A publication of Eugene Chapter 79 National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. Volume 21 Issue #4 April 2015

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1 NARFE NEWS A publication of Eugene Chapter 79 National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association Volume 21 Issue #4 April 2015 Presidential Perspectives It is Good to Put a Face With the Name Ruthann Couch The Chapter 79 meeting at Izzy s in Redmond was a huge success from my point of view. There were two Eugene Chapter 79 Officers and five Salem Chapter 136 Officers that drove to Redmond for the day. And we had twenty-two members and two guest spouses that attended for a total of 31 participants. Wow! That is great! It was wonderful to meet you in person. We had a little snafu with the meeting room. I thought I had reserved the room when I called and made a reservation but the room was being used by another group. Next time we will make sure that does not happen and will probably have the meeting on a day other than Wednesday. But our members were very understanding and we had a terrific meeting. Thank you to everyone that took the time and made the effort to attend. I received some very good feedback regarding the meeting that will make the next meeting even better. It looks like we will hold another meeting in Redmond in October but we have not worked out a date yet. The meeting also allowed me to present several long overdue Distinguished Member Certificates, Membership Cards and pins. Read about these terrific folks on page 3 and see the picture on page 9. The Redmond meeting was the push I needed to get busy and call our Central Oregon members. I truly enjoyed my many conversations with dedicated NARFE members that expressed appreciation for the work that NARFE leadership does at all levels. Thank you for the kind words. I know that the Chapter 79 leadership works very hard to keep the chapter viable and we will continue to work hard to ensure that our earned pay and benefits remain intact. I found out that there are 3 members still snowbirding in Arizona, one working in New York, one attending a Regional Forest Board meeting in Springfield, a couple of deaths that needed to be reported, several members in memory care facilities and several disconnected phone numbers. So, welcome again to our Central Oregon members. Thanks for the positive vibes on the phone and at the meeting. We hope to see you again in October. Ruthann Monday, April 27th NOON LUNCHEON MEETING ADAPTIVE GARDENING AND GETTING YOUR GARDEN READY Pat Ziegenlieb, Master Gardener with the Oregon State University Extension Service, will provide information on adaptive gardening and getting your garden ready for the summer growing season. In addition, Mr. Ziegenlieb would like members to bring pictures of their current garden and non-motorized tools that you would like to talk about. Election Day for Chapter 79 Sizzler Restaurant 1010 Postal Way at Gateway St, Springfield All NARFE Members attending will be entered into the May 2015 drawing to have his/her dues paid. You do not need to be present at the May meeting to win. Elections and Resolutions We will be voting on the upcoming year s Chapter Officers at the April 27 th meeting. The Nominating Committee announced the following slate of nominees at the March meeting: President- Ruthann Couch; Vice-President-Dave Tobin; Secretary-Becky Stiles; Treasurer-Darlene Raish; and the one-year Member at Large-Pat Kramer. We will also be reviewing the Oregon Federation Convention resolutions and giving our delegates input on how to vote at the Convention. Come to the April 27 th meeting and vote. 1

2 Alzheimer s Update Darlene Raish, Alzheimer s Coordinator Thanks to all who donated to the NARFE Alzheimer's Research Fund. Chapter 79's total contributions for the convention in May are $1, Thought I would give some interesting statistics about Alzheimer's that were new to me. Almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer's are women. Of the 5.1 million people age 65 and older with Alzheimer's in the United States, 3.2 million are women and 1.9 million are men. Although there are more non-hispanic whites living with Alzheimer's and other dementias than people of any other racial or ethnic group in the United States, older African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely than older whites to have Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. The impact on caregivers is also very interesting. An estimated 17.9 billion hours of unpaid care in 2014 was given to people with Alzheimer's and other dementias. Approximately two-thirds of caregivers are women and 34 percent are age 65 or older. Forty-one percent of caregivers have a household income of $50,000 or less. Over half of primary caregivers of people with dementia take care of parents. It is estimated that 250,000 children and young adults between ages 8 and 18 provide help to someone with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia. Alzheimer's takes a devastating toll on caregivers. Nearly 60 percent of Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers rate the emotional stress of caregiving as high or very high; about 40 percent suffer from depression. Due to the physical and emotional toll of caregiving, Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers had $9.7 billion in additional health care costs of their own in Researchers continue to find breakthroughs and conduct trials. A volunteer trial is currently being formed to test a new drug called Solanezumab, which may slow down or prevent Alzheimer's. It works on amyloid plaque, which is believed to kill brain cells. The Mayo Clinic has identified a different toxic protein call tau as the likely cause of Alzheimer's. Most researchers believe that tau and amyloid plaque are connected and the A4 study has now been expanded to track the build up of both in brains of its patients. For information on the volunteer A4 Study call A- 4-STUDY. The April 27th Meeting will be the last chance to donate to the UofO/Duck Themed Chapter 79 Convention Alzheimer s Raffle basket. Membership Update Becky Stiles, Membership Chair The House and Senate passed budget resolutions in March that cut billions of dollars worth of pay and benefits from federal employees and retirees. The House budget proposed $318 billion in savings by raising the cost of health insurance for all FEHBP participants, eliminating federal jobs, increasing retirement contributions for current employees and, perhaps most shocking, changing the rate of return on the Thrift Savings Plan G Fund. The Senate budget, while less specific in how it would cut costs, still asks the federal community for $170 billion toward deficit reduction. It is more important NOW then ever to join the organization that works tirelessly on your behalf to keep your hard earned benefits and keep Congress from chipping away at the Federal Employees and Retirees as a whole looking for ways to manage the budget! We are only as strong as our membership! Please talk to everyone you know who is connected in any way to the federal community! We thank the following members for renewing their memberships with NARFE Chapter 79: Lanny Fredricks, Joanne Fredricks, Sally Hoeck, Katherine Morris, Jonathan Stewart, Robert Tence, Charlie Berg, Lue Berg, Katherine Davisson, Cliff Fountain, Bruce Haines, Gordon Halsten, Helen Hardenbrook, James McNamara, Laura Brinn, Andrea Carpenter, Alan Cohen, John Deinema, Claude Hall, Wilma McDonnell, Albert Rohrbach, Cora Ross, Steve Sorseth, Richard Spray, Roxann Summers, Russell Thoreen, Rosemarie Barkley, Helen Blanton, Charles Bodie, Anthony Devico, Tyler Groo, Thomas Hadd, Kenneth Haley, Sherrill Harder, Sharon Kingsford, B William Henry, Mark Meyer, Dorothy Nordhill, Donnie Stelma, Kathy Stephenson, John Stuve, Betty Williamson, Marge Wingfield, and Sharlene Zacha. Please help me extend a welcome to our newest member Ramona Jarmin from Eugene. Sadly, we extend condolences to the families and friends of the following members who have recently passed away: Melton Johnson, Sadie Rosenberger, Laura Olson, Julia Hirn and Vincent Puleo. Sadie was 100 when she passed away and Julia was 102. We just found out that Marie Jurgens passed away almost 2 years ago but we want to make sure that she is remembered. May you all rest in peace. 2

