NARFE Chapter 1747 September 2016 Newsletter

NARFE NEWSLETTER GREATER BOWIE-CROFTON AREA CHAPTER 1747

National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association Volume 35 No.1

facebook.com/narfe1747 or narfe1747.org

September 2016

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS are held at the Bowie Senior Center, 14900 Health Center Drive, Bowie, 20716 in Room 4. Meeting dates are the third Thursday of the month at 10:00 AM except in July and August. There is never a charge to attend and all meetings are open to the public. Please check your current newsletter or our website for any changes.

EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETINGS are held the first Thursday of the month at 10:00 AM in Conference Room 125, Bowie Senior Center. All chapter members are welcome.

NOTE: Chapter meetings are cancelled when Prince George’s County schools are closed due to inclement weather. Otherwise, meetings are held as scheduled.

COMING ATTRACTIONS  General Meeting: Thursday, September 15: Brian Welsh, Vivint Solar: Save Money and Help the Environment.  General Meeting: Thursday, October 20: Open Season Health Fair held at Kenhill Center.

pRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Jerry Kursban

As we kick off the 2016–2017 NARFE year, I hope you and all your loved ones had the good fortune to enjoy a pleasant summer.

The coming year portends the possibility for significant changes to NARFE at both the national and local levels. We will be holding our 34th NARFE National Convention at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada from August 28 through September 1.

During that time, delegates will have 48 proposed bylaw and standing rule amendments and proposed resolutions to consider. Key to NARFE's future will be three resolutions submitted by the Strategic Planning Committee to the National Executive Board (NEB). Resolution # 1606 would make chapter membership optional instead of mandatory. Members would still have the option to join a chapter, but the current requirement to join a chapter would end. Resolution # 1607 would authorize the National Executive Board to raise dues up a limit of 10 percent within a two-year period in order to prevent a potential budget crisis. Resolution # 1624 would establish a one member, one vote system of governance which would establish ballot voting for all members on national officers and bylaws amendments.

Driving the recommended need for changes in NARFE is the impact of baby boomers. Approximately 78 million baby boomers, who were born between 1946 and 1964, currently reside in the United States. Fewer than half have retired, and a full 77 percent plan to work in retirement. About 600,000 of these boomers in federal service will be eligible for retirement by 2017. These boomers

BEWARE

The IRS scam is still out there. DO NOT provide information to anyone who contacts you by phone. The IRS will only contact you by snail mail.

are believed to be NARFE's best prospective members. However, evidence shows that boomers are less likely to join traditional civic organizations, and even less likely to volunteer their services when they do join. The majority are tech savvy and have embraced technology, with the result that many of them tend to look for accurate and reliable information about their federal benefits online instead of attending physical gatherings. As you know only too well, the result of this change has been a decline in membership and a closing of chapters.

The objective of NARFE's Strategic Plan is to align NARFE more toward boomer interests and values. If we do not realign our organization, we will probably lose many of our target audience. NARFE's survival depends on making necessary changes that will move us toward a new landscape. Our chapter, like many others, needs volunteers to step forward. Will you take on a small part of the ongoing work of running the chapter?

Thank You

On behalf of the Bice Family, I thank members of Chapter 1747 and others for your cards, kind words and actions, flowers, attendance at Dorothys' visitation, and at her funeral service. All were of great help in our time of distress and truly remarkable. Dorothy was a beautiful person who cared deeply about her fellow NARFE members and treated all with a smile and a kind word.

Ed Bice For further information about Dorothy Bice, see page 3

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federal legislation Howard Waterworth

NARFE Legislative Accomplishments in 2015 with the 114th Congress We join NARFE to support our headquarters staff to go bat for us in Congress in their effort to improve, or at a minimum, maintain, our benefits. And we usually do not hear how they go about doing this on our behalf or how successful they have been. Occasionally we hear how Congress is considering reducing our pay or benefits and using the funds for other high priority new projects. To its credit NARFE employs several diverse tactics with politicians such as joining forces with other national organizations (see our June 2016 newsletter), testifying before various Congressional committees, encouraging members to write our politicians, meeting one on one with key members of Congress, and other similar tactics. These efforts result in several successes every year. NARFE summarizes what they consider to be some of their most important accomplishments year by year. From a report “Legislative Accomplishments—114th Congress Midterm (2015) Review” they describe some of their successes as follows: ▪ Thwarted ALL attempts by Congress to cut the pay and benefits of federal employees and retirees. The House’s FY 2016 budget resolution contained 8 provisions totaling $318 billion in cuts to the federal community, for example by increasing enrollees’ share of our health benefits premiums and reducing the return of the Thrift Savings Plan such as the G Fund rendering it "nearly worthless." This change would have cost TSP participants $32 billion.

