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P.34
OPEN SEASON: PREMIUMS
P.60
CONVENTION REPORT
COVER STORY
Volume 92 • Number 11
UNIONS’ BALANCING ACT Collaborative When Possible,
Combative If Necessary
P.26
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Call Beltone at 1-888-683-2583 to schedule your complimentary hearing screening, today! *The insured may need to submit for reimbursement. State and/or local taxes may apply. Prices and products subject to change. Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan will pay a hearing aid benefit up to $2,500 every 3 calendar years for adults age 22 and over, and up to a $2,500 total per calendar year for members up to age 22. Do not rely on this communication piece alone for complete benefit information. All benefits are subject to the definitions, limitations, and exclusions in your Service Benefit Plan brochure. The Blue365® Discount Program offers access to savings on items that you may purchase directly from independent vendors, which may be different from items covered under your Service Benefit Plan or any other applicable federal healthcare program. For hearing aids, acupuncture, chiropractic and vision services, you must exhaust your Service Benefit Plan benefits first. To find out what is covered under your policy, contact the Service Benefit Plan. The products and services described herein are neither offered not guaranteed under any local Blue company’s contract with the Medicare program. In addition, these items are not subject to the Medicare appeals process. Any disputes regarding these products and services are not subject to the Service Benefit Plan’s Disputed Claims process. Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) may receive payments from Blue365 vendors. Neither the Service Benefit Plan, BCBSA, nor any local Blue company recommends, endorses, warrants or guarantees any specific Blue365 vendor or item. The Service Benefit Plan reserves the right to change, modify, or terminate any item and vendors made available through Blue365, at any time. Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is an association of independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield Companies. State and local taxes and/or fees may apply. Available at participating locations until December 31, 2016.
NOV
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WASHINGTON WATCH
6
Shutdown Avoided, Congress Leaves Until After Election Day
7
NARFE: Congress Must Act on Disproportionate Medicare Increases
8
NARFE Continues To Push for Action on Federal Long-Term Care Program
9
OPM Seeks Annuitant Input in FEHBP Survey
10 Take Your Advocacy to the Next Level
11
Legislative Conference Registration Form
12 NARFE Bill Tracker
26
COLUMNS
COVER STORY FEDERAL UNIONS’ BALANCING ACT. In the federal sector, organized labor is collaborative at times and combative at times. And unlike in the private sector, unions are growing.
4 From the President 50 Managing Money 52 The Informed Citizen DEPARTMENTS
CONVENTION COVERAGE. Historic decisions were made at the 34th Biennial NARFE National Convention. Read all about it!
16 Questions & Answers 54 For the Record:
60
TSP Returns, Retirement Claims Status, Countdown to COLA
56 NARFE News 68 The Way We Worked On the Web
SPECIAL SECTIONS
34 Open Season:
VISIT US ONLINE AT:
2017 Premiums
www.narfe.org
60 Convention Report
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK:
NARFE National Headquarters FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:
@narfehq
ON THE COVER
Illustration by Bill Pragluski, Critical Stages, LLC W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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NOVEMBER 2016 | Volume 92 | Number 11
EDITOR Margaret M. Carter EDITORIAL ADMINISTRATOR Toni Vallario GRAPHIC DESIGN Charlene Gridley
National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association NATIONAL OFFICERS RICHARD G. THISSEN, President; natpres@narfe.org JON DOWIE, Secretary/Treasurer; natsectreas@narfe.org
EDITORIAL BOARD Richard G. Thissen, Jon Dowie REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS EDITORIAL OFFICE: narfe magazine 606 North Washington St. Alexandria, VA 22314-1914 Phone: 703-838-7760 Fax: 703-838-7781 Email: communications@narfe.org ADVERTISING SALES: Warren Berger Media People Inc. 122 East 42nd St., Suite 1622 New York, NY 10168 Phone: 212-779-7172, ext. 223 Email: wberger@mediapeople.com
NARFE FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED ON THE TELEPHONE: This publication can be heard on the telephone by persons who have trouble seeing or reading the print edition. For more information, contact the National Federation of the Blind NFB-NEWSLINE® service at 866-5047300 or go to www.nfbnewsline.org. ON DIGITAL AUDIO: Issues of narfe magazine are also available in audio format through the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS). For availability, call 202-727-2142 or your local NLS service provider.
The Association, since July 1970, has been classified by the IRS as a tax-exempt labor organization [not a union]; however, dues and gifts or contributions to the Association are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes.
REGION I James P. Crawford (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont) TEL: 603-630-5191 EMAIL: crawfordjim62@gmail.com REGION II Evelyn Kirby (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania) TEL: 410-604-1141 EMAIL: ekirby@atlanticbb.net REGION III Clarence Robinson (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands) CELL: 404-312-8028 EMAIL: crobin8145@att.net REGION IV Edward J. Konys (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin) TEL: 937-470-0566 EMAIL: region4vp@gmail.com REGION V Carol R. Ek (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota) TEL: 620-241-1131, CELL: 620-504-2202 EMAIL: ek617@att.net
HERE’S HOW TO CONTACT US… TO JOIN NARFE OR TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP:
CALL (TOLL-FREE) 800-627-3394 OR GO TO www.narfe.org
REGION VI Marshall L. Richards (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Republic of Panama and Texas) TEL: 903-660-2784 EMAIL: pappysdad@cobridge.tv REGION VII Rodney L. Adelman (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) TEL: 623-505-4719 EMAIL: narfe7vp@cox.net REGION VIII Helen L. Zajac (California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada and Republic of Philippines) TEL: 707-644-7565 EMAIL: HLZajac125@gmail.com REGION IX Richard Wilson (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington) TEL: 253-210-5609, CELL: 425-736-6899 EMAIL: narfe1404@comcast.net REGION X William Shackelford (Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia) TEL: 703-830-6590, CELL: 703-201-6304 EMAIL: wshack1951@aol.com
TO REACH A FEDERAL BENEFITS SPECIALIST:
EMAIL fedbenefits@narfe.org NARFE HEADQUARTERS
TO CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER OR EMAIL LISTING:
CALL (TOLL-FREE) 800-456-8410, EMAIL memberrecords@narfe.org OR LOG ON TO www.narfe.org and go to “My Account”
606 N. Washington St. Alexandria, VA 22314 703-838-7760
www.narfe.org
narfe (ISSN 1948-4453) is published monthly by the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE), 606 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, VA, and additional mailing offices. Members: Annual dues includes subscription. Nonmember subscription rate $40. Postmaster: Send address change to: NARFE Attn: Member Records, 606 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314. To ensure prompt delivery, members should also forward changes of address without delay. Because of the volume involved, NARFE cannot acknowledge nor be responsible for unsolicited pictures and manuscripts, although every reasonable precaution is taken. All submissions become the property of NARFE. Copyright © 2016, NARFE. Advertisements in the magazine are not endorsements of products and/or services by NARFE, unless officially stated in the ad. We shall accept advertising on the same basis as other reputable publications: that is, we shall not knowingly permit a dishonest advertisement to appear in narfe, but at the same time we will not undertake to guarantee the reliability of our advertisers.
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From the President
LOOKING AHEAD
T
his month, National Secretary/ Treasurer Jon Dowie and I begin new two-year terms as your National
Officers. Jon joins me in expressing our deep gratitude for the confidence you have placed in us to continue to move NARFE forward. We have much to do. On the legislative front, Congress passed a continuing resolution, providing funding to keep the government operating through December 9. That means Congress has kicked spending decisions for the bulk of fiscal year 2017 down the road – until after the elections. NARFE will monitor that situation closely. In the post-election lame duck session, we hope to testify at hearings on the recent dramatic increases in Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program premiums – and suggest changes to prevent such increases in the future. And we also
are actively working to obtain a solution to the problem caused for those people, including Civil Service Retirement System annuitants, who are not “held harmless” from big Medicare premium increases when there is a zero or small cost-ofliving adjustment. Reform of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and postal reform round out the legislative issues we will be pursuing for the rest of this year. Looking further ahead, no matter who wins the presidency or what party controls Congress, we know that the federal community always presents a tempting target for budget-cutters. We will be on guard against any and all proposals that would harm our federal family. As I look forward to the next two years for NARFE, I see opportunities to grow membership, non-dues revenue and service to members. I couldn’t be prouder of the NARFE Federal Benefits Institute. We launched it a year ago, and it already has become a major information resource for federal employees and retirees. In the coming months, I will establish a new Strategic Planning Committee and again appoint Secretary/Treasurer Dowie as chair. Working with the National Executive Board, I am committed to doing everything in my power to ensure that NARFE evolves, survives and thrives.
RICHARD G. THISSEN NARFE NATIONAL PRESIDENT natpres@narfe.org
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W
ith two days to go before the start of the new fiscal year, the House of Representatives voted on the night of September 28 to pass a stopgap
funding measure that will fund federal agencies through December 9 and avoid a government shutdown. The House voted 342-85 to pass a “clean” funding bill – also known as a continuing resolution, or CR – that will keep the federal government funded at current levels. The Senate previously had passed the measure 72-26. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law September 29. The action was the result of a compromise to provide aid to Flint, MI, in response to that city’s lead-contaminated water crisis. Funding for that aid was included in a separate measure, the Water Resources Development Act, passed by the House before lawmakers left town for the November 8 elections. The continuing resolution had been stuck in debate since the Senate Appropriations Committee released it on September 22. Negotiations over major sticking 6
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points, including aid for Flint and the Louisiana floods, played out over the better part of a week. The House and Senate are scheduled to return to Washington the week of November 14 for a lame duck session with an agenda likely to be determined by the outcome of the elections. At a minimum, that agenda will include consideration of funding for agencies and programs for the balance of fiscal year 2017. Other Unfinished Business. Two of NARFE’s top legislative priorities failed to see action by Congress before it recessed. • WEP Reform: Little movement has taken place following a failed attempt to consider H.R. 711, a bill to reform the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), in the House Ways and Means Committee. The current discus-
Scaffolding has been taken down as the Capitol dome restoration project nears an end. Work will be done by Inauguration Day in January 2017.
Architect of the Capitol
Washington Watch
SHUTDOWN AVOIDED, CONGRESS LEAVES UNTIL AFTER ELECTION DAY
sion surrounds the original bill, which NARFE supports, versus a substitute bill, proposed by the bill’s original sponsor, Rep. Kevin Brady, R-TX, amid concerns from other stakeholders. NARFE is working to address those concerns. NARFE members should ask their legislators to support Brady’s original bill, which would provide financial relief to those impacted by the WEP. NARFE opposes any attempts to decrease that relief. • Postal Reform: Postal reform bill H.R. 5714 stalled following committee approval in the House. NARFE opposes the bill and its Senate counterpart, S. 2051, because they force postal retirees to enroll in Medicare Part B or lose their federal health insurance benefits. NARFE contends the bills unfairly change the rules for retirees once they’ve retired and are living on fixed incomes, and they set a dangerous precedent. NARFE is continuing to fight legislation that puts postal reforms on the backs of postal retirees. —BY ALAN LOPATIN, LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL, AND JESSICA KLEMENT, LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR
NARFE: CONGRESS MUST ACT ON MEDICARE HIKES
W
ith a small cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to federal retirement annuities and Social Security benefits projected for 2017, a disproportionately high increase in Medicare Part B premiums appears inevitable for many federal retirees. That is, unless Congress acts. At press time, Congress had recessed so that members could return to their districts and states to campaign prior to the elections. Prior to adjournment, NARFE coordinated a letter signed by 75 national organizations, urging congressional action to prevent an unfair Part B increase for a significant portion of beneficiaries, including Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) annuitants. The letter’s signatories included organizations representing older adults, people with disabilities, health insurers, state and federal government employees, and health care providers and purchasers. In 2015, a similar coalition helped prevent a 52 percent premium increase for many federal retirees and millions of others. Although any increase would be smaller than last year’s 52 percent, NARFE hopes Congress again will be persuaded to act. Background. COLAs are determined by averaging consumer price index figures from July, August and September. With the July
and August figures released as of press time, the first two-thirds of the equation would result in only a 0.3 percent COLA for federal annuities and Social Security benefits. The September consumer price index was scheduled to be released October 18, after this issue went to press. Even if the September index rises, it is not expected to be high enough to result in a significant increase in the threemonth average. Therefore, a small COLA is projected. A small COLA would mean higher premiums for individuals not “held harmless” from premium increases. The hold harmless provision prevents increases in the Part B premium from reducing Social Security benefits for most individuals who pay Part B premiums from their Social Security checks. Those not held harmless include enrollees who pay their Medicare Part B premiums from something other than a Social Security check or who pay higher premiums due to their higher incomes. When the hold harmless provision kicks in, whether due to no COLA or a low COLA, those not held harmless are forced to pick up the slack so that total Part B premiums cover 25 percent of the cost of the program. While premiums are limited for the approximately 70 percent of those held harmless, the other 30 percent, including hundreds of thousands of federal
MYTH vs. REALITY MYTH: Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) premiums are rising faster than privatesector health insurance premiums. REALITY: FEHBP premiums will rise at a smaller average amount than private-sector health insurance premiums in 2017. The average total FEHBP premium will increase 4.4 percent in 2017. The National Business Group on Health expects the overall health care benefit cost increases at large employers to be 6 percent. Typically, the FEHBP is able to keep premiums low based on the size of the program and the competition among plans. The FEHBP is the largest employer-sponsored health benefits program in the country, with about 8.2 million federal employees, retirees and dependents enrolled. There are 245 health plan choices governmentwide, allowing the FEHBP to negotiate with health carriers to keep increases as reasonable as possible.
retirees, are stuck with the bill. NARFE members concerned about the unfair increase in Part B premiums for 2017 should contact their members of Congress to ask what they are doing about it. An action letter is available at NARFE’s Legislative Action Center, www.narfe.org. —BY JOHN HATTON, DEPUTY LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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Washington Watch
NARFE CONTINUES TO PUSH FOR ACTION ON FEDERAL LONG-TERM CARE PROGRAM
F
ollowing the announcement of a dramatic, 83 percent average increase in Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) premiums, NARFE has called for congressional hearings to both examine the causes of the premium spike and consider reforms to the program. NARFE was disappointed that no hearings were held in September, as Congress focused on more politically motivated hearings going into election season, or in October, as Congress went into recess to campaign. However, NARFE is hopeful that a hearing will be held in November or December. Meanwhile, NARFE continues to discuss reforms with members of Congress and staff that could restore trust that the program can provide more reliable pricing in an affordable manner so that federal employees and retirees can prepare for their future long-term care needs. Background. Following the July 18 premium increase announcement by the Office of Personnel Management, FLTCIP enrollees were offered personalized plan change options that al-
lowed them to keep their current coverage with increased premiums; keep current premiums but reduce coverage; or split the difference by reducing coverage and increasing premiums, but by less for each. The deadline for choosing an option was September 30. NARFE Policy Options. NARFE is pursuing a variety of policy options that could improve the affordability of the program, saving money for participants, or that could improve price stability, which would protect federal employees and retirees from making an open-ended commitment to ever-increasing premium costs. These policy options are being developed through a continual dialogue with policy experts and policymakers to assess their viability, both economically and politically. Specifically, these policy options include the following: To ensure price stability: • Legislation could require the program to acquire reinsurance to protect against the risk of inaccurate actuarial assumptions to allow for options that limit future premium increases. This could carry additional cost, but would ensure price stability.
NO RESPONSE FROM TRUMP In the October issue, narfe magazine ran responses to NARFE’s presidential candidate questionnaire from Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee (October 2016, p. 24). Despite repeated requests, the magazine did not receive a response from Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee, by the deadline for the October issue. We pledged to publish Trump’s responses in the November issue if he responded before the deadline. The Trump campaign still had not responded as of the deadline for this issue.
• Legislation also could require the program to offer hybrid longterm care policy offerings that match a life insurance policy with long-term care coverage. For these policies, the life insurance death benefit is reduced by long-term care expenses incurred. In the private market, premiums for these types of policies are guaranteed. To improve affordability: • NARFE supports providing a government employer contribution toward coverage. While this would reduce costs, it is not likely politically. • NARFE also supports allowing an income tax exclusion for premiums paid for long-term care insurance. Many states allow for this, and such an exclusion exists for retired public safety officers for federal income taxes. However, this also would be politically difficult to achieve. • Another option to improve affordability is to require the program to offer plan options with relatively high monthly deductibles. Federal retirees with a guaranteed monthly annuity may be able to afford a certain amount of monthly long-term care expenses, but need protection against the risk that those expenses will exceed their monthly income. Such an option could reduce the cost of the insurance needed. Finally, as a matter of fairness, NARFE also is looking into the possibility of allowing some premium refunds when premiums increase as dramatically as they have this year. —BY JOHN HATTON, DEPUTY LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR
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OPM SEEKS ANNUITANT INPUT IN FEHBP SURVEY
F
ederal annuitants: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) wants your feedback! This fall, OPM is administering a web survey to gather information on how individuals enrolled in retiree health benefits through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) rate their experience with their health plan. The Federal Annuitant Benefits Survey is designed to assess how well your FEHBP plan is meeting your needs. OPM wants to hear about your experience in an effort to continually improve the FEHBP. In addition
Legislative Resources • Legislative Hotline: A weekly update of legislative news, compiled by the NARFE Legislative Department staff, distributed via email and available by phone (toll-free) at 877-217-8234 and online at www.narfe.org.
to questions about your health plan, the survey includes some questions on overall health and wellness to assist OPM in better understanding the needs of the annuitant population. Your feedback will help OPM to better serve annuitants in the future. The survey is available starting October 24. Please visit: • www.opm.gov/retirementservices/; or • www.opm.gov/healthcareinsurance/. Or email FABS_PPA@opm.gov to participate.
