Please note that our organization number on the pledge form for local United Way campaigns may be different than the number on CFC forms. Every year the MCA submits a professionally conducted audit along with our application to qualify for the CFC. We are in full compliance with the mission and accountability standards that are expected for organizations with non-profit status under the Internal Revenue Service. We deeply appreciate your contributions and support of our mission and services.

CFC #11957

MCA members nationwide hold numerous points of view on the DADT policy and any potential change.  Across those diverse perspectives we see a common and insistent thread.  We are deeply concerned about the welfare of all Troops, their officers, and their chaplains.

Should the government choose to repeal the DADT policy, we strongly urge military leaders to safeguard an environment of accuracy, fairness, and justice.  We urge this for all parties affected – whether they favor or do not favor the policy change.

Please pray fervently for the wisdom of our legislators.  Please let your Senator and Representative know your position on this issue. 

Respectfully yours / Chaplain Michael L. McCoy, Sr., MCA National President.

On the weekend of August 21/22, 2010, “Run for the Fallen” is encouraging anyone, wherever they are, to go out and run/walk one mile for a fallen service member killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

The goal is to again have all 50 states participate. Last year, there were over 5,000 participants in 35 states and four countries, running a combined total of over 31,000 miles. Help us to continue to honor and remember our service members, bringing people and communities together. Together, let us Run for the Fallen.

In Colorado, this event will take place quietly on Saturday morning (21Aug) at 8AM at Rogers Grove – Longmont, CO.

In Oregon, this event will be hosted by the Blue Star mothers and will take place in Portland on 21AUG10.

In Tampa, FL – Tampa Area Marine Parents Assoc., Inc. – 3rd Annual Run for the Fallen Event (5K / 1 mile Run & Walk). This FREE event will be held on Sunday, August 22nd, at E.G. Simmons Park in Ruskin. Pre-registration is requested.

In Charleston, IL – Vivian White – Aug. 21st a Run for the Fallen event to honor all Illinois military personnel who have lost their lives in Iraq or Afghanistan. The run will be held in Charleston, Illinois at the Charleston High School track. It will be an all-day event (7 a.m. – 7 p.m.) People can come out to the track anytime during the day and walk/run. They can walk for a particular soldier or we can assign them a soldier.

In Iowa – see www.iowaremembrancerun.org  In Elk Horn see the Elk Horn American Legion.

In Missouri – Lake of the Ozarks – Trisha Creach – We will be honoring all of our soldiers and hope to get at least 85 people to walk one mile to pay special tribute to our Missouri men and women killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The event will begin at 8 AM at the Osage Beach City Park on Highway 54.

In Oklahoma – Lawton, Oklahoma – Survivor Outreach Services – We are located outside the gates of Fort Sill and encourage interested parties to run/walk with us at Elmer Thomas Park on 3rd and Ferris in Lawton on Saturday, Aug. 21. Folks can contact either myself, Debra Leffler at 580-442-4282 or Kathy at 580-442-4329.

In Wisconsin – Milwaukee, WI – Woods National Cemetery – Judith Singer – www.beingtherereachingout.org – Gold Star Families and supporters will be running again in Wisconsin. Last year, 15 Wisconsin Gold Star Families along with friends and supporters ran over a total of 200 miles.
 
This is just some of the activities going on that you may wish to be part of in serving our Gold Star Families of the Fallen.   As we all know, it takes the loss of a soldier to bring a community together, and break its heart.  Please do what you can this weekend to heal these broken hearts.

Last week, we urged MOAA members to email their House members to quickly pass legislation approved by the Senate (H.R. 3962) to restore full Medicare/TRICARE payments to doctors through the end of November 2010.

Initially, House leaders planned to delay action on that measure until the Senate passed a broader jobs bill.

After more than 17,000 MOAA members contacted their House members to urge immediate action, House leaders finally brought up and passed the bill Thursday night.

The President is expected to sign it into law immediately.

It will reverse a 21% payment cut that the flawed statutory payment formula had imposed on Medicare as of June 1. Medicare held up processing claims for more than two weeks beyond that date in hopes of quick Hill action, but finally had to implement the reduced payments for claims since June 1 as Congress continued to drag its feet.

Now that the fix is done, Medicare will have to reprocess the affected claims and pay doctors the difference.

TRICARE never got to the point of implementing the 21% cut, as TRICARE payment changes normally trail Medicare’s by 30 to 60 days.

We appreciate Congress taking action to stave off the cuts, but the unfortunate reality is that all this bill did was kick the problem downstream six months until after the election.

Which means Congress will have to act again in the coming months to keep the 21% cut from being reinstated as of December 1.

In the meantime, many thanks are due to the thousands of MOAA members who helped Congress get off the dime – again – on this crucial health care issue.

The bad news is that House leaders put out a statement this morning that they won’t allow action on this crucial bill unless the Senate acts on jobs legislation previously passed by the House.

That’s just going too far.

Because Congress failed in its responsibility to pass a timely fix, Medicare already has implemented the 21% cut, retroactive to June 1, and TRICARE will do so next month.

The House has the power to limit the damage by prompt action to pass H.R. 3962. Further delay will only cause more doctors to stop accepting Medicare and TRICARE patients.

Seniors and military beneficiaries deserve better than being treated as pawns in political games that put their health care access at risk.

Your action is needed NOW!

Please send your U.S. Representative a MOAA-prepared message to stop the politics and minimize the health care access damage, by passing H.R. 3962 now and working other political issues separately.