356 - Virginia Federation of Chapters

Volume 21, Issue 2
February 2015
MANASSAS CHAPTER
NEWSLETTER
NARFE Chapter 356, Manassas, VA - Organized September 9, 1953
Safeguarding Animal Health in the USA,
Joe “Chip” Wells, DVM, USDA Animal and Plant Inspection Service
Next Meeting Date
February 18, 2015
Hibachi Buffet &
Sushi Grill at
8121 Sudley Road,
Manassas, VA
Buffet Lunch 11:30 AM
Program at
12:15PM
For directions and
Inclement Weather
Policy see Page 4
Dr. Wells is currently a Veterinary Medical Officer and Risk Analyst with the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service of the US Department of Agriculture. His job is to travel to
different countries and examine the health of
animals to ensure that they meet the United
State’s trade requirements. His travels have included going to Eastern Europe following wild
boar populations, because they were a potential
vector for disease. He has also been to Saudi
Arabia to check for African Horse Sickness so
that Saudi Arabian horses could come to the
United States to race and even got to meet the
King of Saudi Arabia.
Raised in Buchanan, Virginia and graduated
from James River High School .He continued
his education at Virginia Tech. He graduated
from the College of Veterinary Medicine at the
University of Georgia.-Athens in 1982. He currently resides in Washington DC although he
has lived in Marshall and Middleburg, VA. He
worked in Loudoun County as a horse and large
animal vet, before joining the USDA in 2003.
His favorite sport is rugby and he belongs to
several professional associations.
Future Meetings:
March 18—Development
in Prince William
County, Honorable Pete
Candland, Gainesville District Supervisor
April 15—History and Adventures of Hylton Performing Arts Center
From The Chapter
President
This month your monthly pension check will
have a change from last month to account for
premium changes for health, dental and vision
insurance. In January, OPM sent a statement of
the COLA increase but will not send a new statement if the premium change is the only change to
your check.
A number of chapters in this area are looking at
going to an email copy of their newsletter to save
money, and a small Virginia chapter only sends
out postcards three times a year. Last fiscal year,
it cost us on average $217 per month to print and
send our newsletter to everyone. Some also get
it by email. Those who get it by email through
the Yahoo Group (see back page bottom to sign
up) get the newsletter when we send it to the
printer, which is about a week before it is received in the mail. In addition, our newsletter
and other chapter newsletters can be found on
the VFC website (www.vanarfe.org).
If we make the switch to only electronic publishing of our newsletter, we may not have to
address the issue of raising the chapter dues to
make ends meet. This will be discussed at a
future executive committee meeting. Therefore,
please let me know your thoughts on this issue
at [email protected] or at P.O. Box
#1682, Manassas VA 20108-1682. We currently do not have a website, although NARFE
Headquarters would be willing to host one at a
fee. We would have to investigate the cost of
operating it and design. That is for a future
time.
We are always looking for interesting speakers
for our meeting. If you have a name or idea for
one, please contact Jana Bennett at 703-7421597.
Hope you will join us for this month’s meeting.
David A. Doliber
President
Help Wanted
Our Chapter is looking for a member to
serve as our Public Relations Chair. The
primary duty is to inform our local news
media outlets of our meeting dates to have
posted in their newspapers and online. If you
would be interested in supporting our Chapter in this way, please contact our President,
David Doliber.
Page 2
Manassas Chapter Newsletter
Legislation Update
Ronald Bantom
NATIONAL LEGISLATION
Despite the arrival of a new Congress in
Washington, Virginians remain skeptical of
Congress’s ability to get things done. It is
very clear that it will take more than a few
new faces to convince the American people
that their elected leaders are serious about
achieving results. Instead, a change in the
governing culture of Washington as a whole
is absolutely critical to prove that congress
is capable of completing the business of this
nation.
A major concern of Congressman Rob
Wittman is that Congress has become stuck
in an unhealthy pattern in which budgets are
neglected and government funding bills are
put off until the last minute. Congress must
return to a state of regular budget order, in
which it passes budget and appropriations
bills on time rather than bloated, shortsighted funding bills at the eleventh hour.
