The Foreign Service Journal, September 2020

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2020 77 AFSA NEWS Seminar: How the SECURE and CARES Acts Affect Retirement AFSA invited noted federal benefits expert Edward A. Zurndorfer to give a presentation over Zoom, “How the SECURE Act and the CARES Act Are Affecting the TSP, Other Qualified Retirement Plans and IRAs,” on June 23. AFSAmembers can view the two-hour video of the event at afsa.org/ video. Zurndorfer told partici- pants that the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2020 changes the most popular retirement plans used in the United States and is the first major retirement-related legislation enacted since the 2006 Pension Protection Act. Among other things, the SECURE Act raises the age for starting required mini- mum distributions to 72 for all accounts subject to RMDs. People born before July 1, 1949, however, still have an RMD beginning age of 70.5, he said. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Secu- rity (CARES) Act—passed by Congress in March—people who are subject to mandatory RMDs from their qualified retirement accounts do not have to take their required RMDs in 2020, he said. Individuals, he added, are also allowed to take distribu- tions of up to $100,000 in 2020 from qualified retire- ment accounts without having to pay a 10 percent penalty on early distribution, if the dis- tribution is related to adverse financial consequences resulting from contracting COVID-19 or related factors. Zurndorfer, a noted federal benefits expert who has been a regular speaker at AFSA, is a certified financial planner, a chartered financial consul- tant, a chartered life under- writer, a certified employee benefits specialist and the owner of EZ Accounting and Financial Services—an accounting, tax preparation and financial planning firm. He is a seminar speaker at federal employee retire- ment seminars throughout the country and has written for numerous publications on federal retirement topics. AFSA presented the program in response to the many inquiries we have received on these acts and their ramifications for retire- ment planning. n Edward Zurndorfer speaks at a September 2019 event at AFSA headquarters. AFSA/CAMERONWOODWORTH AFSAGoverning Board Meeting, June 17, 2020 Grievance Board: The board voted to appoint a person to serve in the Foreign Service annuitant position on the Foreign Services Grievance Board. The appointment is subject to ratification by the Secretary of State. New USAID Rep: The board accepted Lorraine Sher- man’s resignation as USAID AFSA board representative, effective June 30, pending her assignment overseas. The board appointed Trevor Hublin as successor to serve the remainder of Ms. Sherman’s term as the USAID AFSA Board Representative, effective July 1. Awards and Plaques: The board identified awardees for the 2020 AFSA Achievement and Contributions award and a one-time AFSA Special Achievement award. The board also authorized inscribing the names of 17 people on the AFSA Memorial Plaques at Main State when fund- ing becomes available. Legal Defense Fund: The board approved payment of $1,182 in legal fees for AFSA members who filed an equal pay complaint against USAID with the agency’s Office of Civil Rights and Diversity. Committee on Elections: The board approved three members—Morton Dworken (reappointment), Marcia Friedman and Rodney LeGrand—to serve on the AFSA Committee on Elections. n AFSAGoverning Board Meeting, July 15, 2020 AFSA 2020 Awards: The board approved four dissent and four performance award winners. Legal Defense Fund: The board approved payment of $1,500 for a retainer paid to an AFSAmember’s attorneys related to the impeachment proceedings; disbursement of $3,645 to attorneys representing AFSAmembers at USAID in an EEOC proceeding; and disbursement of $3,570 to a member as part of impeachment and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York legal proceedings. n