The Foreign Service Journal, January 2006

20 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 6 lthough actress Bette Davis had no experience as a federal employee, this quote does express a sentiment felt by many Foreign Service retirees trying to obtain the benefits they are entitled to, be they annuities, Social Security or health coverage. While most retirees do not encounter major problems, others find themselves in situations they had never anticipated, dealing with impenetrable regulations and unresponsive bureau- cracies. Fortunately, AFSA is here to help. For instance, retirees may find themselves blind- sided by the reduction of their Social Security benefits because of the Windfall Elimination Provision, a com- plex benefit formula that almost eludes understand- ing. Recently, several Foreign Service retirees faced dire financial problems when the department required them to pay back large annuity overpayments on the basis of a rigid and highly legalistic — rather than a common sense — determination that the retirees should have known about long-term annuity miscalcu- lations on the part of State Department personnel. Some retirees and surviving spouses are shut off from necessary information and assistance because they do not know how to use the Internet or thread their way through the labyrinth of automated phone systems. And even those with access to the Internet glean little useful information there, find it almost impossible to reach the right official to assist with or explain a problem, or get inconsistent responses. And, most recently, retirees are faced with a marketing bar- rage for the badly-explained Medicare Part D benefit. While AFSA cannot solve all these problems, we can help in four major ways. First, we provide gener- al advice and assistance. Since 2002, Retiree Counseling and Legislative Coordinator Bonnie Brown has provided this invaluable service to several dozen AFSA retiree members on average per month. She researches and answers questions on a wide range of topics; puts people in touch with appropriate offi- cials from the State Department and other foreign affairs agencies; meets regularly with State and other government officials to advocate on behalf of retirees; and works with the Senior Living Foundation to assist needy retirees — all with a sympathetic ear. Cutting Through Red Tape Second, Brown gives AFSA retirees clear explana- tions of the many densely written annuity and retire- ment benefits regulations, alerting them to policy changes. Those summaries are available in the AFSA F O C U S O N F S R E T I R E M E N T “O LD A GE I S N O P LACE FOR S ISSIES ” A W HILE AFSA CANNOT SOLVE ALL RETIREE PROBLEMS , WE PROVIDE HELP IN FOUR MAJOR WAYS . B Y B ONNIE B ROWN AND N ORMA R EYES