He has introduced two pieces of legislation:
The first is the No Budget, No Pay Act
(H.R. 174). This bill would prohibit members of the House or Senate from receiving
pay if their respective chamber does not
pass a budget by April 15, 2015. A longterm budget blueprint for the next fiscal
year is absolutely critical for long-term
planning, and it sets guidelines for the appropriations bills that follow. There is no
reason why this can’t be done. The Congressman has also introduced the Stay on
Schedule (S.O.S.) resolution (H.R. 17),
which would change congressional rules to
prohibit the House of Representatives from
taking an August recess unless it has passed
all regular appropriations bills to fund the
government July 31. (Above paragraphs
edited from Congressman Rob Wittman’s
Weekly Update dated 1/26/2015.)
Since the end of World War II, many
foreign governments have come to the U.S.
for advice on how to raise cash to run their
countries. They came to figure out why so
many Americans paid their share more or
less willingly. It’s called voluntary compliance. Many think it’s the basis for our system. They sought advice from pros at our
Internal Revenue Service. They did.
Learned (some better than others) and went
home. Most improved their compliance systems, but ours, - stupid laws, lawmakers and
loopholes not withstanding – is still the gold
standard for a big system. One of the
primary things they learned is that citizen taxpayers must be convinced that the
system is basically fair and that it paid to
pay. And as a backup the threat of jail
time! (Edited from Mike Causey’s Federal Report dated 1/26/2015.)
Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, D-MA, introduced H.R. 313, the Wounded Warriors
Federal Leave Act of 2015, which is
similar to the bill he introduced last Congress. Under the legislation, servicedisabled veterans employed by the federal government would begin their jobs
with 104 hours of paid sick time for
medical leave as a result of their injuries.
This would make it easier for wounded
veterans to schedule medical appointments and keep up with their rehabilitation from service-related injuries. This
additional leave would expire after the
end of their first year of employment.
NARFE supports this bipartisan bill,
which currently has six cosponsors.
(Extracted from NARFE Legislative Hotline dated 1/23/2015.)
Each year, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sends form 1099-R,
Statement Annuity Paid, to both retirees
and survivors for use in filing income tax
returns. OPM has said it would print and
mail these forms to annuitants who have
not signed up to receive them electronically, in time to be received by January
31. Many retirees and survivors are using OPM’s Services Online to view and
print their forms. OPM is currently updating the site to have the 2014 forms
available by January 31. Until the site
becomes available, those who need a
duplicate form 1099-R for prior years
will have to make a request by either
calling 1-888-767-6738 or by emailing
OPM at [email protected]. (Extracted
from NARFE Legislative Hotline dated
1/23/2015.)
The Legislation Action Center at
www.narfe.org, is the one-stop site to
send a letter to congress. NARFE members who modify the form letter report
get better responses. Reach the letter
template by using: http://capwiz.com/
narfe/issues/aleert?/alertid-62245936.
President Thissen urges every Association member to use NARFE’s Action
Center to speak to your Congressional
delegations.
Legislative Hotline: A weekly legislative message is available at 703-838-7780
and a toll-free at 877-217 8234; posted on
the NARFE website www.narfe.org, and
is sent to over 80,000 GEMS email addresses. To obtain an answer to federal
benefits questions, NARFE members
should call 703-838-7760, ask for the
Federal Benefits Department; or send a
question by postal mail to NARFE Headquarters, ATTN: Federal Benefits; or
email to [email protected].
The NARFE BILL TRACKER is your
monthly guide to congressional legislation that NARFE is following. The
Tracker will consider key pieces of legislation as they are introduced in the 114th
Congress. Please visit the Legislative Action Center at www.narfe.org/legislation
to check status of all bills NARFE is
watching, Contact the Legislative Department with questions at 703-838-7760, ext.
201, or email [email protected].
NARFE is fighting against attacks on
Federal workers and retirees, along with
their pay and benefits, every day. But we
need YOUR help to make our voice
stronger. NARFE-PAC (the Federal
Employee & Retiree Defense Fund) is
there, with your help to help elect (and reelect) lawmakers who will protect your
benefits and recognize the value of our
service. A NARFE-PAC Contribution
Form is located on page 9 of the February
issue of NARFE magazine.
