Ozark Empire Chapter Newsletter

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This months words from the Chapter President - March 2026

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Thank you to everyone who attended the February 20 meeting. Don Wolfinger, Missouri Council of Chapters President, and Denny Garner, Surviving Spouse Liaison, St. Louis Chapter, also traveled in to attend the meeting.

The gradual decrease in attendance, as well as difficulty identifying new candidates for officer positions on our Chapter Board, prompted this discussion. Following a good discussion, a vote was taken and passed by acclamation, to continue meeting monthly for the remainder of 2026 and move to quarterly meetings in 2027, during which time further decisions can be made regarding the OEMOAA Chapter.

Don Wolfinger reminded us that the primary reason MOAA exists is to lobby for maintaining the benefits that are currently in place for retirees AND active duty personnel. MOAA is the largest advocacy group for the military. He further stressed that our local chapters are important in being able to reach legislators in our areas to keep these issues in front of them, and hopefully moving forward.

There is a copy of the minutes of this meeting, on the following page of this newsletter.

We will soon be sending out proposed revisions to our Chapter Bylaws in accordance with changes voted on and approved at our February meeting. Copies of the proposed revisions will be circulated at the March meeting and a vote will be held at the May meeting.

Evangel University has reached out, regarding a Veteran Valor event, which will take place on April 17. Although this date conflicts with our scheduled meeting, several members have attended in the past and found this event worthwhile. The event itself consists of a very nice lunch and speaker, with an optional chapel service preceding. The chapel service is scheduled to begin at 0945, in the main chapel on the Evangel University campus, with lunch following at 1130, directly behind the chapel. A vote was taken, that passed by acclamation, to cancel our usual chapter meeting in April, allowing people to attend this event instead. A registration form is attached for this event, as they need a head count for the luncheon as provided. Registration can be done online, via this link

From MOAA Affiliated Councils and Chapters received on Friday, February 20. A rule was quickly rescinded that could have impacted veterans on disability. Veterans’ advocates stated the rule could have allowed the VA to lower disability ratings (and compensation) for veterans whose conditions are controlled or improved by medication. Such a rule could lead to unintended consequences and may not account for a medication’s side effects or other ways a veteran’s daily life may be impacted by their ailments or their treatment.
More information will be forthcoming in a future Newsletter regarding top Advocacy In Action (AIA) priorities.

For all who are Premium or Life members of MOAA, a free Survivor’s Planning Guide is available for download. It can be obtained at www.moaa.org.

As always, our newsletter is freely available on the chapter website: www.oemoaa.org as well as via email to all members. If anyone wishes to receive this newsletter via US Mail, please make that known to a Board Member or the Newsletter Editor, and we will be happy to accommodate.

Becky Hutchings, President