7 - Virginia Federation of Chapters

F e l lo w s hi p - L eg is la t i on - B e ne f i ts - Su p p o r t
REACHING OUT
NARFE Chapter 7
National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association
Next meeting:
Wednesday, Jan. 14
1:00 p.m.
Refreshments,12:30
Culpepper Garden
Senior Center
4435 N. Pershing Dr.
Arlington, VA
Topic:
Scams against seniors
Speakers:
Detective Michael Stevens
Officer Kevin White
Arlington County Police Dept.
Executive Board meets
Jan. 15, 10 a.m.
Parking : Culpepper Garden provides parking passes only for
handicapped parking. Street
parking for all is available on Henderson Road.
Transferred in
Glenn Mucklow
Welcome,
reinstatements
Sylvia H. Bentley
Edward J. Farrelly
Carol A. Paquette
Michael Zimmerman
In Memoriam
John M. Miller
Save money with dues withholding. See www.narfe.org
or ask a chapter officer for
more information.
January 2015
President’s message:
Planning for 2015
By Mark McLachlan
Happy New Year!
One of the things the Executive
Board will tackle at its January meeting is “the year ahead.” We’ve already worked on lining up programs
for the first three months. And, we
know the Virginia Federation of
Chapters’ Annual Convention and
the National Legislative Training
Conference are coming up (see last
month’s newsletter for details, or
contact one of the officers). But,
what are the other efforts our chapter should be involved in? Specifically, where can we go to recruit new
members? We need to find places
where we can engage with folks still
working with the Federal Government or those that who retired
(including those surviving spouses
receiving a federal annuity) and con-
vince them to join the only organization looking out for their earned benefits. So, if you know of any event
that might attract potential members,
please let me know. And, if you’d like
to help out at such an event, let me
know that too. Many hands make
light work. Also, we’re planning a
“roundtable” discussion with other
chapters in Northern Virginia to talk
about what works best in this area. If
you’re interested in something like
that, please let me know.
One thing you can do every
month to encourage someone to join
NARFE is to pass along your magazine or newsletter to a friend, neighbor, former coworker - you get the
idea. With the downsizing of so
many human resource offices, current and retired employees tell us
(Continued on page 2)
November meeting:
A scammer — seniors’ Enemy Number One
handy bags of tricks, old and new.
No guarantee exists for a life unMirthful tales in song and story
regale us with “ The Jolly Robbers” in scathed, but it helps to take notes.
operetta and with “The Adventures of Keep your head. Calmly recall the
incident with as much detail as possiRobin Hood and his Merry Men” on
ble to police for apprehension, prosevintage television shows, yet modern-day misfits romp through the do- cution, conviction, and perhaps restitution.
mestic and offshore wastelands of
desiccated retirement savings acOfficer Kevin White and Deteccounts, scorched livelihoods, and
tive Michael Stevens of the Financial
misery to end one’s days. These
Crimes Unit, Arlington County Police,
characters care not for others until
work these cases and will be guest
the final curtain brings them down.
speakers on January 14, 2015. Their
message elaborates fully the topic
Mere wariness and determined
Arlington County and City of Falls
avoidance of scam artists, though,
Church Commonwealth’s Attorney
may not be enough at times, as agTheo Stamos presented September
gressive criminals always have
11, 2013, on Top Scams.
By Norbert Erickson
PAGE 2
R E A C HI NG O U T
NA R FE C HA P T E R 7
Notes on legislation from NARFE Headquarters
The 113th Congress has adjourned sine die, or
“without day.” The new 114th Congress will begin on
January 6, 2015. Below is a brief review of the 113th
Congress’ last actions.
Budget
Congress passed, and the President signed, a $1.1
trillion spending package, nicknamed the CRomnibus. The package funds most government operations through the end of the fiscal year. There were
no provisions in the CRomnibus negatively impacting
federal employees or retirees.
Reemployed Annuitants
Congress also passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with a 5-year extension of the
Reemployed Annuitants provision. The legislation
allows agencies to hire retirees on a limited, part-
time basis without a reduction in their salary. Final
passage of the Reemployed Annuitants extension is a
major victory for NARFE.
NARFE Legislative Accomplishments in the 113th
Congress
In addition to proactive successes, the NARFE Legislative Department was able to prevent several attempts to enact legislation that would be detrimental
for the federal employees, annuitants and their families. Some highlights of the 113th Congress are below, as well as available online.
