McLean-Great Falls, Virginia Chapter 489 Chapter Newsletter 9, Volume 47, November 2014 Web: www.vanarfe.org/489 Meetings: McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave, McLean, VA (Second Tuesday of most Month at 1 PM except July and August) Board Members for 2014: President – Raphael Wong (703-948-0090); wongr@ieee.org First Vice President – James J. Lynch; (703-759-2862); clatgrfalls@gmail.com Second Vice President – vacant Secretary – Susan Seymour (703-536-3164); SusanOSeymour@aol.com Treasurer – David Bettwy (703-759-2882); bettwyd@asme.org Directors– vacant (2014), vacant (2015), vacant (2016) Past Presidents: Joseph R. (Dick) Spann, Richard Bowen, Robbye Jo Quinter, Richard Raybold, and Stuart Vogt Evelyn Rogers, Alzheimer Chair; 703-356-8074 Richard Raybold, Legislative Chair Stuart Vogt, NARFE VFC Service Officer Message from the Chapter President: This is election time for filling the various officers’ positions to run Chapter 489 in 2015. Dave Bettwy has decided to step down from being the Treasurer. We need to find someone to take on the Treasurer position as well as the other positions in the Chapter. I would like to step down as the President to allow someone an opportunity to run the organization. I will be happy to provide any guidance a member might want in running for any of the offices. Also, I want to encourage members to volunteer their service in as much as you would like to assist your chapter officers to have innovative and vibrant programs for the chapter memberships. See below Chapter vacancies where you might be able to lend a helping hand. Next Meeting: Tuesday, November 11, 2014. Board meeting will convene at 11 AM with potluck luncheon at 12 PM (noon) then followed by a presentation at 1 PM. The speaker is Marcie McAllister from the Silver Line Metro. Since the Silver Line Metro is in the area, this is a good opportunity for members to ask questions that you would like to have information on. October 14th Meeting Presentation: Rick Rio, certified Real Estate Specialist in Real Estate Planning for Retirees, spoke to us on retirements from the Real Estate viewpoint. He says retirees are now staying in place (i.e., staying in your home) rather than going to a retirement home. Creating a plan for aging is essential and modification to existing home suitable for your retirement is essential. The modifications need not be done all at once but doing it incrementally is the best approach based on individual financial situation. Here are some features, not necessarily inclusive, having a low maintenance home, easily accessible laundry facility, plenty of storage space, windows that open easily, larger bathroom with grab bars, are just a few that he mention. Rick also handed out a syllabus with various topics that he could talk on in future talk. Passing of Members: It is with sadness that a former Chapter member, Donald Simpson (96), passed away on September 22, 2014 at Brandermill Healthcare Center in Midlothian, VA. He was a former Assistant Secretary at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and was active in the 70’s serving as President of the McLean-Great Falls Chapter 489. He is survived by three children, five granddaughters, eight great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. Stu Vogt knows Donald and represented Chapter 489 during visitation and service at the National Funeral Home, Falls Church, VA on September 28, 2014. Mark your calendar for the 2015 VFC Convention: The 2015 VFC Convention will be held closer in Fredericksburg, VA at the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center on April 12 to 15, 2015. This is a great site as many amenities (i.e., shops, restaurants, etc) are within driving distance of the convention. More information will be forthcoming as they are available. Legislation Updates (excerpts from NARFE GEM): • COLA for 2015 is set at 1.7% • Federal employees' health care premiums will rise an average of 3.2 percent in 2015. The Office of Personnel Management announced the rate increases for the Federal Employees Health Benefits program ahead of Open Season, which will run from November 10 December 8, 2014. • The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced that premiums and deductibles for Medicare Part B, which pays for doctor visits and outpatient services, would go unchanged again in 2015. They have not changed in the past two years, due in part to stable healthcare costs after years of climbing annually. • The retirement claims backlog continued to drop incrementally in September, according to the latest statistics from the Office of Personnel Management. OPM received 6,350 new retirement applications in September, 950 less than expected. The backlog is now at 12,767 claims — 330 fewer claims than in August. Chapter Vacancies: If you are interested in serving the chapter, these positions are available for any members interested to help make the chapter a vibrant organization serving the Federal retirees: 2nd VP, three Directors – 1 year term, 2 year term, and 3 year term. You can also help out in other ways. Also, we need someone to step up to take the Treasurer position, as Dave Bettwy will retire as Treasurer. As Federal retirees, you already have the experience and skills necessary to be an officer from one’s experience as manager, team player, managing office politics, making presentations, and working with staff and other agencies. Contact the President or any Chapter officers to express your interest. Contact Us: Members can contact us via the President's email (wongr@ieee.org) and 1st VP email (clatgrfalls@gmail.com) or by phone with suggestions of areas of interest, upcoming agenda topics, ideas, etc. Also, if members would like to receive their newsletter electronically rather than hardcopy version, please contact the President and Jim by providing your email address. Reminder: The November 11th meeting will have a presentation by Marcia McAllister from the Silver Line Metro. She will give us a presentation of the current operation and the future Silver Line.. Note that all members are welcome to attend the Board Meeting at 11 AM.