The Foreign Service Journal, September 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2018 65 AFSA NEWS We received 247 responses that ranged across various AFSA programs including advocacy, policy, commu- nication, membership and outreach. This feedback has been organized and catego- rized so that appropriate staff can consider each suggestion. Because many of our retiree members live across the country and around the world, AFSA has looked to expand opportunities for par- ticipation by offering online programs. The final question of the survey was open- ended, asking participants to share their ideas for subjects they would like to learn about. We received 583 suggestions. The survey provided valu- able insight into the interests of our retiree members, allowing AFSA to look at areas where we can enrich or expand what we offer members. Communication is critical to our retiree members, who see AFSA as a key resource for staying up to date on advocacy and policy issues affecting the Foreign Service, information on retirement benefits and professional insight and analysis on the Foreign Service as an institu- tion. The survey results will be a continued source of informa- tion to informAFSA’s program planning and have already resulted in the following pro- grams and resources: Webinars. On June 27, in a webinar titled “AView from Washington,”AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Ste- phenson detailed the advo- cacy work AFSA is doing at the national level and answered member questions. Based on the demonstrated demand for advocacy updates and webinar participation, AFSA is committed to providing regular webinars and advo- cacy alerts with requests for action when needed. The next webinar is tentatively sched- uled for October. Benefits Counseling. The survey results helped us improve our retirement benefits counselor position. In addition to serving as a resource for members who may need one-on-one assis- tance navigating retirement benefit questions or issues, the retirement benefits counselor will engage with strategic partners to offer our members the most relevant and up-to-date information on their retirement benefits through our publications, website and programs featur- ing expert presenters. Federal Benefit Series. We have scheduled presen- tations on two of the topics most frequently mentioned in the survey results. On Aug. 23 Paula Jakub, CEO of the American Foreign Service Protective Association, gave an updated version of her popular presentation on the coordination of FEHB and Medicare. On Sept. 26, Randy Urban from the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board will provide a compre- hensive overview of the Thrift Savings Plan. Post-Retirement Employ- ment/Logistics. In our ongoing efforts to make information easy to find, AFSA uploaded the most recent bureau coordinator list for the REA/WAE program from the Human Resources Bureau’s HR Shared Services Employ- ment Programs Section. In addition, AFSA staff reached out to the depart- ment’s Transportation Office to ask for up-to-date guidance on two issues that are often confusing: How to plan your final move before retirement, and how to go about submit- ting that final travel claim. Visit www.afsa.org/retiree to access these resources and other helpful information. We thank our retiree mem- bers for their enthusiastic participation in this survey. AFSA staff is hard at work putting your feedback into action. n Figure 2 Figure 3