MOAA continued its work on the front line of the fight over proposed Arlington National Cemetery eligibility changes as a featured participant in an investigation by a Washington, D.C.-based TV station into the issue.

“I’ve gotten phone calls from some pretty distraught retirees and some veterans who are absolutely surprised” at a proposal that could force thousands of 20-year retirees to change their long-held plans for a final resting place, said Lt. Col. Mark Belinsky, USA (Ret), MOAA’s director of Government Relations for currently serving and retired affairs in an interview with WRC-TV, the capital region’s NBC affiliate.

The report shared the story of Capt. Kathi Dugan, USN (Ret), a Life Member of MOAA whose access to an Arlington burial could be taken away by plans set for an early 2022 release.

“I feel this was a sacred promise that they need to honor,” Dugan said in the report, which aired Nov. 5.

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Congress to Preserve Arlington National Cemetery Eligibility for 20-Year Retirees]

MOAA has worked to head off these proposed changes since their 2019 proposal. Among many concerns, the proposed rules:

• Would discriminate against many who risked their lives for our nation – on submarine or bomber crews, for instance – whose service made them unlikely to receive the awards necessary to qualify for interment under the proposed guidelines. They would specifically disqualify women who served before they were eligible for many combat roles.
  
  
• Would not grandfather in those already eligible, forcing some 20-year retirees to change burial plans late in life.
  
  
• Would rush changes to eligibility instead of focusing on Arlington National Cemetery expansion and the creation of a second national cemetery offering full military honors – both of which could be accomplished in time to allow existing rules to stay in place as more space became available.

NDAA Action

The House version of the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would require a joint DoD/VA report on the next national cemetery by March 2022, but it would not force any delays or changes to the new eligibility proposal. However, a Senate NDAA amendment (SA 4297) put forward by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) asks for the same report within a year and mandates no changes “to the revised interment criteria … until the Secretary [of Defense] has submitted the report required. …”

This Senate language offers the best chance to stop these changes in the short-term and provide a long-term solution as part of expansion plans and efforts at creating our next national cemetery. Ask your legislators to join the fight – senators must ensure the amendment reaches their chamber’s NDAA version, and House and Senate members of the upcoming conference committee will need to include it in the final bill.

For veterans like Dugan, this may be the last legislative opportunity to ensure the changes don’t take effect. Make your voice heard today.