Thousands of supporters have used MOAA’s Legislative Action Center to ask their lawmakers to preserve the military health care benefit. This Virtual Storm sends a clear message to our leaders, but MOAA members and others can emphasize the importance of this issue by reaching out in other ways.

“COVID-19 limits our in-office time with these legislators, but that doesn’t mean we should avoid direct communication,” said Col. Dan Merry, USAF (Ret), MOAA’s vice president for government relations. “Lawmakers know their constituents have a vested interest in issues when they take the time to engage with their offices personally. Your lawmaker needs to know how important this care is to you and your family. That can start with a simple phone call.”

[LEARN MORE: Virtual Storming the Hill 2020]

Along with letter-writing options, MOAA’s Legislative Action Center provides a walk-through on calling your lawmaker. Supporters who click his link will get:

• Easy access to phone numbers for all their representatives.
  
  
• Talking points to engage staffers, or the lawmakers themselves, on what they can do to stop medical billet reductions and military treatment facility (MTF) reorganization.
  
  
• A brief feedback section to inform MOAA of your interaction.
  
  

Why take the extra time? Re-evaluating military medical reforms in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic will strengthen your earned benefit and ensure continued access to high-quality care for you and your family. Without action from Congress, these reforms – based on outdated and incomplete analyses – could weaken a system already stressed by pandemic response efforts.

More Ways to Help

If you’ve already made phone calls and sent letters, there are still more ways to support the Virtual Storm:

Join a Chapter. Not a member of your local group? Find it here. Chapters offer relied-upon grassroots support for all MOAA advocacy efforts, but they’re even more important now as lawmakers and staffs spend more time in their districts, and as planned reductions in services to dozens of MTFs bring this issue to a local level.

Activate Your Network. Send the links above to friends, co-workers, fellow officers, or anyone else who will be affected by this reform effort. They can make a difference regardless of their digital comfort level: Older retirees may prefer phone options, while currently serving members and their families will be well-versed in spreading the word on social media. Speaking of…

Get Social. Use the hashtag #MOAAStorms in your messages about this issue – it’ll help others see and amplify what you’ve written. Send out the links above to followers and friends.  Follow MOAA on Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms for the latest information. Already on Twitter, but not sure what to say? Send this Tweet now.

Stay in Touch. Sign up for The MOAA Newsletter to ensure you have the latest information on this issue and other MOAA advocacy efforts. Have questions? Reach out to MOAA's Member Support Center at msc@moaa.org or call (800) 234-6622.

“Your efforts, including phone calls, send an unmistakable message to your legislators,” Merry said. “It tells them you are impacted and are committed to doing something about it.”