▪ A budget agreement offsetting sequestration for 2 years did not take benefits from federal employees or retirees. A 2-year budget deal increased spending levels by $80 billion for other programs but without offsets to the federal community.

▪ Prevented a disproportionate increase in Medicare premiums. Without a COLA in 2016 some enrollees would have had their premiums increased by 52 percent. Due to NARFE’s lobbying efforts, increases were only the amount they would have gone up had there been a COLA. ▪ Supported protecting TSP participants from receiving bad advice in favor of a rule to hold financial advisors to provide advice in the “best interest” of investors when providing advice regarding rollovers because they are not covered by the existing definition of fiduciary investment advice. Some advisors had recommend they roll over their TSP holdings into an IRA which can lead to greater returns for the advisor rather than other ways to invest funds at equal or better long term growth.

▪ Protected and informed NARFE members following the data breaches at the OPM by staying in close communications with OPM to ensure our members have the information they need to protect their financial wellbeing. NARFE also a website to provide answers to members’ questions.

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▪ Lobbied to increase identity theft protection provided to those impacted by the data breaches at OPM. NARFE supports lifetime identity theft protection. Current services offered only 18 to 36 months but the FY16 omnibus appropriations bill increases coverage to 10 years.

▪ Reached new heights of media coverage. In 2015 NARFE saw unprecedented coverage (750 times) thanks in part to a combination of being out in front on issues, and efforts to draw attention to other concerns overlooked by the media such as Medicare Part B, the new Self+One insurance option, and the OPM data breach.

Details about each of these issues are available on line at NARFE.ORG To editorialize, we can assume that because of these successes by NARFE headquarters and by individuals’ contacts with our politicians, we are all better off financially but it is impossible to say by how much.

treasurer's report Balance on: June 31, 2016 Receipts: Disbursements: Balance on: July 31, 2016 Reserve for Alzheimer's Fund

$9167.93 676.38 00.00 $9844.31 $40.50

DAYS TO REMEMBER August 28- 34th NARFE National Convention September 1: Reno NV September 5: Labor Day September 8: Chapter 1747 Executive Board Meeting, Bowie Senior Center, 10:00 am September 11: Patriots day (fly your flag) September 15: NARFE 1747 MONTHLY CHAPTER MEETING Bowie Senior Center, 10:00 am September 16: POW/MIA Recognition Day September 17: NARFE Legislative Forum, Montgomery College, Germantown MD September 29 Federation Board Meeting, Bowie Comfort Inn, 8:30–3:30 October 2: Rosh Hashana, New Year, (starts at sundown) October 6: Chapter 1747 Executive Board Meeting, Bowie Senior Center, 10:00 am October 10: Columbus Day October 11: Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement (starts at sundown) October 20: 1747 OPEN SEASON HEALTH FAIR KENHILL CENTER, 10:00 am - noon October 28: NARFE Federation Training Day Bowie Comfort Inn, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm 1

Be Some Other Name…What's in a Name?

Our executive board has recognized the need to rename our chapter since it geographically covers far more than the Bowie/ Crofton area these days. The Board's decision was to ask the members to submit their suggestions. The Executive Board will evaluate those suggestions and pay a reward of $50.00 to the individual who submits the winning name—the one the Board selects. Suggestions may be posted on our website or e-mailed or telephoned to a chapter officer. See page 4 for addresses or telephone numbers.

Help Wanted Frances Steburg

Service Officers We need to have more members involved in being a Service Officer. This is a position that can be done in the comfort of your home. Service Officers usually help survivors navigate through the process of closing the retiree’s accounts, just as you would do with contacting the Social Security Administration. They also a answer a few questions regarding how to retire. A lot of times the Human Resources in your agency may not have the correct answers or is not located near your office.

(Please don’t rely on your coworker for retirement issues. Like snowflates, everyone's retirement issues are different.) Our Service Officers make sure you are getting the correct information and guidance. They also answer questions. This is a good opportunity for those who are still working to get involved and also become knowledgeable in the retirement process.

In Memoriam Dorothy Bice Dorothy (Miller) Bice, aged 78, died peacefully on July 4, 2016 at home in Bowie, Maryland, surrounded by her family.

