NARFE Seeks Volunteers to Help Protect Your Earned Federal Benefits

LEARN MORE about how you can take action to protect your earned pay and benefits by reviewing NARFE grassroots materials at www.narfe.org/advocacy.

NARFE’s grassroots advocacy activities are a fundamental part of its day-to-day strategy to influence lawmakers and policymaking decisions. Therefore, NARFE turns to members to advance our legislative priorities with their lawmakers through meetings, emails, phone calls, community events and other activities. But to perform these tasks, members must volunteer their time, learn how the issue affects them or their loved ones, and be willing to commit to the cause.

Why is member advocacy important? Whether you’re an active federal employee or retiree, as a stakeholder with a vested interest in NARFE, you hold an invaluable position as a constituent and voter in your lawmakers’ district and state. You hold the power to influence action on policies and legislation that affect federal employees and retirees.

Whether you’re concerned about increases to Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) premiums or seeing your Social Security benefits cut by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or Government Pension Offset (GPO), your experience with the issue(s) is what your members of Congress are most receptive to. Sharing that, along with data on the size of the federal employee and retiree community in your district and state, can help your lawmakers make the right decisions.

Without question, 2021 is shaping up to be a successful grassroots advocacy year for NARFE, due in large part to NARFE’s volunteer advocacy leaders, including legislative chairs, congressional district leaders (CDLs), senatorial leaders (SLs), and those

who regularly participate in grassroots campaigns. NARFE member advocates helped the 117th Congress get started by providing newly elected lawmakers with welcome packets introducing them to NARFE, offering resources to bring them up to speed on our legislative priorities and initiating the relationshipbuilding process.

Members further mobilized to urge lawmakers to support the Social Security Fairness Act, a bill to repeal the WEP and GPO, as well as the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act, legislation to reform the WEP. They also encouraged support of the Fair COLA for Seniors Act, which would replace the CPI-W with the CPI-E, resulting in more accurate COLAs. They sent thousands of letters through NARFE’s Legislative Action Center, made thousands of phone calls and met with lawmakers through video conferencing. Additionally, members helped make NARFE’s virtual legislative training conference, LEGcon21, and Grassroots Advocacy Month huge successes. These are just a few examples of how NARFE members actively help advance NARFE legislative priorities.

Be a voice for NARFE and your hard-earned benefits by joining our network of volunteer advocates. If you have advocacy experience, consider serving as an advocacy leader like a CDL or SL, or engaging in grassroots advocacy activities. Interested? Send us an email at advocacy@narfe.org and tell us what appeals to you most. Visit NARFE’s website at www.narfe.org to access issue briefs and other resources to educate yourself about NARFE’s legislative priorities and how you can make a difference.

—BY MARSHA PADILLA-GOAD, GRASSROOTS PROGRAM MANAGER