moaacfc2021

Upcoming Florida Election Registration Dates

Every two years, a state Primary Election is held 11 weeks before the General Election. The Primary Election is for the purpose of nominating party nominees to be voted for in the General Election to fill a national, state, county, or district office. A General Election is held on the second Tuesday in November of every even-numbered year.

Election Dates for 2022 are:

  • Primary Election: August 23
  • General Election: November 8

Contact your county Supervisor of Elections for the most up-to-date information.

Deadline to Register (Book Closing)

Eligible individuals can register to vote at any time. The deadline to register in order to participate in an upcoming election is 29 days before the election. The registration deadlines for 2022 are:

  • Primary Election: July 25
  • General Election: October 11

Vote-by-Mail Ballot ‘Send’ Deadline

State law requires Supervisors of Elections to send, within the following specified timeframes, to voters who already have requests on file:

For absent stateside and overseas uniformed service member and overseas civilian voters (also known as UOCAVA voters), Supervisors of Elections send the ballots no later than 45 days before an election. The send deadlines for 2022 are:

  • Primary Election: July 9
  • General Election: September 24

For domestic voters, Supervisors of Elections send the ballots during a 7-day window which is between 40 and 33 days before an election. The send periods for 2022 are:

  • Primary Election: July 14 – 21
  • General Election: September 29 – October 6

Vote-by-Mail Ballot Request and Return Deadlines The deadline to request that a vote-by-mail ballot be mailed is no later than 5:00 p.m. (local time) on the 10th day before the election. The deadlines for 2022 are:

  • Primary Election: August 13
  • General Election: October 29

A vote-by-mail ballot must be returned and received by the Supervisor of Elections in the county of registration no later than 7:00 p.m. (local time) on election day for the respective election in order to be counted.

*A 10-day extension exists only for overseas voters for the Presidential Preference Primary and General Election only.

For more information about voting by mail, visit the Division of Elections’ webpages Vote-by-Mail and Military and Overseas Citizens Voting.

Early Voting Period

By law, early voting must be held at least for 8 days. The mandatory early voting periods for 2022 are:

  • Primary Election: August 13 – 20
  • General Election: October 29 – November 5

Each county Supervisor of Elections may offer more days of early voting from one or more of the following days:

  • Primary Election: August 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 21
  • General Election: October 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and November 6

Check with your county Supervisor of Elections for the additional days of early voting that may be offered in your county. For more information about early voting, visit the Division of Elections’ webpage on Early Voting.

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Educational Opportunities for Disabled Veterans

SB 554 Substituted for HB 45- -HOUSE Enrolled Text (ER) Filed Beginning with the 2022-2023 academic year, a disabled veteran who receives a tuition benefit to attend a state university, Florida College System institution, career center operated by a school district, or charter technical career center under the GI Bill, but who does not qualify for the 100-percent eligibility tier federally, is eligible for a waiver of tuition and fees from the institution attended. The award amount is equal to the amount that is the difference between the portion of tuition and fees authorized under federal law and the full amount of tuition and fees charged by the institution attended

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Department of Veterans Affairs

Newly Enacted Service-Connected Benefits

Dear Veteran,
You may be eligible for newly enacted service-connected benefits.

Over the course of the last six months, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has begun processing service-connected disability claims for six new presumptive conditions related to environmental exposures during military service. We request your help in making more Veterans aware of these newly added presumptive conditions to help them file a claim and obtain any earned benefits.

In May 2021, VA started implementing provisions of the William M. Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA), adding bladder cancer, hypothyroidism and Parkinsonism to the list of medical conditions presumptively associated with exposure to Agent Orange. A few months later VA added asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis (to include rhinosinusitis) on a presumptive basis based on particulate matter exposures during military service in Southwest Asia and certain other areas.

Any Veteran who was previously denied service-connection for any of these six conditions but had symptoms manifest within
10 years of military service would need to file a supplemental claim. Be sure to use VA Form 20-0995, Decision Review Request: Supplemental Claim when filing. The claim form should include the name of the condition and specify that the condition is being claimed due to in-service exposure to environmental hazards.

VA is committed to assisting Veterans who may have been exposed to hazardous materials during their military service.

Be sure to stay plugged in to www.va.gov for the most recent developments around environmental exposures during military service, as VA is constantly conducting research and surveillance as well as reviewing scientific literature for conditions that may be related to exposure during military service.

For more information about VA benefits and eligibility, or how to file a claim, Veterans and survivors can visit VA’s website at www.va.gov or call toll-free at 1-800-827-1000.

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DOD Seal

Defense Dept Announces Cost of Living Increase Retired Pay

The Department of Defense announced annual cost of living adjustments that will benefit military retirees and survivors during calendar year 2022. Most military retirees will receive a 5.9 percent increase to their retired pay beginning with the pay they receive on January 1, 2022, which is the largest such increase since 1982. Likewise, survivors of members who died on active or inactive duty, or survivors of military retirees who participated in the Survivor Benefit Plan will, in most cases, see a 5.9 percent increase to their annuities beginning in January.
Survivors who are eligible for the Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance (SSIA) will also receive an increase to their SSIA payments that reflects this 5.9 percent adjustment. The maximum amount of SSIA payable will be $346 beginning in January, although some survivors may receive less in SSIA as the Department of Defense continues to implement the phased reduction in the Survivor Benefit Plan – Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) offset, as enacted by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.
These cost of living adjustments are calculated based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for the four quarters ending with the third calendar quarter of 2021 (July, August, and September 2021), and generally go into effect for all pay received beginning in January 2022.
Those military retirees who retired during calendar year 2021, and all military retirees who retired under the REDUX retirement system may receive a slightly different annual cost of living adjustment. The complete list of updates to military retired and retainer pay, and survivor annuities, allowances, and premiums can be found at https://militarypay.defense.gov/Pay/Retirement/Cola.aspx.

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MOAA National

Membership and Mission of MOAA

The National Military Officer’s Association of America (MOAA) and affiliated Councils and Chapters are non-partisan and encourages active engagement to understand legislative issues and the stance of officials to inform MOAA membership during elections. The last page of this newsletter will always be a Central Florida Chapter (CFC) membership application for your use to recruit new members. MOAA’s greatest mission is to improve the lives of those who serve, and their families. The larger our numbers, the greater our voice. All commissioned and warrant officers of the Uniformed Services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, U.S. Public Health Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the reserve and other components of these services (regular members), and their surviving spouses are eligible for MOAA membership. If you know of an eligible veteran, please print and cut out the membership application form and ask the veteran to join up and become a member of your Central Florida Chapter!

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