The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2015

RETIREE VP VOICE | BY LARRY COHEN AFSA NEWS Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA Retiree VP. Contact: lawrencecohenassociates@hotmail.com or (703) 437-7881 THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2015 73 Foreign Service retirees are fortunate. We enjoyed fascinating and adventurous careers. Our contribution to public service and our nation’s prestige and honor is undeniable. If the clock could be turned back, I suspect most of us would do it all again. In general, Foreign Service retirees receive fair pen- sion and insurance benefits earned during sustained careers in challenging and often dangerous environ- ments. As embedded in the Foreign Service Act of 1980, we may retire with full pen- sions earlier and with fewer mandatory federal years on the job than our Civil Service colleagues. Quirks in the system such as the negative impact of overseas service on pension calculations have mostly The Big Issue been ironed out (e.g., virtual locality pay). Compared to the retirement benefits we receive, issues of specific concern to FS retirees such as a transparent re-employ- ment system seem less critical. Meanwhile, benefits for retirees continue to come under threat. This is a much larger issue that goes beyond the Foreign Service. AFSA is one of many fed- eral employee associations fighting the good fight, for example, against the move to a chained consumer price index that would reduce defined pension benefits significantly over time. AFSA will continue to battle efforts to scissor away benefits in the name of deficit reduction. One such effort is the recent attack on the annuity supplement. I am confident the political sway of current retirees and retiree organizations will prevent wholesale erosion of present benefit levels. But AFSA and its membership must remain vigilant. Sadly, however, ben- efits for future retirees, specifically our active-duty colleagues and future hires, are being atrophied. This is especially true in an era of pay freezes or minimal salary increases. New members of the Foreign Service now contribute almost four times the amount we did for their pensions. Proposals to make employee health insurance contributions “post-tax” and force the Thrift Savings Plan’s G Fund into income irrelevance must be taken seriously. AFSA, and especially its retiree members, can and should advocate strongly on behalf of tomorrow’s ben- eficiaries. They are the ones truly getting hurt. If we do not stand up for them, who will? Because of Hatch Act rules, the active-duty Foreign Service cannot easily speak out. We can. Call or write to your sena- tors and representatives. Urge them to oppose budget resolutions that target fed- eral employees, the Foreign Service and FS retirees. In particular, tell them to quit targeting millennials who are just now entering public ser- vice. These actions serve to dissuade the best and bright- est from joining up or staying on. Insist that Congress can and should find ways to craft its budgets other than on the backs of the federal work- force. n Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Heather Higginbottom (right) and Special Representative for the QDDR Tom Perriello (left) lay out their vision for improved data management. AFSA/MARIAC.LIVINGSTON more effectively address risk management in increasingly dangerous environments. In the lead up to the review’s release, AFSA sub- mitted seven thought papers to the QDDR team on priority issues, such as professional development, security and technology. Though not all of AFSA’s suggestions were incorpo- rated, critical provisions did make it in, including those addressing the need for better management and mitigation of physical risk; increased investment in a skilled and diverse workforce; enhanced economic leader- ship in each bureau; and extended leave without pay. The May 12 event was the first in a planned series of engagements on the 2015 QDDR. AFSA will continue to seek answers and contribute to the QDDR team’s imple- mentation efforts. n —Maria C. Livingston, Associate Editor