida Annual Training Seminar, Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, USAF (Ret), MOAA president and CEO, and senior MOAA staff
• Jan. 17-18, Louisiana Council of Chapters, Capt. Frank J. Michael, USN (Ret), Affiliated Councils and Chapters
• Jan. 23, Los Alamitos Area (Calif.) Chapter, Capt. Frank J. Michael, USN (Ret), Affiliated Councils and Chapters
• Jan. 23, Flagler County (Fla.) Chapter, Dena Kilgore, Affiliated Councils and Chapters