Midway USA, Chapter 16 - Salina, Kansas

PRESIDENT’s COMMENTS:   Welcome to the New Year and may all the Hopes and aspirations of our membership be realized during this New Year of 2017. The goal that I set for myself for last year was only partially completed in that we gained a few members and lost members. We need a program that will retain present and regain past members. The Chapter budget requires some fine tuning so we can establish attainable goals within the abilities of our group.  We need extra monetary revenue and most of all members who will get out and work on gaining new members. The storage unit costed us $513.00 for the year. We must figure out what organizations we would like to contribute to along with a set amount to write the checks for. So please take a hard look at our budget and provide feedback. You are all one of the Finest Groups I have had the Pleasure of being a member of. I thank you for all you have done for me. You have helped me and guided me in ways you will not ever know and I thank the Good Lord for allowing me to be your PRESIDENT. Richard (Dick) Trow

TAPS:  Morris Tabor, retired USA (E-8) passed away Dec 29, 2016 at the Kansas Veterans Home, Winfield. Keep the Tabor family in your thoughts and prayers.

 DEVOTION FOR: Virginia Whitman, Taft Yates Sr., and Abe Holzmeister.

REMINDER:  Please remember to renew your TREA membership ASAP. MEMBERSHIP BY SERVICES SCOREBOARD: USA-21, USAF-29, USMC-4, USN-4 and ASSOCIATES-5 Memberships in jeopardy: 3    TOTAL MEMBERSHIP as of Dec 28th, 63. Article XVII Chapters, Section 2 (Affiliation) of the National TREA HQ Bylaws states:  Minimum Members to Maintain Chapter - 24 Regular Members, 10 TREA Members at Meetings, cannot fall Below 15 for more than 3 Months.  We desperately need your support by you attending our membership meetings to meet this requirement.  Hence, when the membership of a chapter drops below 15 regular members and remains below 15 for a period of three months, notice of suspension or revocation of the chapter charter will be given in accordance with Article XVII, Section 5, of the National Bylaws.

 JANUARY BIRTHDAYS:  William Berndt (USAF) and Russell Carter (USM).

ANNIVERSARY:   Belated Congratulations to Abe and Pauline Holzmeister on their 60th wedding Anniversary (12/06/2016).

BE PREPARED: Winter weather in Kansas can change quickly so equip your vehicles with storm kits. Here are a few items to consider:  Blankets or sleeping bags, High-calorie, non-perishable food,  Flashlight with extra batteries, First-aid kit, Knife, Extra clothing to keep dry, Shovel, Windshield scraper and brush, Tool kit, Jumper cables,  Compass, Tissues,  Wipes,  Bottled water.

DECEMBER MEETING TIBITS: Wardene Stewart won an attendance $20 gift card. Guest speaker was Tom Caldwell, Vice President Central Kansas Flywheels Museum. He spoked about the history of the Central Kansas Flywheels Museum, its hours of operations, and the historical items on display at the museum.  He answered questions and received a Chapter Certification of Appreciation. Other guests were Marnie Rhein, Executive Director Salina Access TV, and Deb Cunningham Administrative Assistant Salina Access TV. The two guests from Access TV received a Chapter Appreciation Plaque. Discussed were chapter Plans and Budget for 2017. For the January meeting, all members were encouraged to bring their ideas/suggestions on chapter improvements. Bill Vinyard stated that he had received a phone call from Ron and Betty Brown in Louisiana and they said to say hello to everyone. Russell Carter volunteered to accept the Treasurer position. B. Vinyard presented to Wardene and Moses Stewart and Shirley Wagner Certificates of Appreciation from the Fort Riley Retiree Council for their donations to the Retiree Appreciation Day event.

DID YOU KNOW:  The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 is a bipartisan legislation signed into law on April 16, 2015. One of the issues this bill does, it requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to remove SSNs from all Medi­care cards by April 2019. A new, randomly generated Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) will replace the SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Number on the new Medicare cards for Medicare transactions like billing, eligibility status and claim status.

2017 CRDP/CRSC Open Season Announcement: According to Defense Finance Accounting Service (DFAS), the 2017 Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) and Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) Open Season is Jan. 1-31, 2017. Retirees who are eligible for both CRDP/ CRSC will receive an Open Season Letter with the amount of their entitlements. Please follow the instructions on the letter. Only return the letter to DFAS to change your election for 2017. Your election must be post-marked by January 31, 2017. Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) and CRDP). DFAS phone number 1-800-321-1080

HAPPY NEW YEAR WISH QUOTE: A New Year is like a blank book, the pen is in your hands, it’s your chance to write a beautiful story for yourself, Happy New Year 2017.