• Legislative Action Center: A one-stop site to send a letter to Congress, and more, at www.narfe.org.
NARFE-PAC CONTRIBUTION FORM I would like to be a SUSTAINER and make a monthly credit card contribution to NARFE-PAC of: q $25/month q $10/month
Monthly contributors of $10 or more will receive the NARFE-PAC Sustainer lapel pin and a NARFE duffle bag.
q Other: ______/month (minimum of $10) OR
q Please charge to my credit card (required for monthly contribution) Credit Card Information Type:
q MasterCard q VISA q Discover q American Express
Card No.: _____________________________________ Expiration Date: _____ /_________ mm
yyyy
I would like to make a one-time contribution of:
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q $250 GOLD – Gold lapel pin and duffle bag
Signature: ____________________________________
q $100 SILVER – Silver lapel pin
Date: ________________________________________
q $50 BRONZE – Bronze lapel pin q $25 BASIC – Basic lapel pin q Other: _______________
q Please do not send any gifts for my contribution.
Or make check payable to NARFE-PAC. Mail to: National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association Attn: Budget & Finance 606 North Washington St. | Alexandria, VA 22314
NARFE Member #: __________________________________________ Name: ___________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City: __________________________________________________________________
State: ________
ZIP: ___________________
Only members of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association may contribute to NARFE-PAC. NARFE will neither favor nor disadvantage anyone based on the amount of a contribution or the failure to make a voluntary contribution to this political action fund. NARFE-PAC contributions are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.
W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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Washington Watch
TAKE YOUR ADVOCACY TO THE NEXT LEVEL
N
ARFE members can learn how to improve their advocacy efforts by attending the NARFE 2017 Legislative Training Conference, March 12-15 at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, VA. Presentations from national policy experts on issues affecting the federal community, as well as training from NARFE legislative staff, will prepare attendees for Capitol Hill meetings on Wednesday, March 15. Attendees will be able to choose the training topics in which they are most interested from a menu of specialized breakout sessions. Registration. The $175 registration fee includes three buffet breakfasts, two lunches, one buffet dinner, a closing reception, materials, and transportation on March 15 to and from Capitol Hill for congressional meetings. Members can register online at
ated a discounted selfwww.narfe.org/legcon2017, parking rate of $15/day for or by mail, using the form on the NARFE members. facing page. Hotel registration is available The registration deadline for the online or by calling 800-445Legislative Training Conference 8667. Make sure to mention you is February 10, 2017. The fee is are attending the “NARFE 2017 nonrefundable. Legislative Conference.� The Hotel Information. All traindeadline to register at the hotel ing and included meals will be using the NARFE discounted rate hosted at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. The special room rate is February 10. Questions? Email mchecksfield@narfe.org. is $169, plus applicable taxes, for a total of $194.51 per night for single and double room occupancy. The room rate also is available for three days before and after the conference, space dependent. The hotel is five miles from Ronald Reagan National Airport and provides a shuttle to and from the airport. A photo collage captures scenes from the NARFE NARFE has negoti2015 Legislative Training Conference.
CORRECTIONS: 114TH CONGRESS VOTING SCORECARD
The voting records of four members of the House of Representatives were incorrectly reported in the NARFE Congressional Scorecard in the October issue (pp. 29-40). The correct voting records appear below. A Pindicates a vote for the NARFE-preferred position. An x indicates a vote against the NARFEpreferred position. Please refer to October, pp. 29-30, for vote descriptions. narfe regrets the errors.
114th Congress Life-
HOUSE time Vote # 138 139 142 489 528 575 579 705 176 376
Date GEORGIA 12 Allen (R)
2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 %P %P
P x
x x
x
x
x P
x
x 20 20
WEST VIRGINIA 1 McKinley (R) P x P x P x x x x x 30 54 2 Mooney (R) x x x 10 10 P x x x x x x 3 Jenkins (R) P x x x P x x P x x 30 30
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REGISTRATION FORM
Registration must be returned by February 10, 2017
Each participant must complete a form. Please write legibly.
Name:
o Mr.
o Mrs.
o Miss
o Ms. o Dr.
_______________________________ Last
NARFE Membership # _______________________
________________________ First
___________________________ Middle
Name as you would like it to appear on badge: _________________________________________________ Federation or chapter officer title for your badge (choose only one title — Examples: President, Ohio Federation; or NARFE-PAC Chair, Chapter 192/Raleigh, NC): ____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Home address: ___________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Preferred phone: ________________________
Email address: ___________________________________
Notify in case of emergency: ________________________________________________________________ Name
Phone number
Your congressional district (ex. MD-1): __________ (This is listed on your magazine label)
o Charge to my credit card $____________
$175 registration fee is not refundable.
o MasterCard
o VISA
o Discover
o AMEX
Please complete registration form and return with check made payable to NARFE, or charge to your credit card.
Card # __________________________________________
Mail to: NARFE Legislative Conference Budget & Finance 606 North Washington St. Alexandria, VA 22314-1914
Name on card (print) __________________________________
Exp. Date ________ / _______ (mm)
Signature ______________________________
For Internal Planning Purposes Only:
Conference meals and events are included for registered attendees. Are you planning on attending the Sunday night dinner? o Yes o No Are you planning on attending the breakfasts on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday? o Yes o No Attendees may bring guests to all NARFE-provided meals for a separate $175 fee. This fee does not include participation in the trainings or materials. Will you have a guest for meals? o Yes o No Name of guest(s) _______________________________________________ Is this your first NARFE Legislative Training Conference?
o Yes
o No
I am a(n): o Active Federal Employee o Active Federal Employee Spouse o Annuitant
o Annuitant Spouse
(yy)
o Survivor Annuitant
Can NARFE include your name, chapter and title on a list of attendees that will be distributed to participants? o Yes o No
Date________
For Internal Planning of March 15 on Capitol Hill:
Do you plan to ride the NARFE-provided bus to Capitol Hill on March 15? o Yes o No Do you plan to return to the hotel from Capitol Hill on the bus later that afternoon? o Yes o No Do you plan to attend the evening reception? o Yes o No
Washington Watch
narfe bill tracker THE NARFE BILL TRACKER IS YOUR MONTHLY GUIDE TO THE CONGRESSIONAL LEGISLATION THAT NARFE IS FOLLOWING. CHECK BACK EACH ISSUE FOR UPDATES. ISSUE
BILL NUMBER / NAME / SPONSOR
WHAT BILL WOULD DO
H.R. 3351: CPI-E Act of 2015 / Rep. Mike Honda, D-CA COLA
LATEST ACTION(S)
Requires Social Security and many federal retirement programs to use the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) to calculate cost-ofliving adjustments in retirement benefits.
Cosponsors: 37 (D)
Referred to the House committees on Ways and Means, Veterans’ Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform, and Armed Services narfe, August 2016
H.R. 4461: Federal Employee Rights Act / Rep. Tom Price, R-GA UNION RIGHTS
Cosponsors: 41 (R)
H.R. 485: Wage Grade Employee Parity Act /Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-PA
Would limit the rights of federal employee unions by barring them from automatically deducting dues from workers’ paychecks, alter the way union elections are conducted and prohibit unions from using dues to conduct political activity.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Gives the president the authority to provide Wage Grade, or hourly, employees a pay raise.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Provides for a 3.8 percent pay raise for federal employees and a 1.4 percent increase in locality pay in 2017.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Cosponsors: 9 (D), 3 (R)
FEDERAL COMPENSATION
H.R. 4585: The Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act / Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, D-VA Cosponsors: 80 (D) S. 2699: The Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act / Sen. Brian Schatz, D-HI
narfe, April 2016
Referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Cosponsors: 3 (D) H.R. 5714: Postal Service Reform Act of 2016 / Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-UT
Requires postal retirees to enroll in Medicare in order to continue receiving their current federal health insurance coverage. Enrollment would be automatic.
Cosponsors: 3 (D), 1 (R)
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform See story, p. 6
POSTAL REFORM H.Res. 12: Expresses the sense of the House that the Postal Service should take measures to ensure continuation of six-day delivery / Rep. Sam Graves, R-MO
Expresses the sense of the House that the U.S. Postal Service should maintain six-day mail delivery. As a resolution, it will not be sent to the president and, therefore, cannot become law.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Cosponsors: 176 (D), 60 (R) NARFE’s Position: 12
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Support
Oppose
No position
EDITOR’S NOTE: Several items have been removed from the NARFE Bill Tracker. Those bills are all listed online at cqrcengage.com/narfe/home.
ISSUE
POSTAL REFORM
BILL NUMBER / NAME / SPONSOR
WHAT BILL WOULD DO
LATEST ACTION(S)
H.R. 784: Protect Overnight Repeals the service standards Delivery Act / Rep. Rosa implemented by the Postal DeLauro, D-CT Service on 1/5/15 and directs the Postal Service to reinstate Cosponsors: 100 (D), 3 (R) 12/31/2011 service standards.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
S. 1742: Rural Postal Act of Returns to service standards 2015 / Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, of July 2012, preserves six-day D-ND delivery and puts a two-year moratorium on plant closures. Cosponsors: 7 (D)
Referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
S. 2051: The Improving Postal Operations, Service and Transparency Act (iPost) of 2015 / Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-DE
Referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Cosponsors: 2 (D), 3 (R)
Requires postal employees and retirees to enroll in Medicare in order to continue receiving their current federal health insurance coverage and cuts workers’ compensation benefits for injured federal employees.
H.Res. 54: Expresses the sense of the House that the Postal Service should take all measures to restore service standards in effect on July 1, 2012 / Rep. Dave McKinley, R-WV
Expresses the sense of the House that the U.S. Postal Service should restore service standards as of July 1, 2012. As a resolution, it will not be sent to the president and, therefore, cannot become law.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Would allow the U.S. Postal Service to provide basic financial services, including small-dollar loans, checking and savings accounts and international money transfers, and to create a Postal Card that allows users to engage in these services.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
See story, p. 6
Cosponsors: 184 (D), 52 (R) H.R. 4422: Providing Opportunities for Savings, Transactions, and Lending (POSTAL) Act of 2015 / Rep. Cedric L. Richmond, D-LA Cosponsors: 12 (D)
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
HEALTH CARE
H.R. 20: The Government By the People Act / Rep. John Sarbanes, D-MD Cosponsors: 160 (D), 1 (R) H.R. 2175: FEHBP Prescription Drug Oversight and Cost Savings Act / Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, D-MA Cosponsors: 2 (D)
Reforms campaign finance laws Referred to three to put small donors on par with House committees wealthier donors. Provides a tax credit for contributions and government matching contributions. Provides the Office of Personnel Management greater oversight authority over the prescription drug contracting and pricing methods of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP).
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
(Continued on p. 14) W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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Washington Watch
narfe bill tracker
(Continued from p. 13) ISSUE
BILL NUMBER / NAME / SPONSOR H.R. 973: Social Security Fairness Act of 2015 / Rep. Rodney Davis, R-IL Cosponsors: 117 (D), 38 (R)
GPO/WEP
WHAT BILL WOULD DO
LATEST ACTION(S)
Repeals the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means
S. 1651: Social Security Fairness Act of 2015 / Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH
Referred to the Senate Finance Committee
Cosponsors: 17 (D), 6 (R), 2 (I)
narfe, September 2015
H.R. 711: Equal Treatment of Reforms the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). For Public Servants Act of 2015 individuals who turn 62 in / Rep. Kevin Brady, R-TX 2017 or later, it provides a new formula that would deCosponsors: 49 (D), 81 (R) crease the WEP penalty, on average, for those affected. For those who turn(ed) 62 before 2017, it would reduce the WEP penalty by up to 50 percent, based on savings derived from improved enforcement of WEP, as determined by the Social Security actuary.
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means
H.R. 532: Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act / Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY
Referred to the House committees on Administration, and Oversight and Government Reform
Allows federal employees six weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child.
Cosponsors: 69 (D), 1 (R) PAID PARENTAL LEAVE
narfe, May 2015
S. 2033: Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act / Sen. Brian Schatz, D-HI
Referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Cosponsors: 2 (D)
DC STATEHOOD
PENSION SCAM PROTECTION
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See story, p. 6
narfe, November 2015
Sets forth procedures that H.R. 317: New Columbia Admission Act / Del. Eleanor would allow the District of Columbia to become a Holmes Norton, D-DC state known as New Columbia. Cosponsors: 132 (D), 1 (I)
Referred to the House committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and Administration
H.R. 3850: Annuity Safety and Security Under Reasonable Enforcement (ASSURE) Act / Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-PA
Referred to four House committees
Cosponsors: 24 (D), 1 (R)
Requires appropriate disclosures regarding “pension advance” schemes and caps the interest rates on these advances. Also creates a private right-ofaction to allow individuals to enforce these laws in court.
NARFE’s Position:
Support
narfe, January 2016
Oppose
No position
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Questions & Answers
The following Questions & Answers were compiled by NARFE’s Federal Benefits Service Department staff. NARFE does not provide advice or assistance on legal, financial planning or tax matters.
EMPLOYEES BEWARE THE EARNINGS LIMITATION IF YOU COLLECT SOCIAL SECURITY WHILE STILL WORKING
Q
I am age 63. I worked in the private sector for 10 years and paid into Social Security for 40 quarters. I joined a federal agency in 1982 and have been under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) for the past 34 years. I understand that I can get Social Security now, even though I am not at the full retirement age of 66 and will not retire from my agency for five years. If I were to apply for Social Security now, I could collect about $520 month for the next five years, at which time I would retire from federal service. But I have questions about whether I would be subject to offsets. Would I be able to collect the full $520 per month now, or would the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or some other offset reduce that benefit?
limit for 2016 is $15,720. For every $2 over the limit, $1 is withheld from your benefits until you reach your full retirement age of 66. Receiving Social Security benefits prior to your full retirement age also reduces the amount you will receive. If you apply at age 63, your benefit will be reduced by about 20 percent, and this reduction is usually permanent. We urge you to visit your local Social Security office and have them calculate your benefit if you apply at age 63.
You may apply now for the Social Security benefits to which you are entitled. Provisions of the WEP law do not impact your Social Security benefits until you retire from federal service. However, there are other offsets that will reduce the amount of
OPM WANTS $22,000 BACK, WHAT CAN I DO?
A
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your Social Security benefit while you are still working. Individuals who are receiving Social Security benefits and who have not reached full retirement age are entitled to receive all of their benefits as long as their earnings are under the earnings limit. The earnings
RETIREES
Q
I retired on September 30, 2009, at age 57 (mandatory law enforcement retirement) under CSRS Offset. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was supposed to
reduce my annuity in 2014 when I turned age 62. I contacted them by phone and by letter, inquiring about this. There has been no reduction. I received a letter from OPM last week saying my annuity would be reduced next month, and since they had not reduced it for the past 22 months, I owe them $22,000. Does it take this long for them to reduce someone’s annuity? Can you recommend an attorney in the Dallas area who can help me fight this?
A
As you already know, employees who retired under the CSRS Offset provision must have their Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) annuity adjusted when they first become eligible for Social Security benefits, usually at age 62, whether they apply for Social Security or not. The adjustment reduces the annuity by the lesser amount of: 1. The portion of the Social Security benefit that is attributable to the service performed while under CSRS Offset; or 2. The total years served under CSRS Offset divided by 40 multiplied by the total Social Security benefit. OPM is required by law to make this adjustment, but the law doesn’t waive the overpayment if OPM is late in making the calculation. NARFE does not keep lists of attorneys to refer members to and, truthfully, very few lawyers are knowledgeable about federal civilian retirement benefits. Finding one to take on your case will
be difficult. Normally, OPM sends a letter stating this is its initial decision and provides the retiree with an opportunity to either request reconsideration of the initial decision or request lower installments to repay the overpayment. Our suggestion is to respond to OPM and request reconsideration of its initial decision based on the fact you attempted to have the reduction done in a timely fashion, but that OPM did not respond and the overpayment is not your fault. When OPM receives your request, it should put on hold/ delay the reduction in your annuity until it has made a final decision on your request. If it responds, affirming the initial decision, you will be provided an opportunity and instructions to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
health plans. But that is currently only one of several postal reform bills in Congress.
IS MEDICARE PART B MANDATORY?
RETIREES CANNOT RE-ENROLL IN FEHBP
Q
Are all retirees required to take Medicare Part B or lose our health benefits? And if so, when does this go into effect?
A
There is no requirement that retired federal employees who are enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program must also enroll in Medicare Part B. One of the postal reform proposals in Congress calls for current and former postal employees to enroll in Medicare or risk losing coverage under special postal
EACH INDIVIDUAL PAYS UNDER MEDICARE PART B
Q
I have been retired for a number of years and have a Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) family plan (Blue Cross Blue Shield) and Medicare. My wife will turn age 65 in a few months. I know Blue Cross will become secondary for her, as it has for me, but will she need to pay for her own Medicare insurance?
A
Each individual enrolling in Medicare must pay his or her own premiums. Unlike the FEHBP, there is no Self Plus One or Self and Family enrollment in Medicare.
