Retired military veterans volunteering for each other

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  A small cadre of personnel at the Hanscom Retiree Activities Office volunteer their time to assist retired military veterans of all branches of service, and their spouses, navigate the benefits they've earned after a career in uniform.

These retiree counselors provide general information and referral on a wide range of issues such as retiree pay and benefits, ID card renewal, will-making and much more to an estimated 130,000 retirees living in the six-state New England and New York region.

"Most of what we provide to retirees is general information on benefits," said retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ed Omiccioli, director of the Retiree Activities Office, who is 87 years old and has been volunteering for 16 years in the office. "Many retired veterans are unaware of the full scope of benefits provided to them upon retirement, and that's what they come to us in search of."

It can also be to explain survivor benefits to a spouse after a military retiree passes away.

"Too often we have surviving spouses of a recently deceased retiree standing in our doorway concerned they don't have military benefits any longer," said retired U.S. Marine Corps Capt.  Dean Mottard, assistant director of the Retiree Activities Officer, who is 71 years old and has been volunteering at Hanscom for more than six years. "This is when I feel we are at our best in terms of assisting those who come to us."

Both men began volunteering in the office after they searched for answers to their own retiree questions.

"After my questions were answered, I thought maybe I could help other veterans with their questions," said Omiccioli.

The director notes that while the office is called Retiree Activities Office, they often field questions from veterans who served in the military but have not retired.

"We help everyone by connecting them to those they need to talk to," said Omiccioli. "Every situation is unique. By providing the information to talk directly to the agency they need to speak with allows the retiree to get a faster resolution."

Another common issue they help with is assisting a generation of retirees who may not be familiar with computers.

"Many military pay and personnel actions are done by computer now," said Mottard. "That can be troublesome for some retirees who either don't have a computer or aren't familiar with them. Our team of volunteers can help them with that."

And while many of the volunteers are retirees themselves, volunteering is not exclusive to only those who have retired.

"Some of our volunteers are spouses of retirees or retired from civil service," Omiccioli said.

For those interested in giving their time one day a month or more, the Hanscom Retiree Activities Office is in search of volunteers. To learn more, contact Omiccioli at 781-225-1310.

The RAO is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In addition, the Air Force offers a website for retirees where they can stay informed. Information on creating a myPERS account, DD214 requests, retired pay and benefits information and more can be found at www.retirees.af.mil/. 

For further information on Hanscom's Retiree Activities Office, visit http://www.hanscom.af.mil/rao/index.asp