AFSA Chapter 985

AFSA Chapter 985 members, there are three bills in the House right now that deserve your attention.  Thank you to SSgt Tiffany Gordon for bringing them to our attention.

Many of you have heard me compare being a member of AFSA to brushing your teeth every day.  You don’t wait for your teeth to start falling out to start brushing your teeth, so don’t wait until you need one of these benefits to start fighting for them.  Please call, write, or e-mail your elected officials and ask them to support this legislation.

Visit the AFSA HQ letter constructor for help on writing the letter. [Read more →]

The 14 November AFSA Newsletter is available.

The membership of American Legion Post 73, Del City, OK recently voted and approved to offer free first year membership in Post 73 to active duty personnel and individuals that have been separated from active duty for no more than one year.  Post 73 is located at 5000 SE 24th, Del City.  The Post is open Wednesday thru Sunday and has many community and social activities for all veterans. If this is something you might be interested in, stop by with your military ID or DD214 (discharge from active duty) to prove eligibility.  The American Legion provides a variety of services to the local community and assistance to active military personnel and veterans.  There are also many organized social activities such as dart teams, shuffle board teams, pool tournaments and big screen TV football frenzies on Saturdays and Sundays.  Formal Post meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month at 1830 hrs.  Entrance to the Post is on the Southside of the building.

Chapter 985 members, the monthly General Membership meeting will be held on 13 November, at 1130 in the Tinker Club.

Here are the General Membership meeting minutes from October and the Executive Council minutes from November for your review, as well as the November legislative report.  We will be voting on acceptance of these minutes during the meeting.

Here is the Reader’s Digest version for those that don’t want to read the minutes: [Read more →]

Please view the attachment for information on a veteran benefit forum, held by staffers from two legislators offices in Midwest City.  They will be talking about services and benefits of veterans.  They will also have some representatives that may be able to help if you are having any problems with the VA or other military related problems.

Enjoy your veteran’s day, you’ve certainly earned it!

AFSA members, here is the legislative report for November.  You’ve been keeping up with the Presidential election, but what about local issues?  Have you heard about the Golden Corral free dinner?  How about changes to your ability to buy out-of-state wines?  There is a lot of information in this report, so enjoy!

Thank you to Mike Devenitch for preparing it, just in time for Veteran’s Day.

Ladies and gentlemen, please take a look through the November 7th AFSA Newsletter, all the way to the bottom.  As usual, there is a lot of good information contained in it, and the staff has done an excellent job putting it together.  We can only imagine what changes will be coming our way, and the best way to affect those changes is by being a member of a professional organization that is chartered to lobby on your behalf.  There are only seven of the existing 347 professional organizations with that ability, and the AFSA is one of them.  Not just one, but the best one, and the only one that focuses solely on the benefits and quality of life for Air Force enlisted members, past and present.  It’s not just about staying informed, it’s also about staying involved and your membership does that.

Have a great weekend!

As many of you know, the chapter’s fundraising efforts for the year take place between Thanksgiving and Christmas in the form of gift wrapping at the Tinker AFB BX.  This year is no different and the planning efforts are in full gear, being led by SSgt Tasha Sheerin (736-2820) and SSgt Tiffany Gordon (736-2225).  December will be very busy and we need many more volunteers to fill the available 3-hour time slots.  Please review the link for the volunteer list on Gift Wrap page and contact Tasha or Tiffany to volunteer for the times that are open.  Without the volunteer efforts of chapter members and supporters we would be unable to sponsor so many of the programs throughout the year.  When selecting a time slot, please keep in mind that uniforms, including PT gear, are not allowed while wrapping gifts.  Also, make sure your supervisor knows when you’re working so you can receive recognition for your efforts.  Bring along a family member or friend and get credit for all the time slots you are responsible for!  Thank you for your support and volunteer spirit that keeps our chapter strong, and of course thank you for becoming and remaining a member of AFSA!

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, on 27 October announced the national rollout of the agency’s Compassionate Allowances initiative, a way to expedite the processing of disability claims for applicants whose medical conditions are so severe that their conditions obviously meet Social Security’s standards.  Compassionate Allowances is the second piece of the agency’s two-track, fast-track system for certain disability claims.  When combined with the agency’s Quick Disability Determination process, and once fully implemented, this two-track system could result in six to nine percent of disability claims, the cases for as much as a quarter million people, being decided in an average of six to eight days.

Please see the attachment for details.

AN ELECTRONIC MESSAGE FROM YOUR MIDWEST CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The Oklahoma County Election Board is accepting Absentee votes for Tuesday’s General Election.

You must go IN PERSON to their office located at 4201 N. Lincoln Blvd. to vote early.

Absentee voting is available ONLY:

• Friday, October 31st  8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
• Saturday, November 1st  8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
• Monday, November 3rd  8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.