Q
I retired under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) in 1995 and have continuously paid for health benefits coverage through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). This is even though I have been covered as a spouse through my husband’s employment. My understanding was that I needed to retain the coverage because if I dropped it, I would not be able to rejoin, even if my coverage through my husband lapsed. My husband retired last year. At that time, I found out that should he pass away, my health insurW W W. N A R F E . O R G
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Questions & Answers
ance coverage as his widow would continue for 16 years. At the same time, I got some information that I could drop my participation in the FEHBP while I have coverage as my husband’s spouse/widow and rejoin without penalty again if or when that coverage ended. Is that correct?
A
No. Your initial understanding is correct. As a retiree, if you cancel or drop your participation in the FEHBP, you will not be able to reenroll at a future date unless you become re-employed in federal service. The other information you received pertains to the eligibil-
18
ROC3137NARFEhalfAds.indd 2 NOV 2 016
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ity of some FEHBP enrollees to suspend their participation in the FEHBP because they are covered under another federal health insurance program. Specifically, an annuitant may suspend his or her FEHBP enrollment and not pay monthly premiums if he or she also is enrolled in one of the following: the military’s TRICARE/ TRICARE for Life, Medicaid, a Medicare Advantage Plan, CHAMPVA, or as a volunteer in the Peace Corps. At any time in the future, the annuitant can re-enroll in the FEHBP during an Open Season period or immediately if he or she loses coverage under one of the above programs.
MEDICARE AND FEHBP, WHAT TO DO?
Q
As an annuitant, I have health benefits under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). I did not sign up for Medicare in the enrollment period. I know I have to sign up for Part A. But Part B would cost more than my FEHBP premium. What do you advise?
A
First, Medicare Part A is free, and you should enroll in it. Part A covers bills incurred when you are hospitalized. If you are not eligible for a monthly Social Security benefit, you will need to either sign up for Part A online at www.social
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Questions & Answers
security.gov or visit your local Social Security Administration office. Medicare Part B enrollment is voluntary – you are not required to enroll in Part B. If your FEHBP plan is meeting your needs, there may be no reason to enroll in Part B, especially if you are over age 65 and must pay the late enrollment penalty. However, if you want to enroll in Medicare Part B, you may want to shop around during the upcoming Open Season for a less costly FEHBP plan or option because Medicare will be your primary insurance and your FEHBP plan will be secondary, and only pay the part of your medical bills that
Medicare does not pay. You can go to the NARFE website, www. narfe.org, and, after signing in as a member, click on “Medicare and the FEHBP” under Federal Benefits Topics and read our lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of having both Medicare and FEHBP coverage. NARFE’s Federal Benefits Institute also has a webinar available for on-demand viewing on the subject.
BENEFITS FOR DISABLED ADULT CHILD
Q
One of my chapter’s new members has a disabled adult child. The mem-
ber’s spouse is to be his survivor annuitant. He wants to know how he can provide a survivor benefit and federal health benefits for his disabled child.
A
Surviving child benefits are different than surviving spouse benefits. A monthly surviving child benefit is a set amount (currently $502 per month); the surviving spouse benefit is the percentage of the deceased’s annuity that the annuitant elected to provide the spouse. An annuitant’s adult child who is over age 18, who is determined to have been disabled prior to age 18, and who is incapable of selfsupport because of the disabling
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Questions & Answers
NARFE at Your Service condition can receive a monthly survivor benefit upon the death of the annuitant. Upon the death of the annuitant, the surviving spouse will receive an application form with a section about unmarried dependent children. The spouse should complete that section and return the application with current medical documentation from the adult child’s physician clearly showing what the disabling condition is and the age of the child at onset. If the adult child is currently being covered as a dependent by the annuitant’s Self and Family Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) enrollment, upon the annuitant’s death the spouse
and the child will be able to continue that coverage and change the enrollment to Self Plus One, if they so desire. Under the FEHBP, if the adult child’s disability was incurred prior to age 26, he or she can continue to be covered under the surviving spouse’s enrollment as a disabled adult child even if he or she is not eligible for a monthly child survivor benefit. To obtain an answer to a federal benefits question, NARFE members should call 703-838-7760 and ask for the Federal Benefits Service Department; send the question by postal mail to NARFE Headquarters, ATTN: Federal Benefits; or submit it by email to fedbenefits@narfe.org.
NARFE service officers are available to answer questions and to assist in helping with a variety of benefit matters. Check your chapter newsletter for the name and phone number of your service officer. For the nearest service officer, call NARFE (toll-free) at:
800-456-8410. NARFE Service Centers also are available in some areas. Use the Service Center listings on the NARFE website,
www. narfe.org.
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TruHearing savings on hearing aids made available to Service Benefit Plan Members through Blue365. Price shown does not include cost of comprehensive hearing exam. Examination and testing for prescribing of hearing aids is covered under the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan. The Insured may need to submit for reimbursement. Must be a Service Benefit Plan member to access TruHearing pricing. State and local taxes and/or fees may apply. Prices and products subject to change. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan will pay a hearing aid benefit up to $2,500 total every 3 calendar years for adults age 22 and over, and up to $2,500 total per calendar year for members up to age 22. Do not rely on this communication piece alone for complete benefit information. All benefits are subject to the definitions, limitations, and exclusions in your Service Benefit Plan brochure. The Blue365ÂŽ Discount Program offers access to savings on items that you may purchase directly from independent vendors, which may be different from items covered under your Service Benefit Plan or
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All appointments must be scheduled through TruHearing. any other applicable federal healthcare program. For hearing aids, acupuncture, chiropractic and vision services, you must exhaust your Service Benefit Plan benefits first. To find out what is covered under your policy, contact the Service Benefit Plan. The products and services described herein are neither offered nor guaranteed under any local Blue company’s contract with the Medicare program. In addition, these items are not subject to the Medicare appeal process. Any disputes regarding these products and services are not subject to the Service Benefit Plan’s Disputed Claims process. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) may receive payments from Blue365 vendors. Neither the Service Benefit Plan, BCBSA, nor any local Blue company recommends, endorses, warrants or guarantees any specific Blue365 vendor or item. The Service Benefit Plan reserves the right to change, modify, or terminate any item and vendors made available through Blue365, at any time. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is an association of independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield Companies.
Cover Story
Unions’ Balancing
By Steve Bates
Act
Organized Labor Wants to Collaborate With Agencies, But It e id S e v ti a b m o C s It s Still Maintain WALTER VICK HAS BEEN ON BOTH
SIDES OF THE BATTLES
between federal government agencies and labor unions. He was a labor relations officer at two federal agencies after serving as a site vice president for a National Treasury Employees Union
Illustration by Bill Pragluski, Critical Stages, LLC
(NTEU) chapter at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Vick, who retired in June and lives in Biloxi, MS, has seen federal-sector unions stick up for workers with complaints. And he has seen unions get bogged down in what he considers trivial matters. Likewise, he has observed government managers who are receptive to union and employee input. And he’s seen managers who don’t want union representatives to tell them how to do their jobs. One of today’s hot issues in federal labor-management relations relates to a process that would give unions a more active role in certain government agency matters. While federal unions typically cannot negotiate over the substance of agency policies, they can suggest ways to implement policies. This so-called “pre-decisional involvement” by the unions can be effective, Vick says. But, overall, Vick has seen so much head-butting between organized labor and federal agency management that he does not expect a major change in the way they get along with each other. “The relationship between labor and management is adversarial,” he says. “It’s unavoidable.” Federal labor unions are collaborative at times and combative at times, perform-
W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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Unions’ Balancing Act ing a kind of balancing act. Often, their approach depends on the situation at hand. Robert M. Tobias, a professor at American University in Washington, DC, says that it takes a considerable amount of effort, energy and time to shift the relationship from adversarial to collaborative. It also requires diligence on the part of management. A key management representative agrees. “Labor and management can work together,” says Tim Curry, deputy associate director for Partnership and Labor Relations at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). “But you have got to put some work into it.” At a time when private-sector unions are losing members and clout nationwide, federalsector (non-postal) unions are faring quite well, despite their varied approaches to dealing with management. The number of dues-paying members has risen in recent years – in some federal unions gradually, in others rather robustly. An analysis of union financial disclosure forms by Marick Masters, a professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, found that the four largest federal government unions all increased dues-paying membership from 2001 to 2015 (see graphic, p. 29). The biggest, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), grew nearly 60 percent, to about 320,000 members, during that time. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that about one in three federal workers, or 32.3 percent of the workforce, was a union member in 2015, up slightly from 2014’s 31.6 percent. By comparison, less than 7 percent of private-sector employees belonged to unions.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING LIMITS
Private- and public-sector unions have significantly different powers. In the corporate world, strikes have become relatively uncommon – but the threat is always 28
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there. Organized labor can negotiate over pay and benefits, and unions’ right to attempt to establish a bargaining unit at a business is protected by federal law and the National Labor Relations Board. On the other hand, federal, state and local government employees generally cannot strike, and unions cannot bargain with the government over pay and basic benefits, though they can seek to implement practices such as flexible work scheduling and telework opportunities at individual agencies. Federal unions cannot compel employees to join or to pay dues. “Federal labor unions are open shops,” says Robbie Kunruether, director of Seattle, WA-based Government Personnel Services, a private company that trains agency personnel in labor and employee relations. “With voluntary membership, the unions have to try to prove something to attract members. So they focus on the negatives in the workplace, as unions always have.” Federal-sector unions have ridden political and legislative roller coasters for much of the past century. The Lloyd-La Follette Act of 1912 gave federal workers the formal right to organize. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was a big proponent of private-sector labor unions, but in 1937, he told federal union officials that he would not accept “militant tactics” by them. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order, permitting some collective bargaining by federal workers, but in 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired 11,000 striking air traffic controllers. The up-and-down continued during subsequent administrations. In addition, fierce battles have been waged over union powers in some states, notably Wisconsin. More recently on the federal level, relationships have evolved since 2009 when President Barack Obama issued an executive order designed to encourage labor and management to cooperate more effectively. “You’re seeing senior leaders advocate for those relationships,” says OPM’s Curry. “Working together saves time and money for the taxpayers.” But federal union leaders are nervous about the November 2016 elections and about propos-
NS
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s of ers a k r o ne lw DE ting federassor at Way E F T n e yGES ns represeters, a prof R mplo A E L o s t i a n n nme THE r largest u o Marick M re: over bers; G a t u , f t o i o g f The accordin in Detro eration ying mem on, with d y , a e ni t i 5 p F 1 s es 20 es U u can iver e i d y r n o e U 0 on, pl m ciati State E, the A t 320,00 sury Em o s s u a G rs A • AF with abo ional Tre ; trolle n o , t s s r a C ye N c ee mplo , the 0 memb Air Traffi d E U l E a • NT t 77,00 ational eder rs; an mbe ion of F e abou , the N m t 0 dera s. TCA 6,00 • NA about 1 tional Fe member with , the Na 8,000 FE out • NF with ab ees,
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LA RAL
als in Congress to curb their powers. In recent years, some in Congress have criticized federal workers as overpaid and ineffective; proposed budget cuts have targeted the federal workforce; and federal employee salaries have been frozen or increased only minimally. Taken together, the actions and statements have depressed and angered many employees. Union leaders have fought back with endorsements of – and contributions to – candidates who share their concerns. Such a proactive role is crucial to protecting federal employees, say union leaders. “This is an extremely challenging time to be a federal worker,” says Tony Reardon, president of NTEU. “I believe most federal employees understand that they need strong unions today more than ever.” “Frozen pay and benefit cuts, a governmentwide shutdown and unpaid furloughs, and a drumbeat of criticism and attacks on federal employees have certainly taken a toll,” says J. David Cox Sr., AFGE president. “The message Congress has been sending public servants couldn’t be more clear: They aren’t worth receiving a fair wage; their jobs aren’t worth funding; and the services they provide aren’t as important as subsidizing Wall Street with lucrative tax breaks.” One piece of proposed legislation that has drawn the ire of government unions is the Federal Employee Rights Act, introduced by Rep. Tom Price, R-GA, chairman of the House Budget Committee. It would deny federal workers the ability to have their union dues deducted automatically from their paychecks. In addition, it would change the way that a unit of federal workers organizes. Now, 30 percent of a unit’s employees must agree to form a union. Under the bill, 50 percent approval would be required. Says AFGE Public Policy Director Jacque Simon: “It would be very deleterious to unions if it were enacted – that’s why it was introduced.” Other legislation introduced in Congress in recent years would bar the use of “official time” – the work hours spent by federal government employees representing a union – or would require more reporting of it. If it is enacted,
AFGE fears that it won’t be able to do what it’s supposed to do on behalf of federal workers, says Simon. Most official time is used by union representatives to talk to managers to try to resolve issues in the workplace, not to urge employees to join or contribute money, according to American University’s Tobias. Federal unions also are concerned about the government outsourcing functions to the private sector, which typically eliminates federal jobs. “The work that is inherently governmental has to be clearly defined,” says William Dougan, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE). “This is a continued source of friction.”
COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS
Against the backdrop of these contentious issues, some unions have managed to forge cooperative relationships with federal agencies, such as through the “pre-decisional involvement” process. That process, a component of President Obama’s 2009 executive order encouraging more labor-management cooperation, calls for agencies to involve employees and their union representatives in discussions before decisions are made on a wide range of workplace matters, including such things as how to deal with reduced budgets and changes W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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Unions’ Balancing Act in work assignments. Often, however, that process is resisted by agency heads. “Pre-decisional involvement will prevent many problems down the road, but management doesn’t always understand that,” says NTEU’s Reardon. “Management is vested in power and control. It may be just human nature to have a hard time letting go,” says Kunruether of Government Personnel Services. On the other side, he says, “It takes a special union leadership to really step up to a meaningful pre-decisional involvement process.” OPM’s Curry says that pre-decisional involvement works best where there is a “shared understanding of the topics that are appropriate.” He concedes that the process can be difficult to implement successfully where organizations and union leaders have a history of adversarial relationships. “It does require some education for some folks on both sides” to
Retiring baby boomers will have a major impact on federal union membership, providing a challenge and an opportunity.
prepare them to work cooperatively, says Curry. “It takes a commitment from both parties.” Forging a new contract agreement presents another opportunity for collaboration. That process was particularly effective when the NFFE and the U.S. Forest Service negotiated their new Master Agreement in 2015 and 2016, updating a contract signed in the 1970s. “We used an interest-based approach before going to the bargaining table,” says NFFE President Dougan. That approach involves identifying the issues that are most important for each side. Bargaining sessions usually lasted one to two weeks. “We tried to keep the negotiators there and get as much done as we could,” says Dougan, so that issues would be resolved rather than deferred indefinitely. Neither side got everything it wanted. Some issues were set aside as simply too contentious. And after the parties reached an impasse over how job openings would be advertised, the issue was referred to mediation, where the agency prevailed, he notes. Collaborative partnerships can work, he says, “as long as people are focused on the issues and step back and take a bigger look. That helps the agency accomplish its mission and protects the workers.”
CHANGES TO COME
One change in organized labor activity is inevitable: Retiring baby boomers will have a major impact on federal labor union membership. “The large number of federal employees reaching retirement age in the next few years is both a challenge and an opportunity,” says AFGE’s Cox. “Federal agencies have an opportunity to recruit the next generation of public servants but also the responsibility to pair these new employees with seasoned workers so the institutional knowledge isn’t lost as employees retire.” When government workers retire, they don’t automatically abandon their unions. Organized labor has taken steps to keep retirees involved. AFGE has a membership category titled AFGE Retirees. According to the union’s website, “AFGE Retirees are front and center in our efforts to honor and defend government employees – both active and retired.” 30
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Unions’ Balancing Act Dougan estimates that 5 to 10 percent of NFFE’s members are retirees. They have two options for post-employment status: They can pay a one-time fee and participate in union meetings. Or they can pay full union dues and retain the right to run for office. “We have a number of national officers who are retired,” he says. For all government unions, the effort to grow membership depends in large part on attracting millennials – individuals born between the early 1980s and late 1990s – and other entrants to the workforce. Lee Adler, a lecturer at the School of Labor and Industrial Relations at Cornell University, says that some young federal employees don’t share the same spirit as those of previous generations who felt that union membership and activism are essential to protect and empower fellow workers. Some new federal workers assume that they can enjoy the benefits of union efforts indefinitely without joining. However, AFGE has found that “millennials are not more of a challenge” to recruit than employees from other age groups, says Simon, its policy director. Federal union leaders and members say that their achievements in recent years largely consist of preventing bad things from happening at the national level while earning victories at the local level. Says retired Department of Veterans Affairs employee Fernando Grajales, “Unions should be recognized for the value they possess and bring to the table to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service.” Looking forward, “The biggest challenge is to make up the economic ground lost in the last several years,” says AFGE’s Simon. With the expected growth in federal debt, the next president and Congress will face difficult budget decisions, and the government workforce likely once again will be a target for cost savings, union officials predict. Wayne State University’s Masters notes another challenge to federal-sector labor: “Each union has to think about grooming its next generation of leaders, particularly at the local level.”