 Prevented any damaging alterations to current retirees’ annuities, including opposing the proposed
switch to the Chained CPI.
 Stopped proposals to: increase retirement contributions for active federal employees; eliminate the
defined-benefit pension of the FERS retirement
President’s Message
system for new hires; and end the FERS annuity
supplement.
(Continued from page 1)
 Successfully opposed provisions in the Senate
postal reform bill, including proposed changes to
they rely on the information NARFE provides to anFEHBP, requirements that USPS retirees enroll in
swer their questions.
Medicare and changes to the FECA program.
We’re looking for two volunteers to help with our
COLA and Federal Pay
annual audit. We’re not a big organization so it’s
something that can be done in a couple of hours.
The automatic cost-of-living-adjustment for CSRS and
Please let me know if you can help - one of the folks FERS annuitants will be seen in your January OPM
who helped out last year has agreed to help again so payment. The COLA was established in October and
there’s already institutional knowledge.
is 1.7 percent. The President’s request for a 1 percent
increase will go into effect the first pay period in 2015.
Thanks to the folks who made our December
This is the same increase federal employees received
luncheon a success: Nancy Palmerino and Bill
Thomson for pulling it together; Mary Knox for work- in January 2014.
ing the registration table; and Norbert Erickson for
Current Pending Legislation
lining up our speaker.
With the end of the 113th Congress, all legislation that
has not passed both Houses of Congress and been
Alzheimer’s Report
By Bonnie Franklin
Amid the festive holiday spirit of our holiday
luncheon on December 13, chapter members
showed their usual generosity for NARFE Alzheimer's Research. Our 50/50 raffle raised $54 for the
cause; two lucky winners split the other half for $27
each. In addition one piggy bank was turned in with
$25, and two contributions added another $57. The
bottom line for the event: $136 went to NARFE Alzheimer's Research.
NARFE Alzheimer's Research is a fund set up
within the Alzheimer's Association headquartered in
Chicago, IL. The Association assures us that all contributions to our NARFE fund go into research. I have
(Continued on page 3)
been getting appeals from other organizations with
similar sounding names and goals; I suspect you
have gotten them too. They may well be valid efforts,
but I think it's a good idea to support our effort. The
Alzheimer's Association has a long-time track record
in the field, they have furnished us speakers and materials for past programs, and they often attend our
Virginia convention with information on their activities. The long-standing relationship with NARFE
gives us the assurance that our contributions are being well-spent. I appreciate the chapter's support this
past year and look forward to even better efforts in
2015.
NA R FE C HA P T E R 7
PAGE 3
R E A C HI NG O U T
Legislative corner:
Congressional action to address multi-employer pension plan
woes casts a pall over Retirement Land
By Ed Weiler
Rumors of a pension cut for
federal retirees, embedded in the
“Cromnibus Bill” (HR 83) passed in
the dying days of the 113th Congress, apparently were of sufficient
magnitude to warrant a calming
word from NARFE Headquarters in
its December 12th Legislative Hotline. . In short, no pension cuts for
federal retirees. Other workers in
the private sector who are covered
by multi-employer pension plans
(think mining, trucking, construction), however, could very well see
significant reductions in their pensions. The rationale is straightforward: many of these plans are rapidly going bust, as the ratio of retirees to active workers approaches
1:1, or more. Notwithstanding today’s modern drilling technologies,
it’s still not possible to extract
blood from a turnip; and the political zeitgeist is such that the subject of a taxpayer bailout never
even came up.
The obvious question for us at
this point turns on the significance
of HR 83's amendments to pension law as precedent for more
widespread cuts in the future. As
AARP noted in a 12/10/14 press
release: “This.....deal would, for
the first time, amend the pension
law to allow the earned vested
benefits of retirees to be cut.”
AARP has a lot of clout on the Hill,
and yet...... Meanwhile, municipal
workers and retirees in Chicago
are struggling to block local legislation passed earlier this year that
would cut retirement benefits and
raise contributions from active
workers. As discussed previously
in this space (see: “The Cancer of
Pension-Driven State and Local
Debt Continues to Spread: Implications for Us?”, Reaching Out,
Sept. 2014), the heretofore
“unthinkable” regarding pension
cuts is increasingly viewed as a
viable option in the face of strained
public finances. Remain vigilant,
and ready to fight.
