The Foreign Service Journal, July/August 2018

90 JULY-AUGUST 2018 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS AFSA Sponsors Long-Term CareWorkshop On May 1, Jeannie Singleton of Long Term Care Partners LLC, came to AFSA headquar- ters to talk about the ins and outs of purchasing long-term care insurance, and the Federal Long-Term Care Insur- ance Program in particular. One among many long-term care insurance policy options, the FLTCIP is offered to fed- eral and U.S. Postal Service employees and annuitants. Ms. Singleton told more than 30 participants that the first thing to do is decide who they want to take care of them should they need help as they age, and then start a dialogue with that person about what they hope this care will look like. There are online tools to help start this dialogue, she noted, includ- ing agingwithdignity.org and gowish.org. She recommended start- ing early to put together the pieces needed, including developing a power of attor- ney and a living will. People of all ages need these forms, she said, pointing out that even your own spouse cannot act on your behalf in certain situations unless you have legally chosen them to do so. Ms. Singleton talked about the cost of long-term care in various parts of the country— such care is cheaper in places like Arizona and Florida, where there are more retirees and therefore more competi- tion to care for them. Seventy percent of Ameri- cans age 65 and older will need long-term care during their lives. On average, people need 2.7 years of care, which can be paid for through long- term care insurance or by self-funding. Government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid will not fully cover such care; neither will indi- vidual health insurance plans. FLTCIP, Ms. Singleton stated, will pay for care in your home, in an assisted living facility or in hospice, and it will pay for the caregivers whom you have selected in advance—a friend, neighbor or adult child can be paid a stipend to care for you. You can work through the scenarios and cost-of- care calculators yourself at LTCFEDS.com. For more information, contact info@ ltcpartners.com . n AFSAGoverning Board Meeting, May 16, 2018 Management Committee: It was moved that the Board appoint a Governance Committee to research and propose a best- practice governance structure for AFSA. The committee will provide monthly updates to the Governing Board and report its final recommendation to the Board by Oct. 17. The chairman will be Secretary Tom Boyatt and the members will be Vice Presidents Ken Kero-Mentz and Dan Crocker, Chief Operating Officer Russ Capps, Retiree Representative Al La Porta and Mr. Roy Perrin (currently a non-board member). The motion was adopted. It was moved that the Governing Board adopt the following policies: When a member calls AFSA and asks for retirement advice of a financial nature (e.g., when to begin taking Social Security or whether to enroll in Medicare Part B), it should be standard operating procedure for the AFSA employee assisting the member to guide the member to the most recent expert presentations on the matter, recorded and on our website. If the member persists in pressing for individual advice, he or she should be informed that AFSA cannot provide financial advice, as it subjects the organization to a sizable risk. When a retired non-member calls AFSAmember services (or retiree services) and asks for assistance, it should be stan- dard operating procedure for AFSA staff to inform them that we can only offer counsel to members and offer to send them a membership application. The staff person should also inform the non-member that there are quite a few resources posted on the AFSA.org website. The motion was adopted. Board resignations: By unanimous consent, board members Lawrence Casselle, Martin McDowell and TriciaWingerter were excused from duty effective May 16. By unanimous consent, board members Josh Glazeroff and Anne Coleman-Honn were excused from duty effective June 20. All are State representatives. Board appointments: : The following individuals were appointed to the Governing Board: LilyWahl-Tuco, effective May 16, 2018; Roy Perrin, effective May 16, 2018; Karen Brown Cleveland, effective May 16, 2018; Deborah Mennuti, effective at the close of the June 20, 2018 board meeting; and Don Jacobson, effective at the close of the June 20, 2018 board meeting. n