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John J. O’Grady, who has held leadership positions with AFGE locals and works for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Chicago, points out that where unions and agencies have poor relationships, employees can suffer. “There’s a lot of fear among employees,” O’Grady says. “They are concerned about standing up to their supervisor.” Worried about retaliation, they sometimes tell union representatives: “No grievances. I don’t want to get in trouble,” he says. “What can we do for them?” He would like to see a majority of federal government workers belong to unions. “We have to grow stronger” to be more effective, he says. He adds that it’s possible that congressional attacks on government workers and their unions could backfire in one way – by encouraging more people to join unions out of concern for their own future. Mary Vail, who lives in Oakland, CA, and retired from the National Labor Relations Board in 2009, is proud of the accomplishments of her union local, which, among other things, fought successfully to extend career ladders for field attorneys and investigators. “It probably took more time than it should have. There was a lot of resistance.” Vail credits the success to “a combination of persistence, the skill of the negotiating team and better political appointees” who listened to union representatives’ ideas. —STEVE BATES IS A FREELANCE WRITER IN THE WASHINGTON, DC, AREA .
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2016 OPEN SEASON: NOVEMBER 14-DECEMBER 12
FEHBP PREMIUMS
T
he Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced September 28 the 2017 premium rates for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). The enrollee share of premiums for non-postal employees and all annuitants will increase an average of 6.2 percent in 2017. (Postal employees pay a different rate because of collective bargaining agreements.) The average increase in the government share of premiums will be 3.7 percent. The overall average total premium increase for non-postal employees and all annuitants will be 4.4 percent in 2017. Health maintenance organization (HMO) premiums will go up an average of 6.4 percent, while fee-for-service (FFS) plan rates will rise an average of 4.1 percent. Changes in FEHBP coverage may be made during Federal Benefits Open Season, November 14-December 12. Also included in Open Season are the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Program (FEDVIP) (see p. 48) and the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS).
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There is no need for enrollees to re-enroll in FEHBP and FEDVIP unless they want to change plans or their current plan ceases participation. However, employees must re-enroll in FSAFeds every year to continue to participate. Enrollee Premiums. The tables on pages 35 and 36 list the six open-to-all, FFS plans, the four restricted FFS plans and the largest participating HMOs; the 2017 cost of each plan for both
employees and retirees; and the increase/decrease from 2016. Rates listed are applicable to most non-postal federal employees as well as all retirees and survivors. For a listing of all premiums, go to www.opm.gov/ healthcare-insurance/healthcare. Changes in FEHBP enrollee premiums vary from plan to plan, but, on average, enrollees with Self (Continued on p. 38)
INCREASES ADD TO SKYROCKETING RETIREE COSTS, TAKE BITE OUT OF EMPLOYEE PAYCHECKS
NARFE President Richard G. Thissen said premium increases averaging 6.2 percent for enrollees in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) “add to the skyrocketing costs incurred by federal retirees.” They also will “take a bite out of the already reduced paychecks of federal employees,” Thissen said. “Many federal employees and retirees are facing an average increase of 83 percent in Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program premiums,” he explained. At the same time, federal annuitants likely will see only a tiny cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2017. And some annuitants who are not “held harmless” will see their Medicare premiums rise significantly. He renewed NARFE’s call for a new COLA formula and a legislative solution to the hold harmless problem. Thissen contrasted the FEHBP premium hike of 6.2 percent with the 1.6 percent pay raise feds likely will receive in 2017. In the past six years, salaries rose only 3.3 percent, while FEHBP premiums went up 27.8 percent, “highlighting the need for adequate federal employee pay raises.”
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Plan Option Code Total Premium Gov’t Pays Enrollee Pays biweekly | monthly biweekly | monthly biweekly | monthly APWU HEALTH PLAN High Self High Self & Family High Self Plus One CDHP Self CDHP Self & Family CDHP Self Plus One
Enrollee Increase / Decrease biweekly | monthly
OPEN TO ALL 471 472 473 474 475 476
$315.96 | $684.58 $758.32 | $1,643.03 $663.52 | $1,437.63 $247.24 | $535.69 $593.35 | $1,285.59 $543.91 | $1,178.47
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GEHA BENEFIT PLAN High Self High Self & Family High Self Plus One Standard Self Standard Self & Family Standard Self Plus One HDHP Self HDHP Self & Family HDHP Self Plus One
311 312 313 314 315 316 341 342 343
$323.13 | $700.12 $767.79 | $1,663.55 $710.88 | $1,540.24 $215.45 | $466.81 $509.51 | $1,103.94 $463.21 | $1,003.62 $226.81 | $491.42 $536.39 | $1,162.18 $487.65 | $1,056.58
$221.67 | $480.29 $505.22 | $1,094.64 $475.79 | $1.030.88 $161.59 | $350.11 $382.13 | $827.96 $347.41 | $752.72 $170.11 | $368.57 $402.29 | $871.64 $365.74 | $792.44
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MHBP Value Self Value Self & Family Value Self Plus One Standard Self Standard Self & Family Standard Self Plus One HDHP Self HDHP Self & Family HDHP Self Plus One
414 415 416 454 455 456 481 482 483
$238.97 | $517.77 $577.52 | $1,251.29 $566.20 | $1,226.77 $271.53 | $588.32 $631.03 | $1,367.23 $625.03 | $1,354.23 $264.66 | $573.43 $614.98 | $1,332.46 $585.71 | $1,269.04
$179.23 | $388.33 $433.14 | $938.47 $424.65 | $920.08 $203.65 | $441.24 $473.27 | $1,025.42 $468.77 | $1,015.67 $198.50 | $430.07 $461.24 | $999.35 $439.28 | $951.78
$59.74 | $129.44 $144.38 | $312.82 $141.55 | $306.69 $67.88 | $147.08 $157.76 | $341.81 $156.26 | $338.56 $66.16 | $143.36 $153.74 | $333.11 $146.43 | $317.26
$0.59 | $1.28 $1.43 | $3.10 $1.40 | $3.04 $-2.10 | $-4.55 $-4.88 | $-10.57 $-20.51 | $-44.44 $1.29 | $2.81 $3.01 | $6.53 $2.88 | $6.23
NALC High Self High Self & Family High Self Plus One CDHP Self CDHP Self & Family CDHP Self Plus One Value Self Value Self & Family Value Self Plus One
321 322 323 324 325 326 KM1 KM2 KM3
$299.07 | $647.99 $671.56 | $1,455.05 $651.98 | $1,412.62 $214.26 | $464.23 $464.53 | $1,006.48 $463.49 | $1,004.23 $175.85 | $381.01 $381.41 | $826.39 $380.37 | $824.14
$221.67 | $480.29 $503.67 | $1,091.29 $475.79 | $1,030.88 $160.70 | $348.17 $348.40 | $754.86 $347.62 | $753.17 $131.89 | $285.76 $286.06 | $619.79 $285.28 | $618.11
$77.40 | $167.70 $167.89 | $363.76 $176.19 | $381.74 $53.56 | $116.06 $116.13 | $251.62 $115.87 | $251.06 $43.96 | $95.25 $95.35 | $206.60 $95.09 | $206.03
$4.85 | $10.51 $9.21 | $19.94 $13.91 | $30.14 $3.50 | $7.60 $7.43 | $16.10 $7.17 | $15.55 $0.86 | $1.87 $1.75 | $3.81 $1.50 | $3.24
SAMBA High Self High Self & Family High Self Plus One Standard Self Standard Self & Family Standard Self Plus One
441 442 443 444 445 446
$393.68 | $852.97 $944.83 | $2,047.13 $866.10 | $1,876.55 $291.82 | $632.28 $671.20 | $1,454.27 $642.01 | $1,391.02
$221.67 | $480.29 $505.22 | $1,094.64 $475.79 | $1,030.88 $218.87 | $474.21 $503.40 | $1,090.70 $475.79 | $1,030.88
$172.01 | $372.68 $439.61 | $952.49 $390.31 | $845.67 $72.95 | $158.07 $167.80 | $363.57 $166.22 | $360.14
$38.22 | $82.80 $94.92 | $205.66 $87.57 | $189.74 $9.51 | $20.62 $21.89 | $47.43 $26.65 | $57.74
RESTRICTED
COMPASS ROSE HEALTH PLAN (members of the Intelligence Community, employees of Departments of Defense and State) High Self 421 $306.06 | $663.13 $221.67 | $480.29 $84.39 | $182.84 $6.27 | $13.58 High Self & Family 422 $734.55 | $1,591.53 $505.22 | $1,094.64 $229.33 | $496.89 $18.26 | $39.57 $197.55 | $428.02 $17.30 | $37.48 High Self Plus One 423 $673.34 | $1,458.90 $475.79 | $1,030.88 FOREIGN SERVICE BENEFIT PLAN (American Foreign Service personnel, Departments of State and Defense, USAID, Foreign Agricultural and Commercial services, other executive branch employees assigned overseas; Foreign Service retirees) High Self 401 $257.76 | $558.48 $193.32 | $418.86 $64.44 | $139.62 $1.27 | $2.74 High Self & Family 402 $637.66 | $1,381.60 $478.25 | $1,036.20 $159.41 | $345.40 $3.12 | $6.77 High Self Plus One 403 $631.36 | $1,367.95 $473.52 | $1,025.96 $157.84 | $341.99 $-0.12 | $-0.25 RURAL CARRIER BENEFIT PLAN (active and retired rural letter carriers) High Self 381 $304.30 | $659.32 $221.67 | $480.29 High Self & Family 382 $589.26 | $1,276.73 $441.95 | $957.55 High Self Plus One 383 $577.70 | $1,251.68 $433.28 | $938.76
$82.63 | $179.03 $147.31 | $319.18 $144.42 | $312.92
$-2.34 | $-5.07 $2.88 | $6.25 $2.83 | $6.14
PANAMA CANAL AREA BENEFIT PLAN High Self 431 $247.08 | $535.34 $185.31 | $401.51 High Self & Family 432 $515.77 | $1,117.50 $386.83| $838.13 High Self Plus One 433 $493.16 | $1,068.51 $369.87 | $801.38
$61.77 | $133.83 $128.94 | $279.37 $123.29 | $267.13
$2.11 | $4.56 $4.40 | $9.52 $4.21 | $9.11
Open Season Report
KEY: Employees pay biweekly Annuitants pay monthly
2017 PREMIUMS — LARGEST HMOS*
Enrollee Increase / Total Premium Gov’t Pays Enrollee Pays Decrease State(s) Plan Option Code biweekly | monthly biweekly | monthly biweekly | monthly biweekly | monthly
DC, MD, VA KAISER FOUNDATION HEALTH PLAN MID-ATLANTIC STATES High Self E31 $296.17 | $641.70 $221.67 | $480.29 High Self & Family E32 $693.06 | $1,501.63 $505.22 | $1,094.64 High Self Plus One E33 $669.36 | $1,450.28 $475.79 | $1,030.88 Standard Self E34 $223.40 | $484.03 $167.55 | $363.02 Standard Self & Family E35 $522.75 | $1,132.63 $392.06 | $849.47 Standard Self Plus One E36 $504.87 | $1,093.89 $378.65 | $820.42 CA KAISER FOUNDATION HEALTH PLAN OF S. CALIFORNIA High Self 621 $291.35 | $631.26 $218.51 | $473.45 High Self & Family 622 $673.38 | $1,458.99 $505.04 | $1,094.24 High Self Plus One 623 $673.38 | $1,458.99 $475.79 | $1,030.88 Standard Self 624 $187.37 | $405.97 $140.53 | $304.48 Standard Self & Family 625 $433.04 | $938.25 $324.78 | $703.69 Standard Self Plus One 626 $433.04 | $938.25 $324.78 | $703.69 CA KAISER FOUNDATION HEALTH PLAN OF N. CALIFORNIA High Self 591 $396.45 | $858.98 $221.67 | $480.29 High Self & Family 592 $946.36 | $2,050.45 $505.22 | $1,094.64 High Self Plus One 593 $946.36 | $2,050.45 $475.79 | $1,030.88 Standard Self 594 $331.77 | $718.84 $221.67 | $480.29 Standard Self & Family 595 $776.36 | $1,682.11 $505.22 | $1,094.64 Stadard Self Plus One 596 $776.36 | $1,682.11 $475.79 | $1,030.88 DC, MD, VA AETNA OPEN ACCESS-CAPITOL High Self JN1 $469.08 | $1,016.34 $221.67 | $480.29 High Self & Family JN2 $1,054.58 | $2,284.92 $505.22 | $1,094.64 High Self Plus One JN3 $1,044.14 | $2,262.30 $475.79 | $1,030.88 Standard Self JN4 $294.16 | $637.35 $220.62 | $478.01 Standard Self & Family JN5 $664.55 | $1,439.86 $498.41 | $1,079.90 Standard Self Plus One JN6 $634.15 | $1,373.99 $475.61 | $1,030.49 HI HMSA High Self 871 $280.13 | $606.95 $210.10 | $455.21 High Self & Family 872 $629.74 | $1,364.44 $472.31 | $1,023.33 High Self Plus One 873 $613.79 | $1,329.88 $460.34 | $997.41 DC, MD, VA M.D.-IPA High Self JP1 $318.80 | $690.73 $221.67 | $480.29 High Self & Family JP2 $893.91 | $1,936.81 $505.22 | $1,094.64 High Self Plus One JP3 $622.62 | $1,349.01 $466.97 | $1,011.76 DC, MD, VA CAREFIRST BLUECHOICE High Self 2G1 $358.77 | $777.34 $221.67 | $480.29 High Self & Family 2G2 $852.43 | $1,846.93 $505.22 | $1,094.64 High Self Plus One 2G3 $717.54 | $1,554.67 $475.79 | $1,030.88 Standard Self 2G4 $304.89 | $660.60 $221.67 | $480.29 Standard Self & Family 2G5 $724.41 | $1,569.56 $505.22 | $1,094.64 Standard Self Plus One 2G6 $609.78 | $1,321.19 $457.34 | $990.89 WA GROUP HEALTH COOPERATIVE High Self 541 $349.46 | $757.16 $221.67 | $480.29 High Self & Family 542 $908.59 | $1,968.61 $505.22 | $1,094.64 High Self Plus One 543 $716.38 | $1,552.16 $475.79 | $1,030.88 Standard Self 544 $262.54 | $568.84 $196.91 | $426.63 Standard Self & Family 545 $682.59 | $1,478.95 $505.22 | $1,094.64 Standard Self Plus One 546 $538.20 | $1,166.10 $403.65 | $874.58 NJ, NY GHI HEALTH PLAN High Self 801 $441.06 | $955.63 $221.67 | $480.29 High Self & Family 802 $1,196.52 | $2,592.46 $505.22 | $1,094.64 High Self Plus One 803 $1,074.06 | $2,327.13 $475.79 | $1,030.88 Standard Self 804 $328.15 | $710.99 $221.67 | $480.29 Standard Self & Family 805 $782.70 | $1,695.85 $505.22 | $1,094.64 Standard Self Plus One 806 $750.09 | $1,625.20 $475.79 | $1,030.88
$74.50 | $161.41 $187.84 | $406.99 $193.57 | $419.40 $55.85 | $121.01 $130.69 | $283.16 $126.22 | $273.47
$2.39 | $5.17 $8.33 | $18.05 $9.42 | $20.41 $2.11 | $4.57 $4.94 | $10.70 $4.77 | $10.33
$72.84 | $157.81 $168.34 | $364.75 $197.59 | $428.11 $46.84 | $101.49 $108.26 | $234.56 $108.26 | $234.56
$3.87 | $8.38 $8.94 | $19.38 $21.00 | $45.50 $2.11 | $4.58 $4.89 | $10.58 $4.89 | $10.58
$174.78 | $378.69 $441.14 | $955.81 $470.57 | $1,019.57 $110.10 | $238.55 $271.14 | $587.47 $300.57 | $651.23
$10.92 | $23.66 $29.14 | $63.15 31.09 | $67.37 $8.16 | $17.68 $21.81 | $47.26 $23.76 | $51.48
$247.41 | $536.05 $17.93 | $38.84 $549.36 | $1,190.28 $42.26 | $91.57 $568.35 | $1,231.42 $43.62 | $94.51 $73.54 | $159.34 $4.55 | $9.86 $166.14 | $359.96 $10.85 | $23.50 $158.54 | $343.50 $6.30 | $13.64 $70.03 | $151.74 $157.43 | $341.11 $153.45 | $332.47
$5.18 | $11.24 $11.66 | $25.27 $11.37 | $24.63
$97.13 | $210.44 $388.69 | $842.17 $155.65 | $337.25
$14.63 | $31.69 $47.57 | $103.08 $11.19 | $24.26
$137.10 | $297.05 $347.21 | $752.29 $241.75 | $523.79 $83.22 | $180.31 $219.19 | $474.92 $152.44 | $330.30
$28.70 | $62.18 $71.21 | $154.29 $59.24 | $128.35 $8.96 | $19.41 $24.29 | $52.64 $8.62 | $18.70
$127.79 | $276.87 $403.37 | $873.97 $240.59 | $521.28 $65.63 | $142.21 $177.37 | $384.31 $134.55 | $291.52
$14.03 | $30.39 $8.63 | $18.70 $47.36 | $102.62 $7.11 | $15.42 $19.37 | $41.97 $17.51 | $37.94
$219.39 | $475.34 $38.95 | $84.38 $691.30 | $1,497.82 $16.38 | $35.50 $598.27 | $1,296.25 $304.74 | $660.27 $106.48 | $230.70 $16.00 | $34.66 $277.48 | $601.21 $-56.83 | $-123.13 $274.30 | $594.32 $149.33 | $323.55
*Based on information provided by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). If your plan is not listed, it simply means that your plan is not one of the largest. OPEN SEASON CHANGES for employees are effective at the beginning of the first pay period after January 1, 2017. Changes for retirees and survivor annuitants are effective January 1, 2017, and premium changes will
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be reflected in February 1, 2017, annuity payments. If verified enrollment is required, the change notice from OPM should suffice for annuitants; the notification from their agency will suffice for employees.
