Center of Innovation on Disability & Rehab Research (CINDRR)
Dr. Scott Receives Prestigious MOAA Award
MOAA Leadership and 2016 award recipients, including Dr. Steven Scott, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, Florida, second from right.
The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) recognized five supporters of the military community with the association's highest awards on Capitol Hill in April, 2016. Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dana T. Atkins, president and CEO of MOAA, and retired Air Force Gen. Tony Robertson, MOAA chairman of the board, presented the awards at a ceremony signaling the start of the association's annual "Storming the Hill" advocacy event. (http://www.moaa.org/storming/)
Reps. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), and Joe Heck (R-Nev.), chairman of the HASC Subcommittee on Military Personnel, received the Col. Arthur T. Marix Congressional Leadership Award for their strong leadership advocacy to sustain fair compensation and benefits for the uniformed services community.
Chief Terrence M. Cunningham, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), accepted the MOAA Distinguished Service Award recognizing the IACP for outstanding efforts to reintegrate returning veterans into civilian law-enforcement positions.
Dr. Steven Scott, chief of Rehabilitation Medicine and director, Polytrauma Center, James A Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, Fla., also received the Distinguished Service Award, in recognition of his leadership role in improving the lives of America's ill, injured, and disabled veterans and their families.
Scott acknowledged his parents, who were in attendance. His father served in the South Pacific during World War II, while his mother's brother flew 31 missions as part of a B-17 crew. Scott shared three insights he realized during the course of his career serving veterans with war-related injuries: 1) listen to veterans; 2) be flexible and innovative; and 3) make connections. Scott cited the MOAA Tampa (Fla.) Chapter's Operation Helping Hand as an example of the benefits of the latter.
MOAA's Distinguished Service Award has been presented since 1997 to organizations or individuals not in Congress who have greatly aided people who served in the U.S. armed forces.
Bob Simmons, majority staff director for the House Armed Services Committee, was recognized with MOAA's Colonel Paul W. Arcari Meritorious Service Award for his initiative and strong advocacy to sustain fair compensation and benefits for the uniformed services community. This is Simmons' second time receiving the Arcari award.