A New NARFE-PAC Toolkit is available from the NARFE website or by request from the Legislative Department. It
is designed to help NARFE leaders on the
federation and chapter levels to raise fund
for NARFE-PAC, the association’s political action committee.
VIRGINIA LEGISLATION
Wednesday, January 14, 2015 marked
the beginning of Virginia’s General Assembly Session. This year will be a
shorter Session for the General Assembly,
as we convene for 45 days. Following is a
list of the bills Delegate Jackson Miller of
Manassas is carrying for the 2015 Session.
HB1638–Repeal of A-F, HB1357–Notice
of Cancellation Insurance Policies,
(Continued on page 3)
Volume 21, Issue 2
(Continued from page 2)
HB1450–Residential Property, HB1452
–Landlord and Tenant Law; Recover
Rent and Possessions, HB1453–
Stalking Penalty, HB1455–DPOR–
Promoters of Boxing, HB1493–Real
Estate Licensee Enticing with Intent to
Commit Crime, HB1611–Assault and
Battery, HB1638–Felony Homicide;
Drug Offenses, HB1639–DUI Persons
Convicted under Laws of Other States,
HB1647–Drug Overdoses, Reporting of
Medical Aid, HB1648–Sales Tax and
Use Tax, Legal Tender Gold and Silver, HB1451–Landlord and Tenant;
Notice to Terminate Policy, HB2112–
DOJS; Training Standards for Undercover Work. (Edited from Delegate
Jackson Miller email, dated
1/21/2015.)
Chapter 356 Membership
Report for January 2015
1 reinstatement
2 dropped for nonrenewal
1 transferred out to other chapters
Chapter 356 membership as of
Jan. 30, 2015 is 335 members .
Previous Chapter Meeting,
January 21st
Chapter 356 held its regular monthly
meeting with 18 members and guests
present. Guest speaker, Dr. David
Sahley of Dynamics Physical Therapy
(www.dynamicsphysicaltherapy.com)
spoke about osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, the two most common
types of arthritis.
Dr. Sahley noted that almost everyone
will probably develop osteoarthritis due
to the natural wear and tear on the
joints that comes with aging. As we
age, ligaments around the bones lose
their elasticity and cartilage erodes as
fluid in the joints decreases, resulting in
bone-on-bone friction, frequently leading to the need for replacement surgery.
Physical therapy plays an essential role
in helping patients gain greater mobility
both before and after surgery. Sahley
recommended an exercise regime to
Page 3
help strengthen muscles, which lessen the
shock of impact on the joints; drinking lots
of water, since we are more prone to dehydration as we age; and a healthy balanced
diet that includes fish, fruits, vegetables
and whole grains. He indicated that being
overweight, misuse, previous trauma,
sprains, strains as well as genetics can predispose one to arthritis. He advised against
sitting for long periods of time, and noted
that walking lubricates the joints. Signs of
arthritis include stiffness upon waking,
pain with too much activity, decreased
range of motion, and popping and cracking
in the joints.
Sahley described rheumatoid arthritis as an
autoimmune disease that can cause chronic
inflammation of the joints; it can affect
people of all ages and the cause is unknown. Symptoms include fatigue, joint
pain, swollen joints, fever, decreased range
of motion, stiffness, redness, warmth and
deformity. Unlike osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis usually affects multiple joints
on both sides of the body. Treatment goals
include strengthening the muscles and increasing flexibility; medications such as
NSAIDs, immunosuppressants and corticosteroids are frequently prescribed in order to reduce inflammation. Sahley advised watching your weight and not being
too sedentary. Sahley suggested that a
promising new biologic approach for treating arthritis would involve using one’s
own stem cells to grow cartilage outside of
the body and then inserting the cartilage in
the affected joint.