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Health benefits and health insurance plans are offered and/or underwritten by Aetna Life Insurance Company (Aetna) and its affiliates. This is a brief description of the features of this Aetna health benefits plan. Before making a decision, please read the plan’s applicable federal brochure(s). All benefits are subject to the definitions, limitations and exclusions set forth in the federal brochure. Plan features and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Aetna does not provide care or guarantee access to health services. For more information about Aetna plans, refer to www.aetnafeds.com. ©2016 Aetna Inc.
2016331
Open Season Report
(Continued from p. 34) Only coverage will pay $5.27 more per biweekly pay period; enrollees with Self Plus One coverage will pay $10.32 more per biweekly pay period; and enrollees with Self and Family coverage will pay
$12.97 more per biweekly pay period. (Employees pay premiums on a biweekly basis; retirees pay premiums on a monthly basis.) Enrollees with Self Only coverage in the popular Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Standard option will pay $5.81 more per
IMPORTANT OPEN SEASON INFORMATION
Open Season doesn’t start until November 14. Although the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has released information about 2017 premium rates, many of the materials and systems you will need to access to make your decision for 2017 and to make a change will not be available until shortly before the start date. OPM has announced several ways to get information on Federal Benefits Open Season 2016. They are: • THE WEB: 2017 premium charts for all Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) plans are available at: www.opm.gov/ healthcare-insurance/healthcare/plan-information/premiums/. General information about Open Season can be found at: www.opm.gov/ openseason. • FACEBOOK: Employees and retirees can get updates on Open Season by visiting the Office of Personnel Management’s Facebook page: www. facebook.com/USOPM.
PROVIDING DEPENDENT INFORMATION
If you are changing your health plan this Open Season and have either a Self and Family or Self Plus One enrollment, you will need to provide information about the dependents covered under your enrollment. Be prepared to do this whether you are an employee using your agency automated system or a retiree or survivor making your change with OPM.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Thinking About Retirement? More information for employees thinking about retirement and their federal employee health benefits can be found on the OPM website. • For FEHBP and retirement, go to www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/ fastfacts/thinkfehb.pdf; • For the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) and retirement, go to opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/ fastfacts/thinkfedvip.pdf. OPM also has a 36-minute video for retirees and employees near retirement that gives an overview of the FEHBP, FEDVIP, the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program (FEGLI) and the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP). Go to www.opm.gov/ healthcare-insurance/Guide-Me/Retirees-Survivors/.
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biweekly pay period in 2017; those with Self Plus One coverage will pay $9.46 more per biweekly pay period; and those with Self and Family coverage will pay $15.99 more per biweekly pay period. On average, the government pays about 70 percent of health benefits premiums. The maximum 2017 monthly government contribution will be $480.29 for Self Only coverage, $1,030.88 for Self Plus One, and $1,094.64 for Self and Family.
CHANGES FOR 2017
There are no new plans. New Plan Options. The following plans have new options: • Illinois Blue Preferred Plus POS is adding a Standard option (code 9G) in St. Louis, Central and Southwest Missouri, and St. Claire and Madison, IL; • Blue HMO Preferred is adding a Standard option (code Q4) in New Mexico; and • GlobalHealth, Inc. is adding a Standard option (code IM) in Oklahoma. Plan Terminations. Five HMO plans will drop out of the FEHBP after December 31, 2016: • Sanford Health Plan in northwest Iowa (codes AU1, AU2, AU4, AU5, AU6); • Grand Valley Health Plan in Grand Rapids, MI (codes RL1, RL2, RL3, RL4, RL5, RL6); • Sanford Health Plan in North Dakota (codes AU1, AU2, AU3, AU4, AU5, AU6); • Sanford Health Plan in South Dakota’s central and eastern regions and Rapid City area (codes AU1, AU2, AU3, AU4, AU5, AU6); and • FirstCare Health Plan in west and central Texas (codes CK1, CK2, CK3).
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2017 Monthly Premiums coming soon! *High Option members when Medicare Part A and B pay as primary
Open Season Report
The 735 enrollees in these plans must select new coverage during Open Season. Plans generally decide to withdraw from the FEHBP based on an assessment of enrollment, use and premium. However, OPM can initiate a termination if it finds a plan is no longer able to meet its contractual obligations. All HMO enrollees should review their plan’s 2017 brochure to see if they still live or work in their plan’s service area. For instance, Aetna Whole Health in Virginia (codes D91, D92, D93) is reducing its service area.
INFORMATION SOURCES Federal agencies will provide employees with Open Season
information. OPM will provide Open Season information to most eligible annuitants, survivor annuitants and former spouse annuitants. Plans will not auto-
matically send enrollees their 2017 brochures. You must request one or download it from the OPM website, www.opm.gov/openseason. —FEDERAL BENEFITS SERVICE DEPARTMENT
SELF PLUS CAUTION! Many enrollees changed from Self and Family to Self Plus One during the 2015 Open Season to save on premium costs; others didn’t switch but should have. Make sure you do not pay more than you have to. There are plans in which the enrollee premium for Self Plus One coverage is higher than the enrollee premium for Self and Family. It makes no sense to enroll in a more expensive Self Plus One option, even if you have just one dependent. Simply keep your Self and Family coverage and pay the less expensive premium. Also, if you changed from Self and Family to Self Plus One for 2016, check your plan’s premiums for 2017 to make sure the Self Plus One premium is again lower than Self and Family.
TIME TO TICKLE YOUR IVORIES! Choose an affordable GEBA dental plan. OPEN ENROLLMENT NOV. 14 -DEC. 19
For nearly 60 years, Government Employees’ Benefit Association (GEBA) has offered a wide variety of high quality insurance and investment plans from financially strong and highly reputable companies at affordable prices. We exclusively service thousands of federal civilian employees and retirees in the U.S. Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, Department of State, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and United States Agency for International Development as well as contractors assigned to NSA-W and military. We are not participants of the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program. Visit us at www.GEBA.com to learn more about what GEBA can do for you!
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GEBA.com | 800.826.1126 40
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GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES’ BENEFIT ASSOCIATION
With over 850,000 providers nationwide, our plans help keep you on your feet. For decades, federal employees and their families have trusted UnitedHealthcare. Our nationwide network of doctors and health care professionals means more choices wherever you go. With no referrals needed, you have access to the care you need to help keep you on your feet, every day.
Š2016 United HealthCare Services, Inc. Insurance coverage provided by or through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or its affiliates. Health Plan coverage provided by or through a UnitedHealthcare company. Plan designs and services vary by state. Visit uhcfeds.com to find a listing of plans available in your area. MT1070327 16-2831
Understanding your health care plan starts here:
Visit uhcfeds.com to learn more.
Open Season Report
FEHBP FAQS FOR OPEN SEASON
W
hy are the enrollee shares for some Self Plus One enrollments the same or higher than Self and Family enrollee shares for the same plan?
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has provided the following answer to that question: “For most enrollees, the enrollee share for Self Plus One will be lower than the enrollee share for Self and Family. However, it is possible that some plans will have higher enrollee shares for Self Plus One enrollments than for Self and Family enrollments. The statutory formula that is used to calculate the government contribution is based on the average of all plan premiums and requires that OPM calculate a maximum contribution for each enrollment type. In other words, there is a limit to how much the government will contribute toward the cost of a Self Only, Self Plus One, or Self and Family enrollment. The government contributes the lesser of the maximum contribution or 75 percent of the total premium. The remaining amount is the enrollee share (how much the enrollee must pay). In some cases, such as plans with a premium cost that is above the program
A Total premium B Lesser of Max Gov’t. Contrib. C A x 75 D Gov’t. Contrib. Lesser of B and C E Enrollee Contrib. A-D 42
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average, this calculation may result in a higher enrollee share for a Self Plus One enrollment than a Self and Family enrollment.” See example below.
I
s it possible to make a serious mistake in choosing a plan?
All FEHBP plans are good. All cover hospital and physician care, prescriptions, outpatient diagnostic lab tests, treatment of mental illness, home health care, routine mammograms for women over age 35, routine prostate cancer tests for men over age 40 and smoking cessation programs. Some also cover special benefits such as acupuncture and dental care. In addition, many HMOs provide more comprehensive preventive care. Generally, you can make a serious mistake only if you enroll in: a costly plan or option when you don’t need one; a plan that doesn’t cover a specific benefit when you need it; self-only coverage when you need coverage for family members or vice versa; or you enroll in a plan that requires you to use preferred providers and there are none in your area.
W
hich benefit is the most important to consider?
For those not enrolled in MediSELF PLUS ONE
SELF & FAMILY
$400 $291 $300 $291
$420 $320 $315 $315
$109
$105
care Part B, the catastrophic protection benefit is very important. It puts a dollar limit on what you have to pay out of pocket in terms of co-payments and coinsurance for the expenses that the plan covers. Considering the catastrophic protection benefits for a two-option plan, it is not possible, generally, to recover enough in additional high-option benefits to offset the much higher premiums. However, you should carefully compare the options, especially prescription drug coverage.
M
y health plan will continue to participate in the FEHBP next year. What do I do if I want to stay with my present enrollment?
Don’t do anything. Your present coverage is automatically continued unless you make a change or unless your plan or option is terminated. (Retirees and survivor annuitants, see “Low Annuity” note on p. 44.)
M
y health plan option will not be continuing next year. What happens if I do not make a change for 2017 during the Open Season period?
OPM made a rule change, effective January 1, 2016, on this subject: Federal employees. In the event of a plan option termination, the employing agency enrolls the employee in the lowest cost remaining plan option that is not an HDHP. In the event of a plan termination, the employing agency enrolls the employee in the lowest cost nationwide plan, as
Go ahead and smile. With an annual maximum benefit up to $35,000 for High Option, more than 340,000 in-network provider locations, no deductible and free in-network preventive care, you’re covered. So you can worry less — and do more. Estimate common procedure costs at gehadental.com/switch.
Open Season Nov 14 – Dec 12
877.590.GEHA gehadental.com
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Open Season Report
Got questions about Medicare and the FEHBP? Get answers at “Medicare and the FEHBP” and in the NARFE Federal Benefits Institute, www.narfe.org.
determined by OPM. Annuitants and survivor annuitants. In the event of a plan option termination, the retirement office enrolls the annuitant in the lowest cost remaining
plan option that is not an HDHP. In the event of a plan termination, the retirement office enrolls the annuitant in the lowest cost nationwide plan, as determined by OPM.
W
hat are the advantages/disadvantages to HMO enrollment?
HMOs offer a good alternative to FFS plans. HMOs cover hospital and physician care and prescrip-
IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR ALL FEHBP PARTICIPANTS • RESEARCH PREFERRED PROVIDERS. Feefor-service (FFS) plans use preferred provider organizations (PPOs) and doctors to help contain program costs and keep premiums at a reasonable rate. Usually, you will save a lot on out-of-pocket costs if you use your plan’s preferred hospitals or doctors. However, PPO arrangements are business contracts that are not always renewed. PPO arrangements can be made and also can be discontinued from one year to the next. In addition, there may not be PPO arrangements in all parts of the country. If you are enrolled in an FFS plan or thinking of enrolling in one, you should check with the hospitals and doctors you use and ask them if they are PPO providers in your plan. You also can review your plan’s PPO directory to see if your doctor or hospital is a PPO provider for your plan.
• ASK QUESTIONS. Be careful to confirm information in your plan’s brochure by speaking with a plan representative. Do not assume anything. For example, plans may describe benefits in terms of “annual” or “annually.” This would seem to mean “each year,” when, in fact, it may mean that a year must have elapsed before it will cover you again. Also, while a hospital may be a PPO for your plan, not all departments in that hospital are PPO providers. Hospitals contract out much of their emergency room, technical and lab work to other groups that may not be PPO providers for your plan, and you will pay more for their services. • ID CARDS. New plan identification cards showing your enrollment are issued by the health plan. If you do not change to another plan or option during Open Season, you don’t necessarily get a new ID card from the plan.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR ANNUITANTS AND SURVIVORS • OPEN SEASON NOTIFICATION. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will send you notification by mail or electronically if you have provided OPM with your email address. Both notices will provide details on Open Season and guidance on how to obtain information and materials. • PLAN PARTICIPATION. Make sure your current plan will participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) for 2017. This is especially important if you are currently enrolled in a health maintenance organization (HMO) plan. • STAYING PUT. If, after reading your current plan’s brochure – particularly about changes and premiums for 2017 – you decide to continue your current coverage, you do not have to do anything. Your enrollment in your current plan will continue into 2017, and the new premiums will be deducted from your February 1, 2017, monthly annuity payment. • MAKING A CHANGE. For Open Season changes, call the Open Season Express number provided in your FEHBP Open Season notice, log on to Open
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Season Online at the internet address provided in your Open Season notice, or contact the Open Season Processing Center provided in your Open Season notice. • LOW ANNUITY. If your monthly annuity is not enough to cover your plan’s 2017 premiums, you must either change to a less-costly option or change to a plan that you can afford. You also may pay your monthly premiums directly to OPM if you want to stay with your current plan but your monthly annuity is not sufficient to withhold the premium amount. • MEDICARE ENROLLEES. Make sure you read your plan brochure’s sections titled “When You Have Medicare” and “Coordinating Benefits With Other Coverage.” • AGE 65 AND NOT ENROLLED IN MEDICARE. Fee-for-service (FFS) plans include a section in their brochures titled “When You Are Age 65 or Over and Do Not Have Medicare.” This section details how, by law, the plan must use Medicare’s approved amounts on which to base its payments.
Open Season Report
tions, but they stress preventive care, covering routine physicals, immunizations and well-baby care. Many HMOs offer more comprehensive coverage (including dental) at lower premiums than FFS plans. HMO plans tend to be offered more frequently in urban areas than in rural areas. For most care, enrollees must use doctors and hospitals that are approved by the HMO or with which the HMO has working agreements. Most HMOs require that an enrollee’s care be coordinated by a primary care physician. Compared to FFS plans, enrollee access to specialists is more limited under an HMO plan. HMOs generally limit benefits
outside of their full service areas to emergency services only. Doctors’ contracts with HMO plans do not necessarily run from January 1 through December 31, so a plan doctor may leave the plan during the FEHBP contract year. The FEHBP often adds new plans and drops others, particularly HMOs. Also, HMO plans might change the area of coverage. Make sure to check coverage areas.
an HDHP may be eligible for a health savings account (HSA) or a health reimbursement account (HRA). (Medicare-eligible enrollees cannot open an HSA.) HDHPs may not be appropriate for those with higher health care costs. And, if you or a family member gets very sick, you have to meet your plan’s catastrophic limit, which could be as much as $10,000 out of pocket.
H
—FEDERAL BENEFITS SERVICE DEPARTMENT
ow would an HDHP/HSA or HDHP/HRA help an FEHBP member?
HDHP stands for high-deductible health plan. Premiums may be lower than fee-for-service or HMO plans. Anyone enrolled in
the face of eye health Budget-friendly plans Large network Membership satisfaction Sign up today. BENEFEDS.com Open Season dates: November 14 through December 12
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DON’T MISS THE DECEMBER ISSUE!
• Specific Plan Changes * Prescription Drug Guide • Dental & Vision Plan Premiums
METLIFE FEDERAL DENTAL PLAN
BIG NETWORK. BIGGER SAVINGS. Enroll by December 12.
With the MetLife Federal Dental Plan, Annuitants and Federal employees can choose a dental plan that offers MORE. MORE SAVINGS1 • Big discounts with in-network dentists • No out-of-pocket costs for in-network cleanings, X-rays and exams2 • Discounts apply on all services, even if the service is not covered3 MORE DENTISTS • One of the nation’s largest dental networks • Over 350,000 dentist locations MORE COVERAGE • $25,000 annual maximum per person, per year, on the high option • Covered services include services you may need such as periodontal services, implants and crowns
TO ENROLL: Call 1-877-888-FEDS or visit www.BENEFEDS.com For more information, visit FEDERALDENTAL.METLIFE.COM 1 Savings from enrolling in a dental benefits plan will depend on various factors, including plan design and premiums, how often participants visit the dentist and the cost of services rendered. 2 Subject to frequency limitation. 3 MetLife pays for only necessary dental services for the prevention, diagnosis, care or treatment of a covered condition. Like most group benefit programs, benefit programs offered by MetLife and its affiliates contain certain exclusions, exceptions, reductions, limitations, waiting periods, and terms for keeping them in force. Please contact MetLife or your plan administrator for costs and complete details. 1608-669245 CS L0916478135[exp1117][All States][DC,GU,MP,PR,VI] © 2016 Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, New York, NY 10166
Open Season Report
FEDVIP PREMIUMS
T
he average premium increase for the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) will be 1.9 percent for dental and 6.3 percent for vision in 2017, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced September 28. FEDVIP is separate and different from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). OPM has contracted with 12 insurance carriers to provide comprehensive coverage under 14 different plans.
