The Foreign Service Journal, June 2003

JUNE 2003 • AFSA NEWS 7 Retiree Issues Turning the Tables: Questions for Ward Thompson Q: You are leaving AFSA after more than a decade as retiree liaison. Any last thoughts about the job? A: It has been a lot like another Foreign Service assignment, involving me primarily with Foreign Service members and State Department offices, but fuller and richer inmanyways. Working with retirees has given me con- tactwith colleagueswhose careers spanned several generations, and I have gotten to knowhundreds of them in person and by telephoneor e-mail. My “in-country” trav- el has enabled me to visit individuals and retiree associations throughout the U.S. I have had the satisfactionof tracking retire- ment issues as they evolve inCongress and thebureaucracy. Most importantly, I have been able to assist fellowmembers of our Foreign Service community in resolving many of the benefits problems that some- times arise in retirement. Q: What were some specific accom- plishments? A: I like to think that I contributed to better service institutionally toForeignService retirees; for example, by urging both AFSA and the Retirement Office to offer toll-free telephone service. We recentlygot theResourceManagement Bureau to offer a broader range of annu- itydeductions to retirees. I amparticularly pleased that the JobSearchProgram’s grad- uation reception, which I was involved in initiating, continues toprovide anoccasion for AFSA and State to thank colleagues as they retire. None of these achievements would have been possible, of course, without the help of many others who are dedicated to improving the transition to retirement and the two-way exchange of informationwith the retiree constituency. At the individual level, it has been grat- ifying to intervene successfully onbehalf of retirees and surviving spouseswho turn to AFSA for helponbenefits issues. Inmany cases, the need has been merely to get information and paperwork flowing. Often there has also been financial hard- ship involvingdenial of amedical insurance claimor a government demand for repay- ment of a miscalculated annuity, for example. Sometimes we can save mem- bers considerablemoneybyappealing these decisions on their behalf. Q: Any failures? A: Well, yes. Despite our efforts with the now-defunct Foreign Affairs Reserve Corps and its successor AFSAskills database,wehavenot beenable to convince the State Department to adopt a systematic agency-wide approach to rehiring annuitants, which we believe would offer greatermanagement efficien- cy. Andwe are still looking forways to get more Foreign Service retirees to join AFSA and strengthen our voice in work- ing on their behalf. Q: Any other observations about AFSA? A: Only the obvious: Although AFSArepresents several career categories,most of itsmembers canalsobe regarded as future retirees. That iswhywe must devote resources not just tomeeting the needs of current retirees but also to ensurethattheinterestsoffutureretireeswill be protected. In turn, it is never too early for Foreign Service employees to give a thought tofuture retirementbenefits. Ihave enjoyedworkingwith the thoroughlypro- fessional AFSA staff and dedicated board memberswhohave seen to it that adequate informationandattention to thesebenefits are essential parts of the AFSA agenda. ▫ Q & A ADVICE FROM FS MEMBERS Where to Retire? Editor’sNote: Thanks to those retirees who have already respond- ed toour call for insights intohowto choose a retirement location. Clearly this is a topic of interest to AFSAmembers. Beginning with this issue, we will periodically publish excerpts from the responses. Please send your comments to afsanews@afsa.org . I notedwith interest in theApril AFSANews a letter froma read- er about where to retire. I amnearing retirement and have found that there is a wealth of information available on the Internet. One excellent resource is the CNN/Money Web site at http://money.cnn.com/retirement/ . The site includes useful ideas and leads you to other resources such as tools for financial assessment of your personal situation. The site periodically features articles on where the best place to live or retire might be depend- ing on individual situations. Another useful resource is the Find Your Spot Web site at http://www.findyourspot.com/ where you can fill in a quick (or muchmore detailed) questionnaire and receive a summarized list- ing of cities that meet your particular “perfect place.” The listings for over 25 cities feature links tomore detailed information about eachcity, including suchniceties as local cultural activities, economic situation, area attractions, and the real estate situation. If youdon’t like the cities presented based on your search, you can go back and change a few of the variables to get a completely new listing. The Kiplinger Web site offers some nice retirement tools at http://www.kiplinger.com/managing/retirement/ and contains useful links to other information. The bottom line is that there’s lots of information available on the Internet just waiting for you to get out your miner’s hat and do a bit of mining! Carl G. Britt, Jr. Deputy Manager IBB Tangier, Morocco ▫