A short business meeting followed with
officers and committee reports. The Minutes of the prior meeting, as they appeared
in the Newsletter, were approved. Virginia
Federation of Chapters (VFC) Area IX
Vice President Pierce Johnson and former
Chapter President Jack Shipley encouraged
members to attend the upcoming VFC
Convention, which will be held in Fredericksburg, VA, April 12-15. The keynote
speaker will be the Controller General of
the United States, Gene Dodaro. Tammy
Flannigan, Senior Benefits Director for the
National Institute of Transition Planning
and an expert in Federal retirement benefits, as well as NARFE Legislative Director Jessica Klement will also speak at the
Convention. Rooms can be reserved at the
Homewood Suites and the Hampton Inn,
both of which are within walking distance
of the conference center. Johnson also
encouraged members to obtain ads for the
Convention program, noting a March 14
deadline for submission. Registration for
the Convention and the Banquet will be at
a discounted rate of $55, if made prior to
February 14; the price will increase to $60
if registration takes place before March
20. Registration after March 20 will include a late fee and cost $70. Registration
forms and additional information about
the Convention can be found on the VFC
website (www.vanarfe.org). The 50-50
raffle netted $16 for the Alzheimer’s
Fund, with the winner donating his share
to the Fund. The next Executive Committee meeting will be held at the Manassas
Senior Center at 1:00 p.m. on February 3;
all members are welcome to attend. The
next Chapter meeting will take place on
February 18 at 11:30 a.m. at the Hibachi
Buffet and Sushi Grill.
Mary M. Brandt
Secretary
Guest speaker, Dr. David Sahley of Dynamics
Physical Therapy spoke about osteoarthritis
and rheumatoid arthritis
Distinguished Members
Recognizing those Chapter members
who have been a NARFE member for
the past 20 years. We thank you for
your continuing support of NARFE
and our Chapter.
Alfred Bahr
Alice Coulter
Robert Jones
Nhon Pham
William Spradlin
Melvin Balbo
Gary Everett
Mae Lapane
Dawn Scott
Audrey Yates
NARFE Chapter 356,
Manassas, VA Organized
September 9, 1953
Return Service Requested
NARFE Chapter 356
PO Box 1682
Manassas, VA 20108-1682
Email: [email protected]
P OSTMASTER: - T IME S ENSITIVE P LEASE D ELIVER BEFORE F EBRUARY 11 TH
C HAPTER
M EETING F EBRUARY 18 TH

Meeting Location
The next chapter meeting will be at
Hibachi Buffet & Sushi Grill
located at 8121 Sudley Road (Westgate
Shopping Center). It is next door to the
Barnes and Noble Book Store.
I N CL EM EN T WEAT HER
In case of inclement weather, please listen
to the radio and/or TV for news about
Prince William Schools.
 If the schools are closed, the meeting
will be canceled.
 If the schools are opening late, we
will plan to hold the meeting as usual.
CHAPTER 356 OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES
President:
1st Vice Pres
2nd Vice Pres.
Treasurer:
Secretary:
Service Officer:
Program Comm:
Public Relations:
Membership Comm:
National Legislation:
Sunshine Comm:
Alzheimer’s Comm:
Yahoo Group Coord:
Chapter Chaplain:
Newsletter Editor:
David A. Doliber
Ronald Bantom
Blaine Stockton
Blaine Stockton
Mary Brandt
Priscilla Saboe
Jana L. Bennett
Gloria Donovan
Helen Brooks
Ronald Bantom
Priscilla Saboe
Marilyn Markman, RN
Gary Bowles
Richard Horte
Richard Horte
703-330-0535
703-368-2062
703-791-3881
703-791-3881
703-753-3954
703-361-1150
703-743-1597
703-361-4677
703-791-6737
703-368-2062
703-361-1150
703-791-4329
541-608-7307
703-368-8767
703-368-8767
Past President:
President Emeritus:
Treaurer Emeritus:
Jack Shipley
Phil Louer
Merritt Robertson
703-753-0143
703-754-2824
703-369-5348
Manassas Chapter Newsletter Online
Our newsletter is available by email through our Chapter Yahoo Group to group members when submitted to the printer.
To subscribe to this mail group, please submit your email address to: [email protected]. The latest
newsletter is also available at the VFC website at www.vanarfe.org. Go to Chapter/Area Newsletters #356.