LEGISLATIVE NEWS

MOAA, along with other veterans' groups in the state, is pursuing action to gain passage of the following legislation:

Legislative goals on which the Legislative Chair will work in coordination with the North Carolina Council of Chapters and the North Carolina Veterans' Council are outlined here. The Legislative Chair and other members of the Triangle Chapter are coordinating with the office of Congressman David Price and with State Senators and Representatives to schedule meetings.

Federal News

MOAA advocacy has resulted in inclusion of several important provisions in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). A House of Representatives and Senate conference committee has issued a conference report of the proposed legislation.  As of 11 December 2019 the U.S. House of representatives had approved the conference report.  The report is now awaiting action in the U.S. Senate where approval is expected.  After approval the President is expected to apsign the bill.  Of the provisions in the legislation, foremost is ending the so called "widows tax."  Currently widows receiving Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities have the amount of their ABP benefit reduced by the amount of any Disability and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) they may also receive  MOAA has worked hard to  eliminate this inequity and the current NDAA contains a provision to eliminate the "widow’s tax."

Another of MOAA’s priorities included in the NDAA is a provision putting a stop to a proposed 20% cut of up to 18,000 medical billets. These proposed reductions in medical billets have been developed without an analysis of the impact on healthcare for dependents, garrison health care when medical units are deployed, and an assessment of overall medical force readiness to carry out wartime and peacetime missions. The readiness and effectiveness of America’s armed forces demand a full complement of well-trained medical professionals. But the Defense Department’s fiscal 2020 budget would eliminate roughly 20 percent of military medical positions, along with other reorganization measures. This shortsighted "reform" effort could have drastic, even deadly, consequences—on the battlefield and throughout American health care.

The proposed 2020 NDAA also provides that there will be no increases in TRICARE or TRICARE For Life (TFL) fees. Prescription drug costs, however, will increase as reflected in the following chart.

State News

Your legislative representatives have worked with the North Carolina Veteran’s Council to bring to the attention of our legislators issues of importance to the military, veterans and retired military communities. In April we participated in a session at which we visited the representative and senator in our respective districts. During these sessions we high lighted the importance of the following issues:

1. Recognition of Gold/Blue Star Mothers (Families) - HB64
2. Approval of the budget for NC Department of Veterans Affairs – three items are of particular importance:
   1. NC Vets Cemetery staff 17 employees need to be put on one state payroll, currently paid from receipts from the operation. Additionally establish a trust fund for long term maintenance of the cemetery when full and there is no cash flow from receipts.
   2. Increase funding for DVA in addition to the DMVA which was never included when formed in 2015.
   3. Increase the budget for NC Scholarships for Children of Wartime vets.
3. Equal Tax Treatment of Gov't Retirees (Extend Bailey) HB213, HB 650 and SB 188
4. Property tax relief for certain veterans with service related disabilities. Provide veterans that are permanently and totally disabled as designated by the Department of Veterans Affairs with greater property tax exclusion. Passage of legislation to further assist these veterans would relieve some of the stress they endure daily.
   1. There are 60,000 disabled veterans in North Carolina
   2. Current property tax relief is 45%
   3. Support raising deduction to 100%
   4. County Commissioners oppose because of adverse impact on county budgets

The legislators with whom we spoke were receptive to the proposals we endorsed and appeared enthusiastic to provide their support. Unfortunately, in the case of the officials who Triangle Chapter contacted, they were in the minority party and saw little prospect for advancing the legislation we advocated.

In the current legislative session 36 pieces of legislation impacting active duty military, military bases, veterans or retirees have been introduced. Of the 36, three address the tax treatment of retirees. Of the three bills, two seek to extend the provisions of Bailey, Emory Patton to those state and federal employees or service members not covered by the original settlement. As of this date two bills on Hyperbaric Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury have been combined and passed. The remaining bills are still in committee.

Contact your legislators

In conversations with our elected representatives the issue of individual involvement is continually addressed. During the current sessions of Congress and the State General Assembly it is important that we make our voices heard. The best way to have your input into legislation which affects you or which affects the active force is to contact your elected state and congressional representatives and senators. Call, write or email but raise your voice to make certain our elected officials know our position on issues important to us.

Federal Contact Info

North Carolina General Assembly Contact Info