Her funeral was held on Saturday, July 9, 2016 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Dorothy worked in the medical field for over ten years and as a pre-school educator at St. Matthews United Methodist Early Education Center and Holy Trinity Day School for over twenty years. After her retirement, Dorothy kept busy gardening, singing in the Holy Trinity choir and supporting NARFE. by filling in whenever and wherever our chapter needed someone to follow through on a project. At chapter meetings, she collected the money for the Alzheimer's Raffle. She was our Ways and Means person, ran our raffles, and also performed Ways and Means and Raffles for the Federation.

This year she received our Annual Annuitants Award which Ed accepted on her behalf.

If anyone wants to make a memorial donation for Dorothy, contributions can be made to the Colon Cancer Alliance, 1025 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 1066, Washington, DC 20005

Notes from the NARFE Legislative Hotline, August 16, 2016 Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) Premium Increases During the past month, NARFE has taken multiple steps to address the sharp FLTCIP premium increases and provide service to its members. NARFE remains outraged by the shocking increases that have raised participant’s premiums an average of 83 percent. For many NARFE members, the increases have gone beyond this average.

Shortly after NARFE expressed disappointment with the increase, their Legislative Department began to contact congressional offices to discuss the possibility of a hearing and policy changes. These conversations are ongoing. An action letter, expressing NARFE members’ shock and disappointment, was added to NARFE’s Legislative Action Center for members to send to their legislators. We encourage you to send this letter, echoing NARFE’s calls for hearings.

NARFE also has been in contact with the Office of Personnel Management and Long Term Care Partners, which administers the program, to obtain answers to some of NARFE members’ most pressing questions. As always, NARFE members are encouraged to contact NARFE’s Federal Benefits Service Depart-

ment (703-838-7760) with questions.

NARFE has created a dedicated web page on the premium increases to keep members updated. We hope that a hearing will be held on the matter and that NARFE will be asked to testify. As more legislators voice their concerns with the increases, NARFE will continue to work with members of Congress and their staff on possible policy changes to mitigate such an increase in the future.

SSA Removes Cellphone Requirement to Access Online Account This week, the Social Security Administration (SSA) removed its requirement that beneficiaries use a cellphone in order to access their “my Social Security” account. This comes after an outcry from various organizations and members of Congress against the restrictive requirement. The cellphone requirement stemmed from increased security measures that went into effect July 30.

In a statement published on its website, SSA said: “We removed the requirement to use a cell phone to access your account.

NARFE will continue to monitor the development of login options in the coming months.

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Dinner with the Baysox!

The lines weren't too long, parking was free, dress was informal, and the mascot was very friendly! This was our annual Picnic, held this year at an air-conditioned suite at Baysox Stadium.

Greater Bowie-Crofton Area NARFE News NARFE News is published ten times a year (monthly from September through June) by Greater Bowie-Crofton Area Chapter 1747, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, P.O. Box 504, Bowie, MD 20718-0504 .

Vol. 35, No. 1 Dues payments, gifts, and contributions to NARFE are not deductible as Charitable Contributions for income tax purposes.

chapter board Officers President 1st Vice President 2nd Vice President Secretary Treasurer Assistant Treasurer

Jerry Kursban Frances Steburg Lillie Watson Jacqueline Wilson Howard (Flash) Gordon Louise Cole

301-261-3329 301-352-0297 301-383-1597

301-464-2745 410-672-6528

jkursban@gmail.com4 feks@msn.com lwatson16@hotmail.com missJackieV@aol.com flash@acm.org col9135@aol.com

Jerry Kursban Lillie Watson Jessica Forman Vacant Bob Cullen Ed Bice Dorothy Bice Howard (Flash) Gordon Ed Bice Frank Lee Howard (Flash) Gordon Marjorie Laios

301-261-3329 301-383-1597 843-347-9287

301-262-4783 301-464-3748 301-464-3748 301-464-2745 301-464-3748 410-672-5065 301-464-2745 301-262-1566

jkursban@gmail.com lwatson16@hotmail.com jessicafforman@gmail.com

Committee Chairs Federal Legislation Membership Newsletter Production Programs Service Officer State Legislation Alzheimers Fund NARFE-Net Coordinator NARFE-PAC Photographer Social Media Coordinator Sunshine

ba3537@aol.com debice@netzero.net debice@netzero.net flash@acm.org debice@netzero.net fllee0716@verizon.net flash@acm.org 14