August 2008 Newsletter - American Foreign Service Association

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Page 4 AFSA Newsletter From the Department From FSI Job Announcements Those of you looking for post-retirement employment will be pleased to know that AFSA has begun posting FSI Job Transition Program job announcements and job search information on our Retiree Web page. The page is located at www.afsa.org/retiree/. Mid-Career Retirement Course The new two-day FSI Mid-Career Retirement Planning course is designed as a retirement "check-up" for mid-career U.S. government employees who are 10 to 15 years away from retirement. The course will cover the following topics: calculation of estimated income and expenses in retirement; investment and savings options; wills, trusts, durable and health-care powers of attorney and living wills; age and service requirements for retirement eligibility; calculation of estimated annuities; factors to consider for annuities for surviving spouses; determining what to do and where to live in retirement; health issues as one ages; taxes in retirement; and the federal long-term care program for parents, spouses and employees. This new course complements the other retirement planning courses offered: the Retirement Planning Seminar (four days) and the Job Search Program (one to two months depending on designated retirement system). Courses in 2009 will be held on January 28-29 and May 20-21. For information about how to enroll, go to www.state.gov/m/fsi/ tc/99462.htm or call the Office of the Registrar at (703) 302-7429/7144 . Any spouse may attend. Spouses of department employees may attend without cost. From Charleston Bank Mergers Charleston has reported that recently some retirees had difficulties when their banks were sold or merged with other banking institutions. Generally when mergers occur, bank clients are advised that their banking information and accounts will automatically transfer and convert to the new bank. What has been happening in more than a few instances is that the conversion works for a while and then fails. As a result, there have been delays with automatic deposit of annuity payments. If your bank is consolidated with another, it might be wise to talk to the new bank officials about converting your account, or formally change your banking information and convert your accounts to the new institution. It happens. Employees and their spouses put off planning for and finding out what lies ahead for them in retirement until they retire. And then, some wish they had done things differently. Plan ahead: take the Mid-Career Retirement Course at FSI and read the guidance AFSA regularly provides in the AFSA Newsletter and Foreign Service Journal.
Page 5 AFSA Newsletter About AFSA Why I Became a Lifetime AFSA Member Kudos to Bill Farrand and Bonnie Brown for their article in the April issue of the Foreign Service Journal about poor and inconsistent State Department services for retirees! Frustrated by State’s failure to respond to my queries on a timely, accurate basis, I finally appealed to AFSA for help. Since AFSA began advocating for me, I have benefited from timely, correct responses and appropriate actions. AFSA intervention worked where my squeaky wheel efforts failed. What went wrong before I turned to AFSA? Here’s a summary. The pre-retirement, routine, annual estimates of the annuity I received were significantly higher than the annuity I received. My retirement plaque and letter cited 31 years of service, while my annuity was based on significantly fewer years of service. After my husband died, various errors were made in calculating both the annuity for my employment and the annuity for my husband’s employment. Those errors compounded. Without warning, several thousand dollars were deducted from my banking account for an overpayment. That resulted in my account being overdrawn. In order to correct one of the errors, I had to file a correction to my 2006 income tax. Since AFSA began advocating for me, I have benefited from timely, correct responses and appropriate actions. AFSA intervention worked where my squeaky wheel efforts failed - - Ann Berry At a number of points — as the errors piled up — I called Charleston daily. For the most part, my calls were not returned. On occasion, the staff there referred me to the staff in Washington, D.C., or the reverse. I want to commend the retirement staff who did talk to or e-mail me for being extremely courteous and often even apologetic throughout my saga. It was as if they, too, were victims in a system beyond their control. I continued my AFSA membership after I retired in order to keep in touch with the arena where I had spent my entire adult life. I now realize that I also need AFSA as an advocate. And that is why, after the last time AFSA intervened for me, I became a Life Member. - By Ann Berry, Retired FSO AFSA’s 2009 Retiree Directory Is your contact information current? Please send changes of name, address, telephone numbers and e-mail address to: AFSA Membership Tel: (800) 704-2372, ext. 2 (202) 338-4045, ext. 525 E-mail: afsa@afsa.org Bonnie Brown Retiree Counseling and Legislative Coordinator Monday through Wednesday (202) 944-5509 or 1 (800) 704-2372, ext. 509
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August 2008 Newsletter - American Foreign Service Association

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