DENTAL INSURANCE
There are 10 dental plans. Six are national/international: • Aetna Dental, PPO; • Delta Dental, PPO; • FEP Blue Dental (Blue Cross Blue Shield), PPO; • GEHA, PPO; • MetLife, PPO; and • United Concordia. Four are regional: • Dominion Dental, HMO; • EmblemHealth, PPO; • Humana, EPO; and • Triple-S Salud, PPO. Dental plans will provide a comprehensive range of services, including the following: • Class A (Basic) services, which include oral examinations, prophylaxis, diagnostic evaluations, sealants and X-rays. • Class B (Intermediate) services, which include restorative procedures such as fillings, prefabricated stainless steel crowns, periodontal scaling, tooth extractions and denture adjustments. • Class C (Major) services, which include endodontic services such as root canals, periodontal services such as gingivectomy, major restorative services such as 48
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crowns, oral surgery, bridges and prosthodontic services such as complete dentures. • Class D (Orthodontic) services with a 12-month waiting period. Please review the dental plans’ benefits material for detailed information on the benefits covered, cost-sharing requirements and provider directories.
VISION INSURANCE
There are four vision plans: • Aetna Vision, PPO; • FEP BlueVision (Blue Cross Blue Shield), PPO; • UnitedHealthcare Vision, PPO; and • Vision Service Plan (VSP), PPO. Vision plans will provide comprehensive eye examinations and coverage for lenses, frames and contact lenses (in lieu of eyeglasses). There are no deductibles or waiting periods. Other benefits such as discounts on LASIK surgery also may be available. You must review the vision plans’ benefits material for detailed information on the benefits covered, cost-sharing requirements and provider directories.
PREMIUMS
Premiums will vary by plan and by enrollment type. Premiums for the dental plans are based on home ZIP codes. (For most dental plans, there are five “rating areas” for each carrier. The rating areas for each carrier are not the same for all plans. See the specific plan brochure or call the plan’s customer service number to determine your region and premium.) There is no government contribution to FEDVIP premiums. If you are a federal employee,
your premiums will be taken from your salary on a pretax basis when your salary is sufficient to make the premium withholding. If you are an annuitant, premiums will be withheld from your monthly annuity check when your annuity is sufficient. Based on the Internal Revenue Code, pretax premiums are not available for annuitants. For information on each plan’s premiums, visit www.opm.gov/ healthcare-insurance/dentalvision/plan-information.
FEDVIP FAST FACTS
Eligibility. Federal and U.S. Postal Service employees eligible for the FEHBP or the Health Insurance Marketplace (Exchange), unless excluded by law or regulation, are eligible to enroll in FEDVIP. Annuitants are eligible regardless of FEHBP or Health Insurance Marketplace eligibility. Enrollment options. The following options are available: • Self Only. Covers only the enrolled employee or annuitant; • Self Plus One. Covers the enrolled employee or annuitant plus one eligible family member specified by the enrollee; and • Self and Family. Covers the enrolled employee or annuitant and all eligible family members. Eligible family members. Eligible family members include your spouse, unmarried dependent children under age 22, and unmarried dependent children age 22 or over incapable of self-support because of a mental or physical disability that existed before age 22. The Affordable Care Act does not mandate coverage under dental and vision plans for dependents up to age 26, as it does for health insurance.
smile by will
No one has a smile like you. And no one can keep it healthy like us. Like Will, your smile is unique. It deserves Delta Dental, a leading dental benefits provider. Our Federal Employees Dental Program offers great benefits, affordable premiums, and a large network of dentists nationwide. We make it easy to keep your smile healthy. See how. deltadentalfeds.org
Managing Money
WHEN ARE TSP ELECTIVE DEFERRALS LIKE ICE CREAM?
I
love ice cream. As a kid, I could polish off a half gallon of Mayfield’s chocolate ice cream in one sitting and somehow still feel cheated. While age and a slowing
metabolism put an end to that indulgence, I still enjoy the family trips to our local ice cream shop. During a recent outing, I watched my four-year-old daughter shovel heaping spoonsful of her frozen chocolate treat into her mouth until she threw her hands over her head and yelled, “Aargh, brain freeze!” Looking back on this experience got me thinking about how life has a funny way of teaching us lessons. This outing taught my daughter (and reminded me) that it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Naturally, as any good financial planner would do, I wondered how I could apply this lesson to a financial experience. I started to think, and my mind drifted to the opportunities we have to achieve the goal of a financially secure retirement. Take, for example, the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). The TSP is a terrific savings vehicle that provides us an opportunity to save money on a tax-advantaged basis. But like so many good things in life, it, too, can be overdone. Let me explain. If you’re a Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) employee, you have four potential sources of contributions to your TSP.
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The first is the Agency Automatic (1 percent) Contribution, which, as the name implies, is a contribution equal to 1 percent of your basic pay and is made regardless of whether or not you make contributions of your own. Elective deferrals are another source. These are amounts you ask your agency to deduct from your pay to contribute on your behalf to your TSP. There is an annual limit on elective deferrals, which in 2016 is $18,000. The third source, catch-up contributions, are available to those over the age of 50 and are also subject to an annual limit, which in 2016 is $6,000. The fourth source, the Agency Matching Contribution, is based on the amount of the employee contribution – the elective deferrals – you make each pay period. You will receive a dollar-for-dollar Agency Matching Contribution on the first
BY MARK A. KEEN
CFP®
3 percent of pay you contribute, and 50 cents on the dollar for the next 2 percent of pay you contribute. So, if you contribute 3 percent of pay, your Agency Matching Contribution will be 3 percent of pay. If you contribute 5 percent of pay, your Agency Matching Contribution will total 4 percent of pay. Considering this is a guaranteed 80 percent return on your investment, you’ll want to contribute at least enough (5 percent of your pay) to maximize the value of your Agency Matching Contributions. However, as I alluded to earlier, it’s possible to overindulge, and those in the position to save the annual limit need to be careful they don’t miss out on the full Agency Matching Contribution. Remember, Agency Matching Contributions are based on elective deferrals, and if you do not make an elective deferral, you will not receive an Agency Matching Contribution. Consider the scenario where a FERS employee contributes so much of his or her pay that the annual limit on elective deferrals is reached prior to year-end. In this situation, the Agency Matching Contribution also will stop prior to yearend, resulting in the employee receiving an amount less than
BENEFITS RESOURCES NARFE offers members a wide range of information on federal benefits. Visit www. narfe.org/federalbenefits and www.narfe.org/ FederalBenefitsInstitute.
the full potential. For example, let’s look at a case where a FERS employee with a $100,000 salary sets her elective deferrals at 25 percent of pay. Assuming 26 pay periods in the year, her Agency Matching Contribution will be $153.85 per two-week pay period. Although she has the potential to receive $4,000 in Agency Matching Contributions, she’ll
only receive $2,923. This is because she will reach the $18,000 annual limit on elective deferrals in only 19 pay periods and miss out on Agency Matching Contributions for the remaining seven pay periods. Although it may feel gratifying to knock out your annual TSP elective deferrals as quickly as possible, you actually may be doing yourself financial harm if you hit the annual limit too early. Instead, space out your elective deferrals over the entire year, and you’ll maximize the Agency Matching Contribution each year. You can then use that extra money to treat yourself to ice cream. Aargh, brain freeze! MARK A. KEEN, CFP®, IS PARTNER, KEEN & POCOCK, 10300 EATON PLACE, FAIRFAX, VA, AND AN INVESTMENT ADVISER REPRESENTATIVE AND REGISTERED PRINCIPAL OF THE STRATEGIC FINANCIAL ALLIANCE, INC. (SFA). SECURITIES AND ADVISORY SERVICES ARE OFFERED THROUGH SFA. EMAIL: MKEEN@KEENPOCOCK.COM.
What Every Fed Ought to Know About Their Benefits FREE for NARFE Members in the NARFE Federal Benefits Institute
You are just a click away from expert guidance on the confusing issues surrounding federal benefits and retirement. Access these online resources, exclusively for NARFE members. READY-TO-VIEW WEBINARS TO HELP YOU:
New!
PRE- OR POST-RETIREMENT? What You NEED to Know MANAGE YOUR HEALTH BENEFITS Understand the Options and Save! AVOID FINANCIAL PLANNING PITFALLS Get Smart about the TSP and Social Security
Not a member? Join NARFE today to
access all NARFE Federal Benefits Institute resources and events: www.narfe.org/join.
NARFE Federal Benefits Institute
Upcoming Online Presentations!
The Alphabet Soup of Health Plans November 17, 2 p.m. ET
Presented by Tammy Flanagan, federal benefits expert and narfe magazine contributor
How Much Money Do You Need to Retire? December 8, 2 p.m. ET
Presented by Mark A. Keen, CFP and narfe magazine columnist
www.NARFE.org/Institute
W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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51
The Informed Citizen
THE POWER OF ALLIANCES
U
nions: The people who gave us the weekend” read a sign painted on the back of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) building. Each day, riding Metro’s Red Line in Washington, DC, I’d see the words and wonder whether others took any note. A few years ago, CWA’s building billboard changed; labor history was replaced with notice of a rape hotline. Federal unions are the focus of the cover story this month, and that caused me to reflect on the power of alliances – union and otherwise. Kennedy’s Executive Order On January 17, 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed an Executive Order, “EmployeeManagement Cooperation in the Federal Sector.” Executive Order 10988 granted collective bargaining rights to federal employees. Some of the people working for one of the world’s great meritocracies would have unions with clout. Unions in the federal sector already existed, but in 1962, federal unions finally won the right to collectively represent the economic interests of federal workers, except regarding wages. NARFE’s Coalition Partners NARFE’s legislative history is marked by the solidarity it has championed, helping to organize
RESOURCES ON THE WEB
the coalitions it is part of to this day. Fighting mandatory Social Security coverage for federal employees was the impetus for the formation of the FAIR Coalition. With the Fund to Assure an Independent Retirement, NARFE helped bring together a variety of craft unions, sometimes jurisdictional rivals, and management associations to promote common goals. FAIR’s formation yielded tangible and critical results. The advent of Social Security coverage of federal employees necessitated a new retirement law that coordinated retiree benefits. NARFE initiated a policy development process that, with the buy-in of its FAIR Coalition partners, resulted in the blueprint for creation of the Federal
President John F. Kennedy’s Executive Order: www.flra.gov/50th_ Anniversary_EO10988 NARFE Coalition Partners: www.narfe.org/legislation/articles.cfm?ID=734 Federal-Postal Coalition: www.narfe.org/legislation/articles.cfm?ID=735 CARE Coalition: www.narfe.org/legislation/articles.cfm?ID=736
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BY CHRISTOPHER FARRELL SENIOR ANALYST
Employees Retirement System. CARE Coalition In the 1990s, NARFE formed an even more diverse coalition of groups – including unions and managers – to seek repeal or reform of the two interactions between Social Security and nonSocial Security plans, namely, the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). The Coalition to Assure Retirement Equity (CARE) demonstrates NARFE’s ability to get disparate groups to unite in common cause. New Name, NARFE Chairs FAIR morphed over the years and is now the Federal-Postal Coalition. The Federal-Postal Coalition has 31 members, including unions, managers and supervisors. NARFE is the current chairing organization of that coalition. NARFE’s coalition partners and their member organizations are listed under Legislation on the NARFE homepage, www. narfe.org (see URLs at left.) NARFE, a Membership Association Although people who are not familiar with the Association are sometimes confused, NARFE is a membership association, not a union. However, as much as I enjoy working for NARFE, I really like weekends.
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IT’S NOT A HEARING AID Perfect Choice HD UltraTM is NOT a hearing aid. It is a Personal Sound Amplification Product (PSAP). Hearing aids can only be sold by an audiologist or a licensed hearing instrument specialist following hearing tests and fitting appointments. Once the audiologist had you tested and fitted, you would have to pay as much as $5000 for the product. The designers of the Perfect Choice HD UltraTM have moved the tiny but powerful speaker to the end of the hearing tube, so it is closer to the eardrum, giving you more volume and clarity. It features dual microphones that focus on voices for better conversational listening. It also automatically senses noisy or quiet environments and suppresses background noise, so sounds and conversations are easier to hear and understand.
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2016
G FUND
F FUND
C FUND
S FUND
I FUND
SEPTEMBER
0.13%
-0.04%
0.02%
0.90%
1.24%
AUGUST
0.13%
-0.11%
0.14%
0.80%
0.08%
JULY
0.13%
0.64%
3.69%
5.40%
5.07%
YTD
1.32%
6.01%
7.87%
10.11%
2.80%
1 YEAR
1.85%
5.46%
15.50%
13.69%
6.90%
3 YEAR*
2.08%
4.51%
11.24%
7.76%
0.80%
5 YEAR*
1.89%
3.44%
16.45%
16.49%
7.99%
10 YEAR*
2.71%
5.03%
7.30%
8.45%
2.09%
L INCOME
L 2020
L 2030
L 2040
L 2050
SEPTEMBER
0.20%
0.30%
0.38%
0.43%
0.48%
AUGUST
0.13%
0.16%
0.18%
0.20%
0.21%
JULY
1.00%
2.01%
2.85%
3.31%
3.74%
YTD
2.82%
4.15%
5.23%
5.78%
6.21%
1 YEAR
4.39%
7.22%
9.12%
10.16%
11.08%
3 YEAR*
3.55%
5.14%
6.01%
6.52%
6.87%
5 YEAR*
4.54%
8.52%
10.29%
11.52%
12.59%
10 YEAR*
3.91%
5.06%
5.60%
5.88%
N/A
2016
*ANNUALIZED
*ANNUALIZED
RETURNS are net of the effect of accrued administrative expenses and investment expenses/costs. Source: TSP (For additional monthly returns, go to www.tsp.gov.) G Fund: Government securities (specially issued to the TSP) F Fund: Government, corporate and mortgage-backed bonds C Fund: Stocks of large- and medium-size U.S. companies S Fund: Stocks of small- to medium-size U.S. companies (not included in the C Fund) I Fund: International stocks of 21 developed countries L Fund: (Lifecycle) Invested in the G, F, C, S and I Funds (The proportion of L Fund balance invested in each of the individual TSP funds depends on the L Fund chosen.)
OPM RETIREMENT CLAIMS PROCESSING STATUS
Fund returns were mostly flat to modestly positive for the month of September on continued reports of a mixed economic picture, uncertainty over Federal Reserve and foreign central bank policies, and news arising from the energy and banking sectors. The F Fund ended the month only very marginally negative, while all other Funds, including the Lifecycle Funds, showed gains. The I Fund benefited from a decline in the value of the dollar relative to other currencies. —BY SEAN MCCAFFREY, ACTING CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN
COUNTDOWN TO COLA
T
he Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 0.05 percent in August. To calculate the 2017 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), the indices of July, August and September 2016 will be averaged and compared with the 2014 third-quarter average of 234.242. The percentage increase, if any, determines the COLA. August’s index, 234.909, is up 0.28 percent from the base. Benefits awarded under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) to individuals suffering work-related injuries or illnesses are adjusted according to each calendar year’s percentage change in the CPI-W. August’s index is 1.78 percent higher than the December 2015 base index of 230.791. The CPI represents purchases of food and beverages, housing, apparel, transportation, medical care, recreation, education and communication, and other goods and services. Included are various government fees, such as water charges, auto registration fees, and sales and excise taxes. MONTH
2015
2016
For the Record
TSP FUNDS MOSTLY SHOW MODEST GAINS IN SEPTEMBER
THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN FUND RETURNS
Claims Received
SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST
6,300 8,374 6,019 4,753 15,423 11,293 5,741 7,241 7,210 5,929 9,238 6,818
Inventory Avg # of Days (Steady State % Processed in to Process Case in is 13,000) 60 Days or Less (YTD) More Than 60 Days
14,706 12,642 12,562 11,399 19,761 22,692 19,211 14,517 14,035 13,529 15,562 16,334
70% 74% 76% 78% 79% 80% 82% 80% 80% 79% 79% 78%
94 86 98 104 94 96 118 92 103 115 110 112
FOR THE NUMBER of new retirement cases the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) receives each month by agency and the percent with errors that it returns to those agencies, go to www.opm.gov/retirement-services/. Source: OPM 54
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CPI-W
Monthly % Change
% Change from 234.242
OCTOBER 2015
232.373
-0.12
-0.80
NOVEMBER
231.721
-0.28
-1.08
DECEMBER
230.791
-0.40
-1.47
JANUARY 2016
231.061
+0.12
-1.36
FEBRUARY
230.972
-0.04
-1.40
MARCH
232.209
+0.54
-0.87
APRIL
233.438
+0.53
-0.34
MAY
234.444
+0.43
+0.09
JUNE
235.308
+0.37
+0.46
JULY
234.789
-0.22
+0.23
AUGUST
234.909
+0.05
+0.28
SEPTEMBER
Donate to NARFE Programs Support Alzheimer’s Research
YOUR CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION IS TAX-DEDUCTIBLE TO THE FULLEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW.
