The Foreign Service Journal, April 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2016 9 LETTERS Retiree Access Tales Mary Gilroy’s saga about renew- ing her State retiree card sounded very familiar (Speaking Out, January- February). At least at the end of her several hours at Main State she left with some reward for her efforts, a compensation I didn’t obtain a few years ago. I retired from State in March 2007 from overseas (after just over 30 years with the U.S. government). I didn’t return to Washington, D.C., until October 2011, at which time I thought that a retiree photo ID card would be useful. Checking beforehand with the Office of Retiree Services (and, like Ms. Gilroy, finding even as early as 2011 that AFSA had the most information on the process), I knew the route I had to fol- low and thought I had the documents I needed. I first went to SA-1 to have the DS-1838 approved. No problem there. However, at the Diplomatic Security office at Main State, I found that even though Retiree Services had signed off on the DS-1838 and seen my photo IDs, I still couldn’t be issued a retiree card. DS wouldn’t accept the second photo ID—my Australian driver’s license. (I needed two because, unlike Ms. Gilroy, I was getting my retiree card for the first time.) It seems that a valid U.S. driver’s license would have been accepted. Even a valid Canadian license would appar- ently have worked. The DS officer could not give me a reason why a Canadian document trumped the Australian. I was advised that my birth certificate would also have been acceptable. Why a Xeroxed copy of a non-photo document from 1951 would be accept- able over a government-issued photo ID (even if it wasn’t American or Canadian) still has me befuddled. So I had to leave, frustrated after a fruitless afternoon, without that retiree ID card, and still do not have one. It would be helpful if AFSA could get the latest information from the Bureau of Diplomatic Security regarding which documents are acceptable to support a request for an initial retiree card. Yes, I would still like one. Finally, again in agree- ment with Ms. Gilroy, if the retiree card is merely a gesture to the depart- ing employee, why not include one of the more impressive old-style ones along with the Main State flag, a career achievement award and a copy of the Atlas statue from the HST Building court- yard when one is being sent off? And while one is at it, perhaps State could include one’s last “real” ID photo on the card? That might give overseas retirees a certain little cachet when they need to visit a U.S. embassy or consulate. Steve Flora FSS, retired Canberra, Australia State Could Do Better Many thanks to Meg Gilroy for her gracious account of the absurdities of the retiree badge! Having just acquired one while still on active duty, I hadn’t given much thought to the issues of renewal. At least I could get to the retiree office unes- corted and cut through the building rather than walk around. But the process raised similar ques- tions in my mind about what the depart- ment is trying to achieve. For instance, why issue cards with a chip and mag- netic strip that have no purpose? And, why make retirees pick up yet another card in the C Street lobby after passing through visitor security? As Gilroy notes: “Given the restric- tions, the fact that it isn’t fully activated and the complicated procedure for renewal, one has to wonder why State can’t do better.” Beatrice Camp FSO, retired Arlington, Virginia FS Mental Health Care, A Historical Note Thank you for spotlighting FS mental health issues in the January-February FSJ . I appreciated both the discussion of current issues and the review of the Office of Mental Health Services’ evolu- tion, and would like to add some notes on Dr. Rigamer’s tenure as medical director. Retrenchment and downsizing were government watchwords during that time, and MED was no exception. Dr. Rigamer oversaw several initiatives, including stopping the practice of the department acting as a secondary payer for inpatient medical expenses linked to overseas service. I was posted in MED at the time, and we were asked to look into shifting that role to the Office of Workers’ Compen- sation Programs in the Department of Labor. However, it quickly became appar- ent that OWCP would be unable to respond in a timely fashion to our overseas patients’ needs, and the idea was dropped. Another initiative involved restrict- ing regular direct-hire MED personnel to a small managerial group and shifting