Cuts are coming – and they will not be fun. But did you know that YOU can have a say?
Perhaps you’ve heard of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission (MCRMC). These folks were tasked by Congress with coming up with military quality of life and budget recommendations to be presented to the President and Congress in February of 2015.
“Modernization” is probably a fancy word for “cutting,” although we won’t know that for sure until they present their findings. Basically, the nine members of this commission are going to make the call on what benefits stay, what (if any) benefits go and how the ones left behind look at the end of the day. And if Congress listens to them – which many lawmakers have said they will – and the president agrees, those cuts will become law.
The good news is that these decisions are not happening in a vacuum. The members of this commission and their staff take seriously hearing input from those their cuts would impact. That’s why they meet regularly with military professional organizations – and it’s why they sent observers to our Military.com National Spouse Summit May 6.
But you don’t just have to be a member of a professional organization or attend the Spouse Summit to get their attention. You may be able to attend a hearing at your local base -- upcoming stops include Tampa, Fla. and Fayetteville, N.C. and you can see the full upcoming schedule here.
Don’t live somewhere they are going or already missed their visit to your area? You can also submit your comment on their surprisingly easy to navigate website. But be warned: your comment and submission could be posted publicly.
As a military family member it is easy to feel helpless and isolated when big decisions are made by the Powers That Be. But remember the #KeepYourPromise movement that started late last year? By banding together and making strategic noise, military spouses made a huge – HUGE! – difference and helped get the law instituting a 1 percent cost of living allowance pay cut on retirees repealed.
The MCRMC is another chance for you to make a difference.
