The mission of the Illinois Council of Chapters is: to promote the aims of The Military Officers Association of America, to further the legislative and other objects of The Military Officers Association of America, to protect the rights and interests and to provide expert advice and guidance to our members who come from every branch of service, and include active duty, retired, National Guard, Reserve, former officers, and their families, to assist in the formation of new chapters of The Military Officers Association of America in the State of Illinois, and to provide assistance to member chapters enabling them to effectively serve their members, their communities and our great nation.

MOAA and its Chapters welcome any active, reserve, retired, or former office of America’s Uniformed Services.  If you were or are an officer in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space, Coast Guard, Public Health, or NOAA, you are eligible for membership in MOAA.  Information on how to become a MOAA member can be found at www.moaa.org and for your local Chapter by clicking here to view the Illinois Chapters Map and County Listing.

The Illinois Council of Chapters has no chapter meetings, per se. Council members attend selected local chapter meetings on a quarterly basis and subsequently conduct Council meetings at these host sites. The Council president and vice president attend as many chapter meetings as their schedules permit. Illinois has four (4) active MOAA chapters that meet and serve their geographic regions. 

A listing of those chapters and the region they serve can be found by  clicking here. Each Chapter sets its own meeting schedule that meets their membership needs.  Meetings often include informational presentations along with service-related camaraderie. 

Local Chapters engage in support of ROTC and JROTC programs, community outreach especially those helping veterans, and fund raising for local & national scholarships

Each year, generally in the April timeframe, Council presidents from around the country participate in the MOAA-sponsored, “Advocacy in Action” event held in Washington DC. During this event, MOAA members meet with all 535 senators and representatives soliciting legislator support for national issues and initiatives effecting America’s veterans. COVID restrictions necessitated conducting this event virtually in 2020, 2021 and 2022.  This year’s topics were: the Major Richard Star Act supporting 50,300 combat-injured veterans, Stop Copay Overpay Act to reform TRICARE mental health copays, and Support of a 4.6% Military Pay Raise keeping our servicemembers’ wages competitive. The Council point of contact for legislative affairs is: Col Richard V. Smith, USAF (Ret) who may be reached at:  smithrv75@gmail.com

Illinois Counci of Chapters Website:  http://ilcouncilmoaa.org

The Illinois Council of Chapters of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) is comprised of the presidents and appointed members of the Illinois MOAA Chapters located throughout the state. Specific Chapter locations are shown in the “Information on Joining the Chapter” section of this website. The Council serves as a conduit for information and support to the local Chapters.  Council members serve on various state and local veteran service organizations (VSO) in addition to being the MOAA “voice” when meeting with state, local, and national officials. There are more than 5,000 MOAA members in Illinois who continue to serve as they advocate for this state’s 60,000 plus veterans. The Council meets tri-annually, oftentimes at dates and locations coinciding with a hosting chapter’s meeting. This allows Council members the opportunity to visit Chapter members across the state.

Illinois Council of Chapter's Website:

http://ilcouncilmoaa.org