WRITE YOUR CHAPTER NUMBER ON CHECK; MAKE IT PAYABLE TO: NARFE-Alzheimer’s Research
Enclosed is my NARFE-Alzheimer’s contribution: $ Every cent that is contributed is used for research. Please circle: Mr. Mrs. Miss Ms. AND MAIL TO: Name: Alzheimer’s Association Address: 225 N. Michigan Ave., 17th Floor City: State: ZIP: Chicago, IL 60601-7633 Chapter Number: Credit Card Information: MasterCard VISA NARFE MEMBERS CONTRIBUTED FOR If you have any questions, write to: Discover AMEX ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH: $12 Million Fund NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIR Card Number: Merv Stuckey, 2272 E. Buster Mountain Dr. Expiration Date: (mm)/ (yy) Oro Valley, AZ 85755-4709 *Total as of August 31, 2016 3-Digit Security Code: 100% of all contributed funds go to Name: (please print) EMAIL: narferoadrunner@comcast.net
$11,940,277* Alzheimer’s research.
Signature
Join the Silver CIrcle CLIP THIS CONTRIBUTION FORM AND MAIL TO: NARFE Silver Circle, 606 N. Washington St. Alexandria, VA 22314
•For a contribution of $25 or more, you will receive a Silver Circle pin, and your name will be listed in narfe magazine with other contributors. •For a contribution of $1,000 or more, your name will be placed on the “Wall of Fame” at NARFE Headquarters.
YOUR CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION IS TAX-DEDUCTIBLE TO THE FULLEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW.
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Enclosed is my Silver Circle contribution: $ ID # (ID # may be found on your narfe magazine label or your NARFE membership card)
Name: Address: City: State: ZIP: Silver Circle contributions are NOT deductible for federal income tax purposes.
INSTALLMENT PLAN Wall of Fame 12-month installment plan
Give to the Scholarship and Disaster Funds
PLEASE MAIL COUPON AND CHECK TO: FEEA 3333 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Suite 300 Lakewood, CO 80227
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All donations go to the NARFE General Fund to support NARFE programs and operations.
My check is enclosed
(Please make check payable to NARFE Silver Circle.)
Please charge my credit card Card type MasterCard VISA Discover AMEX Card Number: Expiration Date: (mm)/ (yy) Name: (please print)
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MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO: NARFE-FEEA Disaster Fund or NARFE-FEEA Scholarship Fund.
Date
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Please check appropriate box(es). To make credit card contributions, call 800-338-0755. Scholarships are available to children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of federal civilian retirees and current federal employees who are NARFE members. NARFE-FEEA Disaster Fund
Amount: $
NARFE-FEEA Scholarship Fund
Amount: $
Name: Address: City: State: ZIP:
NARFE News
‘FBI’ MOST WANTED The NARFE Federal Benefits Institute features what federal employees and retirees most want: guidance on complex benefits issues. It includes archived webinars, white papers and fact sheets. To access them, go to www.narfe. org, log in and click on the Institute banner. Members attend live webinars free. See schedule, p. 51.
RECRUITING STARS
N
ARFE presented awards at its Silver Award winners, who all 2016 National Convention to recruited 25 or more members, the members who recruited were: Yoggi Riley, Chapter 61, Calithe most new members since the Asfornia; Betty B. Mitchell, Chapter 5, sociation’s 2014 convention. Virginia; Philip R. Kraus, Chapter The Top Recruiter Award went to 1375, Texas; Stanley E. Sartain, Margie Dennis, Chapter 32, WashChapter 1281, Texas; Johanna C. ington, who recruited 99 members. Caylor, Chapter 1192, Washington; The Gold Award winner, Gregory K. Michael Wynn, Chapter 441, IlKann, Chapter 1085, Colorado, was linois; Larry Moore, Chapter 148, Life Apl_New Design 3/26/13 3:49 PM Page 1 a Membership close second with 98 recruits. Iowa; James C. Dewitt, Chapter
330, Indiana; Constance T. Bails, Chapter 737, Virginia; and Dorothy A. Creswell, Chapter 672, Texas. NARFE’s 2016 Recruiting Contest is underway. Members can earn $10 for each new recruit. See www. narfe.org for details. In the photo above, National President Richard G. Thissen presents award to Constance T. Bails.
NARFE NATIONAL LIFE MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Life Membership Fee Schedule Ages
Contact Information n Mr. n Mrs. n Miss n Ms. Full Name _____________________________________________ Street Address _________________________________________ Apt./Unit______________________________________________ City _______________________ State _____ ZIP _____________ Phone (__________) ____________________________________ Email_________________________________________________ Date of Birth _________ /_________ /___________________ dd
mm
yyyy
Recruiter ID # (if applicable) _________________________________ Chapter Number _______________________________________ (call 800-456-8410 for chapter information) Membership Information Member Number: ______________________________________ (New members) Membership is open to civilians in any agency of the federal or D.C. (before Oct. 1, 1987) governments eligible for a federal annuity.
Thank you for becoming a National Member for Life. You will receive a membership card, certificate and special lapel pin. Please allow six weeks for processing. Dues payments & gift contributions to NARFE are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes. 56
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Single or Quarterly Payment Installments 30-39 $1,796 $450.25 40-50 1,408 353.25 51-55 1,127 283.00 56-60 960 241.25 61-65 801 201.50 66-70 653 164.50 71-75 514 129.75 76-80 392 99.25 81-90 251 64.00 91-100+ 127 33.00
I am a (check all that apply) n Active Federal Employee n Active Federal Employee Spouse n Annuitant n Annuitant Spouse n Survivor Annuitant
PAYMENT INFORMATION n Single Payment or n Quarterly Installments (4 payments) Life Membership fee amount: $ ______________________ PAYMENT OPTIONS n Check or Money Order (Payable to NARFE) n Charge my: n MasterCard n VISA n Discover n American Express Card No. __________________________________________ Expiration Date _________ /_________ mm
yyyy
Name on Card ______________________________________ Signature ____________________________ Date ________ MAIL THIS APPLICATION TO NARFE Member Records 606 N. Washington St. / Alexandria, VA 22314-1914
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Active and Retired Federal Employees ...
Join NARFE Today!
The only organization dedicated solely to protecting and preserving the benefits of all federal workers and retirees, NARFE informs you of any developments and proposals that affect your compensation, retirement and health benefits, AND provides clear answers to your questions.
National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association NARFE Member Benefits • Get monthly issues of narfe magazine with news and insights for the federal community. • Access the NARFE Federal Benefits Institute for powerful resources to help you fully understand and manage your benefits.
Who Should Join? If your future security is tied to federal retirement benefits – federal retirees, current employees, spouses and individual survivors – you should join NARFE. Three Easy Ways To Join 1. Complete this application and return by mail with your payment. 2. Join online at www.narfe.org. 3. Call 800-627-3394, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
• Visit the Legislative Action Center to contact your representatives about bills affecting federal benefits. • Visit the Member Perks page for a full listing of the many time-, moneyand hassle-saving benefits available only to NARFE members.
Looking to meet others in the federal community and participate in NARFE at a local level? Call 800-627-3394 to learn about a NARFE chapter in your area.
NARFE MEMBERSHIP APPLIC ATION
1Q6
q YES. I want to join NARFE for the low annual dues of $40.
I am a (check all that apply) q Active Federal Employee q Active Federal Employee Spouse
q Mr. q Mrs. q Miss q Ms. Full Name _________________________________________________
q Annuitant q Annuitant Spouse
Street Address _____________________________________________
q Survivor Annuitant
Apt./Unit __________________________________________________
q Please enroll my spouse
City _______________________ State _____ ZIP __________________ Phone (__________) _________________________________________ Email _____________________________________________________
MAY WE THANK SOMEONE? If applicable, please provide the name, membership and chapter number of the member who introduced you to NARFE:
_________________________________________ Spouse’s Full Name
_________________________________________ Spouse’s Email
NARFE respects the privacy of our members. Personal information is used to provide content and relevant communications to our members, and will not be sold or rented to third parties without your express permission.
Recruiter’s Name_____________________________________________
TOTAL DUES
Recruiter’s Membership ID _____________________________________
$40 Annual Dues X ___________ = ___________ Per Person # Enrolling Total Dues
Recruiter’s Chapter Number ___________________________________
PAYMENT OPTIONS q Check, Money Order or Bill Pay (Payable to NARFE)
Card No. _________________________________________
q Bill me (NARFE membership will start when payment is received.)
Expiration Date _____ /_________
q Charge my: q MasterCard
q VISA q Discover
q American Express
mm
yyyy
Name on Card _____________________________________ Signature _________________________________________ Date _____________________________________________
Dues payments are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
MAIL THIS APPLICATION TO NARFE Member Records 606 N. Washington St. / Alexandria, VA 22314-1914
NARFE’s Dues Withholding Program What is dues withholding? It is a dues-payment method that gives NARFE members (retirees) the option of having their annual NARFE membership dues deducted from their annuities on a monthly basis. How does it work? One-twelfth of your total dues is automatically deducted from your monthly annuity. Your monthly deduction is determined by the following formula: (National dues ÷ 12) + (Chapter dues ÷ 12) = Total Monthly Deduction
Advantages • Save 15% off your annual membership dues! • Sign up your spouse and double your savings! • You’ll never get another dues reminder from us! • Your monthly payment is affordable and convenient! • You may cancel your dues withholding at any time! Application process It takes 60-90 days to process your application. Once the process is complete, you will receive a special membership card distinguishing you as a NARFE dues-withholding member.
To learn more about dues withholding, call 800-627-3394. Retirees, spouses of retirees and annuitant survivors are eligible for dues withholding.
NARFE Dues Withholding Application for Retirees n YES. I want to enroll in NARFE’s Dues Withholding Program (Annual dues of $34 plus Chapter dues of record to be withheld annually.) Social Security Number (9-digit number)
–
Civil Service Annuity Number
–
C S
–
–
–
(Include prefix, CSA or CSF) (Include any applicable suffix)
n Mr. n Mrs. n Miss n Ms. Full Name _______________________________________
NARFE MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Street Address ___________________________________
NARFE Membership ID ____________________________________
Apt./Unit________________________________________
NARFE Chapter Number____________________________________
City _________________________ State _____ ZIP _____
n YES. I Also Authorize My (NARFE Member) Spouse’s Dues To Be
Phone (__________) ______________________________ Email ___________________________________________ Date of Birth _________ /_________ / ____________________ dd
mm
yyyy
Withheld From My Annuity. (Additional annual dues of $34 plus Chapter dues of record to be withheld annually.) If YES, enter spouse’s information below. Spouse’s Name ___________________________________________ Spouse’s Membership ID ___________________________________
AUTHORIZATION (Withholding will begin in 60-90 days). No payment should be forwarded with application. I authorize the United States Office of Personnel Management to make appropriate deductions from my annuity payments, not to exceed the amount certified by the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association as the amount of dues for which I am annually obligated, in accordance with elections I make below, and to pay the deducted sum to the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE). This authorization shall also apply to any and all dues changes certified by NARFE membership in accordance with elections I make below: Please allow 60-90 days for processing.
I understand that this authorization shall be valid until NARFE receives and processes my written notice of cancellation in accordance with its agreement with the Office of Personnel Management and that any disputes regarding this authorization shall be a matter between NARFE and myself. I hold the Office of Personnel Management harmless for any erroneous allotment deduction made pursuant to this authorization. ___________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________
Signature of Annuitant or Survivor-Annuitant
Date
Dues payments and gifts or contributions to NARFE are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. MAIL THIS FORM TO: NARFE, ATTN: Member Records, 606 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314-1914 www.narfe.org 800-627-3394 rr@narfe.org Do not send money with this form
DW-2 (08/12)
RENO, NEVADA • AUG 28 - SEPT 1
NARFE NATIONAL CONVENTION
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Discussing the Convention in the lobby of the Grand Sierra Resort are, from left, Harold Weninger of New Town, ND; Marshall and Linda Richards of Hallsville, TX; and Lynn and Carlos Henning of Jackson, TN. National President Richard G. Thissen presents a recruiting award to Dorothy Creswell of New Braunfels, TX. Members raise their voting cards on the Convention floor. A delegate participates in debate. Photos by Digiman Studios Stories by Margaret Carter and Donna E. St. John
HISTORIC MEETING “HISTORY WAS MADE at this Convention.” That was the assessment of NARFE National President Richard G. Thissen after delegates at NARFE’s 34th Biennial National Convention passed resolutions that make membership in chapters optional and give each NARFE member a vote. The adoption of the resolutions, which amend the NARFE National Bylaws, usher in a new era for the 95-year-old organization. Proposed by the National Executive Board, the changes were recommended as critical to the Association’s future after a year-long strategic planning process. The Convention also adopted NARFE’s Legislative Program for the 115th Congress, set a new goal for Alzheimer’s fundraising and heard from speakers on benefits issues. Delegates re-elected Thissen of Cocoa Beach, FL, and National Secretary/Treasurer Jon Dowie of St. Augustine, FL, by acclamation. Ten regional vice presidents also were elected during the meeting. The Convention at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, NV, August 28-September 1, attracted 849 registrants whose votes represented 93.8 percent of NARFE’s chapters.
PROGRESS, PROTECT, PERSEVERE.
O’BRIEN SAYS FLTCIP SOLVENCY WAS ‘FIRST RESPONSIBILITY’
J
ohn O’Brien, who oversees the insurance portfolio for federal employees and annuitants, explained the reasons for the significant premium increases recently announced in the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP). “None of us is happy about the increases,” said O’Brien, director of Health Care and Insurance at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). But, he added, OPM’s “first responsibility is to keep the program solvent.” The increases result from the lowinterest rate environment, in which
underwriter John Hancock Life & Health Insurance Company is not getting the return on investments it anticipated. And, after 14 years, the insurer has better data on how plans are being used. “We didn’t just take it,” O’Brien said of the increases. John O’Brien, OPM Director of Health Care and Insurance OPM not only did its own review but also called in an OPM conducts annual surveys of independent actuarial firm. employees, “we haven’t been asking HEALTH BENEFITS. O’Brien said OPM will survey federal anannuitants what they think,” he said. “We acknowledge that that has nuitants this year, asking retirees been a problem.” (See story, p. 9.) about their health benefits. While
ALZHEIMER’S: UPBEAT OUTLOOK, NEW FUNDRAISING GOAL
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he scientific community is upbeat about the potential “in the reasonably near term” to see the first drugs to change the course of Alzheimer’s disease, the president and chief executive officer of the Alzheimer’s Association told the Convention. “No drug yet has changed the underlying path of the disease,” Harry Johns noted. Johns thanked NARFE’s leaders and members for their support of research. “When the history is written about the success we ultimately have in treating and even preventing Alzheimer’s disease, NARFE ... will have been a significant part of that change,” he said.
NEW GOAL. With its current $12 million goal in sight, NARFE now will aim toward a new cumulative goal in fundraising for Alzheimer’s research: $13 million in 2018. Delegates affirmed with their applause that recommendation from the NARFE-Alzheimer’s National Committee. Merv Stuckey, committee chairman, said the total raised to date is approximately $11.91 million. Stuckey recognized several federations for their fundraising records. Raising the most in total dollars during the past fiscal year were: Virginia, $63,233.98; California, $28,337.34; Kansas, $25,954.21;
North Carolina, $20,872.39; and Maryland, $18,610.34. Raising the most per capita were: Delaware, $10.87; South Dakota, $10.76; Kansas, $8.60; North Dakota, $7.97; and Mississippi, $7.30.
Alzheimer’s Association President Harry Johns
NARFE’S DEDICATION TO ALZHEIMER’S CAUSE GIVES HOPE
Charles McClatchey
IN FRANK REMARKS about what led to a neurologist’s diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s and his journey of acceptance, Charles “Chuck” McClatchey described how he first noticed changes in his memory while playing cards and counting golf strokes. Once diagnosed, he contacted the Alzheimer’s Association and began seeing a therapist on the emotional impact of having the disease. But he also realized that he could sit down or fight. “I’ve always been a fighter, and I wanted to be involved with my own illness.” Today, he participates in clinical trials, talks to groups about his experience and is a member of the Alzheimer’s Association Early Stage Advisory Group. There is hope, and there is help, McClatchey said. “NARFE’s dedication to this cause and the money raised give hope to me and many families.” W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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Conventiongoers enjoyed lunches during Convention week, as well as coffee breaks and dessert with vendors in the exhibit hall. Above, Brian Sperling, GEHA outreach executive, speaks at the Tuesday lunch. GEHA and other sponsors helped defray the costs of these well-received events.
RETIREES: KEEP BENEFITS UP TO DATE
F
ederal retirement benefits expert Tammy Flanagan said that, while most government employees plan carefully for their retirement, they may not be so careful about staying up to date once they have retired. In a test-your-knowledge segment for convention attendees, Flanagan asked, “What is the most important thing to keep up to date after retirement?” The correct answer is, your address. When you move, notifying “the big three” – the Office of Personnel Management, the Thrift Savings Plan and the Social Security Administration – is vital, she said. Insurance is another area that needs careful consideration. Health needs may change, and you should evaluate your coverage.
Flanagan noted that canceling a Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) policy is permanent. But if you don’t think you need to continue coverage, especially as premiums increase significantly with age, you should consider reducing or dropping it. Of great concern among federal retirees is the cost of long-term care insurance. But Flanagan stressed the importance of considering it as the costs of long-term care can derail your financial plan. Various life events can have a significant impact on benefit choices and survivor elections. These could include marriage, divorce, remarriage, and the need to return to work to supplement income.
Tammy Flanagan
Retirees also need to make decisions about their TSP account. Partial withdrawals? Cash or transfer to an IRA? Opt for a life annuity? Taxes also play a part in retirement considerations, she said. Flanagan repeated the presentation as a NARFE Federal Benefits Institute webinar later in September. View it at www.narfe.org. Log in and click on the Institute banner.
