As part of the MOAA AiA Summer Program, MOAA’s President has listed three priorities.  These affect veterans and servicemembers and their families right now, and where meaningful progress is within reach this congressional session.  These priorities are:

•  Expanding the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to military spouses. WOTC expired at the end of 2025. Reauthorizing it — and adding military spouses as an eligible group — would give employers a meaningful incentive to hire a population that has faced stubbornly high unemployment for more than a decade.
• Restoring GLP-1 coverage for TRICARE For Life (TFL) beneficiaries. In August 2025, TRICARE ended coverage of GLP-1 medications for TFL beneficiaries being treated for obesity-related conditions. Thousands of retirees are now paying out of pocket or going without treatments that were improving their health.
• Supporting combat-injured veterans with the Major Richard Star Act. Combat-injured veterans who were medically retired before reaching 20 years of service currently lose a dollar of earned retirement pay for every dollar of VA disability compensation they receive. Legislation to correct that injustice has strong bipartisan support and multiple paths forward in Congress.

MOAA asks every member to participate in their digital campaign. Sending a message through MOAA’s Legislative Action Center takes just a few minutes, but it adds your voice to a chorus Congress cannot ignore heading into an election year.

Within Ohio legislative actions, Senate Bill 92: Homestead Exemption for Totally Disabled Veterans is in the Senate Committee.   This bill will provide a total property tax exemption for the homesteads of totally disabled veterans and qualifying spouses.  The bill remains in the Senate Ways and Means Committee, where it received its first hearing on February 18, 2025.

As an aside, I encourage you to join me help veterans at the Summit County Stand Down on September 15.  You can sign up for morning or afternoon shifts, or both.  Breakfast and lunch are provided for you and the veterans.  For more information go online to Home – Lauras Summit County Stand Down at https://summitcountystanddown.org/