New federal legislation (HR
5771) authorizes Section 529type accounts for disabled beneficiaries
Perhaps you have (for example) a child with a disability such
that s/he will never be selfsufficient. In order to provide financial security for this individual after
your death, beyond what is available through publicly-funded
sources (e.g. Supplemental Social
Security, Medicaid), your only recourse has been to set up a
“special-needs trust,” which can be
expensive and time-consuming.
Pursuant to the ABLE Act of 2014
(i.e., “Achieving a Better Life Experience”), a patron can set up a taxadvantaged savings account up to
$100,000 for a beneficiary diagnosed with a disability by age 26,
who will not lose eligibility for other
federal benefits upon receipt of
distributions from such an account.
Withdrawals would not be taxed,
provided the funds are used for
education, health care, housing, or
other life-long expenses not covered by Medicaid and federal disability benefits.
Just as with the more familiar
“529 Accounts” for higher education, only state governments (or
instrumentalities thereof) are authorized to manage these supplemental income accounts for disabled beneficiaries. (Most likely
these accounts will be dubbed as
“529A Accounts,” after this new
section in Chapter 1, Subchapter F
of the Internal Revenue Code).
Thus, before you will be able to
write that $100,000 check, the
State of Virginia will have to set up
a functioning program. Watch this
space for future developments.
Meanwhile, if you missed the inspiring back story leading up to the
ABLE Act, it appeared in the Metro
Section of the 12/14/14 print edition of the Washington Post (see:
“Bill on Financial Security for Disabled Poised for Passage”). The
article in question features a local
Arlington family, whom many of
you might know: Rick and Elenor
Hodges, and their two children.
NARFE legislative notes
(Continued from page 2)
signed by the President expires.
That means all legislation will
have to be reintroduced and go
through the legislative process in
the next Congress.
Legislative Conference
NARFE’s Legislative Training
Conference will be held March 14
– 17, 2015 at the Renaissance
Arlington Capital View Hotel. The
three-day conference includes
training opportunities, national
speakers, and the opportunity to
network with fellow NARFE
grass-roots activists. The conference culminates in a visit to Capitol Hill, where you will take your
new skills and meet with your
legislators and their staff.
Online Registration is available
now. The $175 registration fee
includes 6 meals, all of your
training materials and transportation to and from Capitol Hill on
March 17.The deadline to make
hotel reservations and submit
your conference registration is
February 3, 2015.
(Notes courtesy of NARFE’s Legislative
Department)
NONPROFIT
US POSTAGE PAID
Merrifield, VA
Permit No. 942
NARFE
Arlington Chapter 7
P.O. Box 100971
Arlington, VA 22210
Return Service requested
Make 2015 the year you
recruit a new member
Please deliver by Jan. 13
Chapter 7 Officers
President Mark McLachlan
703-528-3158
[email protected]
1st VP & Legislative Chair
Edward Weiler
703-241-8798
[email protected]
Sunshine Chair Madge Selinsky
703-527-2182
Program Chair Norbert Erickson
703-528-1168
Alzheimer’s Chair Bonnie Franklin
703-578-1935
[email protected]
Contact your elected officials
United States Senate
The Honorable Tim Kaine
B40C Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Ph: 202-224-4024
Fax: 202-228-6363
Web: www.kaine.senate.gov
Historian Elsie Cunningham
703-370-4062
[email protected]
The Honorable Mark R. Warner
475 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Ph: 202-224-2023
Fax: 202-224-6295
Web: www.warner.senate.gov
Secretary /Web Coordinator
Nancy Palmerino
703-243-6546
[email protected]
Past President
Max Scruggs
703-536-9148
[email protected]
United States House of
Representatives (District 8)
The Honorable Donald S. Beyer, Jr.
(contact info not yet available)
Treasurer
William (Bill) Thomson
703-358-9549
[email protected]
Social Chair
William (Bill) Thomson
703-358-9549
[email protected]
Parliamentarian/Service Officer
Richard Simpson
703-527-3867
[email protected]
Newsletter Editor/Distribution Mgr
Mary Knox
703-524-3499
[email protected]
2nd VP, Membership Chair
John Harms
978-235-3633
[email protected]