COWBOY HAT OPTIONAL NEVADA/CALIFORNIA NIGHT featured “boot-stomping” music by the Route 66 band, line dancing and lots of western garb. Decked out in their cowboy hats at left are Gary and Leisa Legg of Rochester, NH.
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More than 20 vendors had booths in the exhibit hall. Beltone reps Chris Golfin and Dianne Cooper talk here with a convention attendee.
Video cameras captured the proceedings for big screens in the meeting hall and for live streaming over the internet. .
CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP, VOTING RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED
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elegates approved amendments to the NARFE National Bylaws that make membership in chapters optional and give each NARFE member a vote. Both resolutions received the requisite two-thirds majority in electronic balloting. The resolution providing for Optional Chapter Membership received 68.78 percent of the vote. Chapter membership had been mandatory since the mid 1980s. The One Member, One Vote measure garnered 74.98 percent of the vote. Individual voting replaces the former representative system in which chapters were authorized one vote for each 50 chapter members. Both resolutions were submitted by the National Executive Board (NEB). A third NEB resolution, which would have authorized the NEB to adjust national dues within specific limits, was defeated by a narrow margin, getting 65.63 percent of the vote. Also defeated by the slimmest of margins – one vote – was a resolution that would have put a requirement for 10 NARFE regions into the bylaws. A resolution that would
have required five NARFE regions was soundly defeated, with 20.79 percent of the votes. All other bylaws resolutions on the ballot failed. General Resolutions. Additional general resolutions were adopted by delegates voting on the Convention floor. They: • Set a goal of establishing federal senatorial and representative district liaison teams in all states; • Amend the NARFE Strategic Plan to provide for an intermediate NARFE management structure that incorporates the current responsibilities of the federations without the limitations imposed by the current NARFE bylaws; • Allow congressional and senatorial liaisons to contact all members
residing in their jurisdictions using the NARFE email system; • Provide expanded access to the NARFE email system to federation area/district officers/directors; • Update the NARFE Mission Statement to be consistent with the Association’s Articles of Incorporation; and • Require a new ID number and join date be assigned to a spouse who assumes the membership of a deceased member. New Business. On the Convention’s last day, resolutions passed to adopt a NARFE slogan, “NARFE: The ‘E’ is silent, but we are not,” and rename the NARFE Scholarship Program (see story, p. 65).
SERVICE RECOGNIZED GENEVA C. HOWE, service officer of Chapter 1583, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, received the 2016 NARFE National Service Officer of the Year award. Howe was cited Howe is congratulated by Marshall L. Richards, for revitalizing service centers left, Region VI vp, and David Snell, NARFE throughout Texas. federal benefits service director. NARFE also gave awards to members who had excelled in member recruitment. See story, p. 56.
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MAINTAINING BENEFITS IS A WIN ON CAPITOL HILL
I LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM FOR 115TH CONGRESS DELEGATES APPROVED the NARFE Legislative Program for the 115th Congress (2017-2018). The program includes most of the provisions of the current Legislative Program, additions reflecting resolutions adopted at the Convention and provisions added by the Legislative Committee relating to current policy issues. As a result of resolutions passed at the Convention, new provisions were added to: • Support legislation to extend the effect of the Medicare Part B premium increase “hold harmless” provision to all Medicare beneficiaries permanently; • Support raising the Social Security payroll tax cap to cover the first $250,000 in annual earnings, indexed for inflation; • Support providing incentives for enrollment in Medicare Parts A and B, including improved coordination of benefits to reduce out-ofpocket costs, and reimbursement for Part B premiums, providing premium relief for enrollees; Among the provisions newly added to the program was one supporting legislation that would allow Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) participants more flexible withdrawal options from their TSP accounts. The full program will be published in the January 2017 issue of narfe magazine.
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n today’s climate on Capitol Hill, “maintaining current benefits should really be considered a victory for the Association,” NARFE Legislative Director Jessica Klement told the Convention. She recalled NARFE’s budget battle in 2015, when the House-passed budget contained $318 billion in cuts to the federal community. Ultimately, in the two-year budget agreement adopted by Congress, “not one dollar of that $318 billion was included,” she said. While the two-year budget deal meant NARFE didn’t have a budget fight in 2016, NARFE’s Legislative Department is working on four major issues: reform of the Windfall Elimination Provision, postal reform, the Medicare “hold harmless” provision that can cause disproportionately high Medicare Part B premiums for federal retirees who don’t pay their premiums from Social Security benefits, and the recently announced sharp increases in premiums for the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program. She also reviewed NARFE’s Protect America’s Heartbeat grass-roots advocacy program, media coverage and NARFE-PAC. Reps Speak. The Convention heard from two members of Congress.
In a video presentation, Rep. Dina Titus, D-NV, recalled her 2015 Medicare Part B “hold harmless” fight that prevented severe increases in premiums for some federal retirees and called herself “your partner in Congress.” Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-NM, spoke at the Convention and applauded NARFE members on the Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham
important work they did as federal employees and are continuing to do on behalf of active and retired federal employees. “There isn’t any group anywhere that deserves more gratitude,” she said. A member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and long-time advocate for seniors, she said Congress is not working in a way that makes sense for a retiree population. “We need to see that their needs are being addressed,” she said.
Jason Freeman, NARFE political and legislative specialist, talks with Juanita Lott of San Francisco, CA, about NARFE-PAC, the Association’s political action committee. Attendees contributed $8,000 to NARFE-PAC during the Convention, and 40 members enrolled as sustainers. NARFE-PAC exceeded its goal of raising $1 million in 2015-16 and was at the $1.2 million level as of the start of the Convention.
NARFE National President Richard G. Thissen addresses the Convention. National Secretary/Treasurer Jon Dowie is at lower right.
LOOKING AHEAD: 2018 IN FLORIDA, 2020 IN ARIZONA The National Executive Board has selected the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, AZ, to be the site of the 2020 NARFE National Convention, August 30-September 3, 2020. The 2018 National Convention will be at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel in Jacksonville, FL, August 26-30.
THE STATE OF THE ASSOCIATION D
elegates re-elected NARFE’s two National Officers by acclamation and elected or re-elected 10 regional vice presidents (RVPs). “I will do my absolute best and work my hardest to make sure NARFE goes on for another 95 years,” said National President Richard G. Thissen, in thanking delegates for their vote of confidence. Jon Dowie, returned to office as National Secretary/Treasurer, also expressed his gratitude for “the opportunity to serve you for the next two years.” In his State of the Association report, Thissen told delegates that it is important to know about the good things happening at NARFE Headquarters. Reducing the number of national officers from four to two saved $250,000 a year, which
helped offset losses from a continuing membership decline, he said. The Association’s finances have been stabilized, he reported. Among a long list of successful initiatives, he pointed to the creation of a dynamic Marketing Department, which is making great strides in membership recruitment and retention, convention planning, and the development of non-dues revenue. He emphasized the establishment of the NARFE Federal Benefits Institute, which serves as a vehicle to provide information through online webinars. However, Thissen cautioned: “We need to evolve and continue to evolve to accomplish great things.” In his report, Dowie highlighted physical plant improvements at Headquarters, including a new
FEEA’S BAUER BOWS OUT AS HE ENDS HIS 27-YEAR STINT AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of the Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund (FEEA), Steve Bauer reported that in the past 20 years, more than $1 million has been awarded in scholarships to NARFE members’ children and grandchildren, and more than $400,000 has been distributed in disaster relief to NARFE members. FEEA administers both of these NARFE programs. In recognition of his efforts to establish FEEA in 1986 and to assist the federal family, delegates voted to name the NARFE Scholarship Program in Bauer’s honor.
roof, replacement windows and an upgraded security system. He also warned: Increasing costs plus decreasing membership equals the death of an organization. “While retention, recruitment and non-dues revenue streams have all increased, from a long-term perspective, the organization is still in trouble,” he said. “Unless we evolve and transform, we are not going to celebrate our 100th anniversary.” Elected RVPs were: Region I, James P. Crawford of Bristol, NH (re-elected); Region II, Evelyn Kirby of Chester, MD (re-elected); Region III, Clarence Robinson of Lithonia, GA (elected); Region IV, Edward J. Konys of Enon, OH (re-elected); Region V, Carol R. Ek of McPherson, KS (re-elected); Region VI, Marshall L. Richards of Hallsville, TX (re-elected); Region VII, Rodney L. Adelman of Goodyear, AZ (re-elected); Region VIII, Helen L. Zajac of Vallejo, CA (re-elected); Region IX, Richard Wilson of Graham, WA (elected); and Region X, William Shackelford of Centreville, VA (re-elected).
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Member Perks
SAVE MONEY WITH NARFE PERKS NARFE appreciates your service, and so do businesses across the country. Whether you are planning your next vacation or planning for retirement, members can save money on everyday purchases, thanks to our Affinity Partners. It’s just one more way we’re able to say “thank you” for being a NARFE member. FINANCE AND LEGAL
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to secure a comparable quote. Your completed quote will help benefit NARFE! For complete terms and conditions, visit www.narfe.org/memberperks.
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As the official provider of NARFE merchandise, the NARFE General Store offers NARFE-approved name badges, business cards, clothing, accessories, cups and mugs, plaques and clocks, and much, much more. Check out our online catalog for our customizable product line.
MOVING SERVICES
InFirst Federal Credit Union 800-328-1500 www.infirstfcu.org
All NARFE members will receive contracted pricing for all interstate shipments. This will apply to packing, transportation and full-value coverage against damages. Please mention you are a NARFE member.
INSURANCE
Wheaton World Wide Moving 800-248-7960 narfe@wvlcorp.com
GEICO offers a special discount opportunity for NARFE members. To find out how much you could save, visit our website or call today and mention that you are a NARFE member. Have your current coverage information available in order 66
Bekins Van Lines 800-248-4810 narfe@bekins.com
As a member of NARFE, you have the privilege of joining InFirst Federal Credit Union, which has been serving active and retired federal employees since 1935. The credit union offers extensive services at competitive rates to members nationwide at 5,000+ shared branches, 55,000 surcharge-free ATMs and 24/7 phone access. Accounts are insured by NCUA up to $250,000.
GEICO 800-368-2734 www.geico.com/fed/narfe
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NARFE MERCHANDISE
At Wheaton, we know interstate relocating is much more than trucks and boxes. Moving is not simply an address change. It’s a life change. With a network of top-quality agents throughout the United States, Wheaton provides peace of mind with every relocation. We offer you, as a NARFE member, benefits to help you have a positive interstate relocation experience. Call today and mention you are a NARFE member to start the moving process.
PRODUCTS
Omaha Steaks 800-228-9055 www.omahasteaks.com/ NARFE Since 1917, Omaha Steaks has been delivering customers the finest gourmet steaks, seafood, poultry, pork, sides and desserts. Omaha Steaks make memorable gifts for any holiday, or you can enjoy a gourmet meal right at home. NARFE members can enjoy FREE SHIPPING on select combos and an additional 10% DISCOUNT at checkout! If calling, use promo code YTZ.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Sprint 877-746-8249 www.sprint.com/fed NARFE members receive a 15% discount with Sprint! Access www.sprint. com/fed, call 877-746-8249 or visit the Sprint store nearest you to take ad-
vantage of this offer. Please bring your member ID card with you to our stores to sign up for the discount, and provide code GNARF_ZMB.
with approximately 3,500 locations around the world, Budget is a leading rental car supplier now offering discounts to members of NARFE. Call or book your reservation now at Budget. com using the NARFE BCD number D871500.
Verizon FiOS www.narfe.org/memberperks NARFE members can save up to $10 a month on a new qualifying Triple Play bundle with Verizon FiOS Internet, TV and home phone service – savings of up to $120 per year. The FiOS 100% fiberoptic network delivers award-winning broadband and entertainment to your home. Only FiOS Internet customers get upload speeds as fast as their download speeds. With FiOS TV, 625+ channels are available, including 185+ in HD, and over 130,000 On Demand titles, thousands free. This exclusive online-only savings is only available to new Verizon customers or those upgrading to the Triple Play Package.
TRAVEL
Wyndham Hotel Group 877-670-7088 Choice Hotels International 800-258-2847 www.choicehotels.com With 6,200 hotels in the United States and throughout the world, Choice Hotels® offers something for everyone. As a NARFE member, receive 20% off your next stay at participating hotels when you use Special Rate ID 00801967. This offer is subject to availability and cannot be combined with any other offer. Advance reservations required through phone number or website above; cannot be redeemed at individual hotels. Choice Hotels brands are: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Ascend Collection, Cambria, MainStay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, Clarion, Quality and Rodeway Inn.
Alamo 800-462-5266 www.alamo.com Drive Happy® with Alamo® where NARFE members receive year-round discounts. Call or visit our website today and reference Contract ID 262544.
Avis Car Rental 800-633-3469 www.avis.com Avis Car Rental is one of the world’s best-known car rental brands with approximately 5,500 locations in more than 165 countries. Avis has a long history of innovation in the car rental industry and is one of the world’s top brands for customer loyalty. Call or book your reservation now at Avis.com using the NARFE AWD number A701900.
Budget Car Rental 800-633-3469 www.budget.com Budget Car rental was founded in 1958 for the “budget-minded” renter. Today,
5282909. For complete terms and conditions, visit www.narfe.org/ memberperks.
NARFE members receive up to 20% off the “Best Available Rate” at participating locations. Call and give the agent your special discount ID number, 8000002694, at time of booking to receive discount. Call to reserve your room today at one of these fine hotels: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®, Days Inn®, Ramada Worldwide®, Baymont Inns and Suites®, Hawthorn Suites® By Wyndham, Microtel Inns and Suites®, Howard Johnson®, Travelodge® and Knights Inn®. Advance reservations required through phone number above; cannot be redeemed at individual hotels.
WELLNESS
Beltone Hearing Care 888-418-6763
Local Hospitality www.narfe.org/travel NARFE is pleased to offer its members an exclusive travel discount service. Savings may exceed 50% and average 10-20% below market on all hotels and car rental suppliers around the world. Any hotel, any car, anywhere, anytime!
Beltone has been helping the world hear better for 75 years. NARFE members receive 25% off, and those with Blue Cross Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan insurance coverage may be eligible for two Beltone True 3™ hearing aids for ZERO out-of-pocket.
Life Line Screening 800-324-9906 www.lifelinescreening.com/ NARFE National 800-CAR-RENT www.nationalcarrental.com You Drive A Hard Bargain. Receive up to 20% off rentals at National Car Rental. To make a reservation, call National Car Rental at 1-800-CARRENT® and reference Contract ID
Life Line Screening, America’s leading provider of community-based preventive health screenings, will conduct health screenings using state-ofthe-art ultrasound technology in your neighborhood. To schedule an appointment, please call the number above and give the operator code number BKHN075 or visit the website.
NARFE Member Perks are designed to provide NARFE members with a quality option in their search for commonly used products and services. NARFE makes no guarantee on any products and services listed and encourages its members to shop and compare before making a decision on any financial matter. W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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The Way We Worked
ALL OF US COUNT IN U.S. CENSUS In this photo, a U.S. Census Bureau enumerator counts residents in a trailer camp for the 1940 Census. People without stable residences – such as those living in trailer camps, missions or hotels – all were counted on the same day and marked with a “T” for transient. In 1939, Congress authorized the census director to include a census of housing as part of the 1940 population count. The census has been taken every 10 years since 1790 and counts all people residing in the United States. The next census, scheduled for 2020, will be conducted predominantly online. However, enumerators still will canvass transitory locations to make sure everyone is counted. PHOTO from the Records of the Bureau of the Census, National Archives; courtesy of National Archives History Office; in collaboration with the Society for History in the Federal Government (SHFG), bringing together government professionals, academics, consultants, students and citizens interested in understanding federal history work and the historical development of the federal government. To join, visit http://shfg.org. 68
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DID YOU KNOW? The Census Bureau has been conducting tests in preparation for the 2020 Census. In 2016, the primary focus of its test was to refine the methodology for nonresponse follow-up – that is, the operations conducted by personally visiting households that do not self-respond to the census. The test was in Harris County, TX, and Los Angeles County, CA. In 2017, it will conduct a test of the feasibility of collecting tribal enrollment data in tribal lands in three states.
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IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION: Jitterbug is owned by GreatCall, Inc. Your invoices will come from GreatCall. Plans and Services require purchase of a Jitterbug phone and a one-time setup fee of $35. Monthly fees do not include government taxes or assessment surcharges and are subject to change. Coverage is not available everywhere. 5Star or 9-1-1 calls can only be made when cellular service is available. 1We will refund the full price of the Jitterbug phone and the activation fee (or setup fee) if it is returned within 30 days of purchase in like-new condition. We will also refund your first monthly service charge if you have less than 30 minutes of usage. If you have more than 30 minutes of usage, a per minute charge of 35 cents will be deducted from your refund for each minute over 30 minutes. You will be charged a $10 restocking fee. The shipping charges are not refundable. There are no additional fees to call GreatCall’s U.S.-based customer service. However, for calls to a GreatCall Operator in which a service is completed, you will be charged 99 cents per call, and minutes will be deducted from your monthly rate plan balance equal to the length of the call and any call connected by the Operator. Jitterbug and GreatCall are registered trademarks of GreatCall, Inc. ©2016 GreatCall, Inc. ©2016 firstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond, Inc.
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