The Foreign Service Journal, January 2005

8 AFSA NEWS • JANUARY 2005 AFSA NEWS BRIEFS Continued from page 7 2005 AFSA Dues Rates AFSA membership dues have been raised according to the AFSA bylaws by 2.7 percent across all membership categories. This increase reflects the 3rd-quarter Consumer Price Index pub- lished on Oct. 19, 2004, by the Department of Labor, and used by the Social Security Administration to calculate the 2005 Cost of Living Adjustment increases. The new dues rates will take effect on Jan. 1, 2005. Members paying dues via payroll deduction and annuity deduction will see a small, automatic increase in the amount deducted from their paychecks and annuities. Members who pay annually will be billed the new rate on their regularly scheduled renewal date. Membership dues account for approximately 75 percent of AFSA’s total income. This revenue provides the association with a stable and predictable income source, which allows AFSA to continue offering excellent member services and benefits. The lists below indicate the new dues rates for 2005. Active CATEGORY NEW ANNUAL NEW BIWEEKLY FS 7, 8, 9 $75.20 $2.90 FS 6, 5, 4 $142.20 $5.45 FS 1, 2, 3 $248.50 $9.55 SFS $321.40 $12.35 Retiree CATEGORY NEW ANNUAL NEW MONTHLY Annuity under $25,000 $57.90 $4.85 Annuity of $25,000-50,000 $86.70 $7.20 Annuity of $50,000-75,000 $115.85 $9.65 Annuity over $75,000 $145.00 $12.05 Retiree Spouse $50.00 $4.15 Retiree Associate $54.55 NA Associate ASSOCIATE NEW ANNUAL $89.15 To: All Embassy Employees From: ADM Embassy employees are expected to attempt to showup for work, even in inclementweather. If driving your personal vehi- cles is impractical, public transportationshouldbeused. Should public transportation be irregular or unavailable, walking to work should be considered if practical. Employees should contact their supervisors if they will be late for work due to the weather; a liberal leave policy will be ineffect if there are significant disruptions topublic transporta- tion. Employees must submit leave slips for all late arrivals and early departures fromwork due toweather conditions. Please remember that all leave must be approved in advance. NOTE: According to our sources, this memo, fondly referred to at the post as the “marchor die”memo, was issuedafter amajor snowstormresulted inabsences fromwork. The issuing officer lived across the street from the embassy. MEMO OF THE MONTH: From a Snowy Eastern European Post AFSA recently made a call to USAA to clarify the catego- ry of membership that USAA bestows upon newmembers who are U.S. Foreign Service employees. The USAA Board of Directors decided on Oct. 27, 2002, that U.S. Foreign Service personnel did not meet its eligibility requirements for full membership. All Foreign Service employees who sign up for USAA are now issued policies through the USAA Casualty Insurance Company. The CIC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of USAA, with policyholders rather than members. Therefore, CIC policyholders are considered“associate members.” Unlike regular USAAmembers, associate members do not own any part of USAA, do not receive dividends, do not qualify for the Subscriber Savings Account and cannot attend or vote on issues at USAA’s annual membership meetings. However, CIC policyholders are eligible for all USAA financial products and are serviced by the same staff as USAAmembers. In addition to Foreign Service personnel, the CIC is made up of former dependents of USAAmembers, military enlisted personnel, and prior USAA employees. If you would like more information regarding your status as a USAAmember and the company’s eligibility requirements, please call USAAMember Relations at 1 (800) 633-0942. Remember to have your USAAmember number or Social Security number handy. USAA Membership Clarification