The Foreign Service Journal, March 2004

MARCH 2004 • AFSA NEWS 13 FROM THE FIELD AFSA State VP Attends Manila Conference I n January, AFSA State VP Louise Crane attended the Bureauof East Asia and the Pacific Entry-Level Conference inManila. She reports that itwas an excel- lent conference and she was impressed by the entry-level professionals assigned to EmbassyManilawhohandledall thedetails. “They and their EAPcolleagues reinforced AFSA’s conviction that the rising genera- tion of Foreign Service employees are a credit to the nation they serve,” she says. Crane met with AFSA members in Manila and had an opportunity to speak individually with many of the entry-level employees who attended the conference. She also stoppedby the embassy inTokyo tomeet with the AFSA representative and AFSAmembers at post. Employees who met with Crane expressed concern about several issues. First, the entry-level employeeswant todo away with the nomenclature “junior offi- cer” and the “generalist” and “specialist” labels. AFSA agrees, and prefers more inclusive terms. Amajor concernofmany entry-level employees is the lackof spousal employment options. Equitable treatment for Members of Household was another concern. Most people seem pleased with thedepartment’s policy, but there are addi- tional issues, such as health insurance and employment. Some of these require changes in legislation, but on those that do not, AFSA will try to make the argument for additional benefits. Crane summed up her impression of morale in the fieldas follows: “It is clear that most entry-level employees arepleasedwith theway the department treats them. They know the world is a difficult and danger- ous place and they donot complain about those conditions of service. They arebeing supervised well and trained well. They believe their work is appreciated. They are enthusiastic and content with their choice of theForeignService.That is a tremendous voteofconfidenceinthedepartment’sman- agement and its managers.” ▫ Retiree Issues BY BONNIE BROWN, RETIREE ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR Q: Are dependent children entitled to sur- vivor annuities in the event of the death of a parent employee or retiree? A: Inordertoqualifyforasurvivor annuity under the Foreign ServiceAct,achildmustbefinanciallydepen- dent on an employee or retiree at the time ofdeath. Thechildmustalsobeunmarried, underage18,orunderage22andafull-time student(atleast12credithours),oroverage 18and incapableof self-support becauseof a disability that occurred before the age of 18. Childrenwhoqualify include legitimate children,adoptedchildren,stepchildrenwho livedwiththeemployeeorretireeatthetime of death, and recognized natural children. Children are entitled to survivor benefits regardless of whether or not there is a sur- vivor spousal benefit. Q:Howarethebenefitscalculatedandpaid out for surviving children? A: The benefits are statutorily determinedbySection806(c) of the Foreign Service Act and adjusted each year to reflect the change in the cost of liv- ing. The amount of benefits depends on the number of surviving children and whether or not there is a surviving spouse. AnnuitybenefitspayableunderFERS/FSPS, which reflects full participation in Social Security, are reduced by the amount of Social Security survivor benefits attribut- able to the deceased parent. Benefits are generallypaid to the survivingparent or the personwhohas the care andcustodyof the children. If the surviving spouse qualifies for survivor benefits, the children’s bene- fitswill be included inthemonthlypayment sent to the spouse. An unmarried participant in good health who does not have a former spouse entitled to a survivor benefit can also elect toprovide a survivor benefit under Section 806(f). However, this would be very cost- ly, reducing the retiree’s annuitybyasmuch as 40 percent. Q: Are children’s survivor benefits auto- matically awarded? A: No. The surviving parent or person responsible for the eligi- ble childrenmust complete an Application forDeathBenefitsFormandsubmitadeath certificateaswellasabirthcertificateforeach child to theRetirementOffice. In the caseof a permanently disabled child, the parent or guardianmustalsosubmitastatementfrom MED attesting to the child’s disability. FERS/FSPSdependentsmust alsoapply for Social Security benefits and provide the RetirementOfficewitha copyof the award letter. The surviving parent or guardian is alsoresponsibleforinformingtheRetirement Office when the child is no longer eligible for Social Securityor annuitybenefits. This is particularly important because Social Security benefits can significantly reduce a FERS/FSPS benefit. Since Social Security benefits for childrengenerallyendat age19, theunreducedFERS/FSPSbenefitwouldbe fullypayablefromage19to22aslongasthe child is unmarried and a full-time student. Q: Under what circumstances can a surviv- ing child continue to be covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan? A: A child’s health coverage under the FEHBP will continue if the deceased employee or retiree was enrolled in a self-and-family plan, the child is unmarried, andat least one familymember is eligible fora survivorannuity. FEHBcov- eragewillcontinueuntilage22. Healthben- efitscoveragecancontinueafterage22ifthe personisunmarriedandisincapableofself- supportbecauseofadisabilitythatisexpect- ed to lastmore thanone year. Achildwho loses eligibility for coveragemay qualify for Temporary Continuation of Coverage under the FEHBP. ▫ Q & A