3 Distinguished Members Honored At the Redmond meeting, Ruthann presented five Distinguished Members with a certificate, membership card and pin to recognize the fact that they have been members of NARFE for at least 20 years. Meet our newest Distinguished Members in alphabetical order. Jerry Campbell began his Federal career as a Postal Clerk in Redmond and worked in other locations in Oregon. He retired with 25 years of service finishing up his career as the Postmaster of LaPine. Congratulations Jerry! Lanny Fredricks worked for the US Postal Service for 34 and ½ years. He served as the Postmaster in Redmond for 25 years. Lanny has also been a very dedicated NARFE member, serving most recently as the Vice-President, Treasurer, and Alzhiemer s Chair for Chapter 213. Congratulations Lanny! Robert Jurgens, who turned 93 on April 9 th, worked for the US Postal Service as a Letter Carrier and Instructor for 23 years in Los Angeles. Robert took an early out retiring with 27 years of government service that included military service and unused sick leave. He joined the NARFE Los Angeles Chapter 3 in Robert was instrumental in reactivating a closed chapter in Arizona. He has been extremely active in NARFE, serving as Chapter President, Service Officer, PAC-Chair and Legislative Officer. Robert was named Region IX Service Officer of the year in Congratulations Robert! Donald Lind worked for the Federal Aviation Administration as an Air Traffic Controller beginning his career at Stockton, CA Flight Service Station (FSS) then moving to the Winnemucca, NV FSS and Pendleton, CA FSS/Airport Traffic Control Tower (ATCT). Don transferred to Hayward, CA ATCT where he helped open a new control tower. He moved to San Francisco Tower in 1972 then transferred to the Oakland Enroute Center in 1976 where he completed his FAA career and retired in After retiring, Don went back to work with the Washington Consulting Group, , as a contract instructor at Oakland Enroute Center. Don has also been active in NARFE, serving as the President of Calaveras, CA Chapter Congratulations Don! E. Delane Sholes began her career with the US Forest Service in She worked in the Deschutes National Forest Supervisors Office and the Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District, specializing in computers. Delane retired with 22 years of service, having come and gone about 3 times while she raised her family. Congratulations Delane! 2015 Legislative Training Conference Chapter 79 President Ruthann Couch attended the NARFE 2015 Legislative Training Conference, March 14-17, 2015, in Crystal City, VA. She was the only NARFE member from Oregon attending and was funded by the Oregon Federation. There were 250 attendees at the Conference and approximately half were first time participants. Region IX was well represented at the training with Region IX VP Lanny Ross there along with seven other members from Washington State, two from Idaho, one from Alaska and one from Montana. The schedule was jam-packed with terrific training, presentations and speakers. The first-time participants orientation was a great way to get your feet on the ground. NARFE President Dick Thissen kicked off the orientation and the NARFE legislative staff provided a good overview of what to expect during the conference. Throughout the two full days, there were talks by American Postal Workers Union (APWU) President Mark Dimondstein, Representative Barbara Comstock (R-VA), Representative Don Beyer (D-VA), Representative John Delaney (D- MD), Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA). The training topics included Lobby Day 101; All Politics is Local: Grassroots Advocacy; NARFE s Key Policy Issues: An In-Depth Look; the Other Side of the Table with a Congressional Staff Panel; the Role of NARFE- PAC in our Advocacy Efforts; State Advocacy; Grassroots Advocacy; Organizing by Congressional District; and Legislative Advocacy and Membership Recruitment. Two special presentations were very informative. The first was The Future of Civil Service Reform by Max Stier, the President of the Partnership for Public Service. The other was Next Level Grassroots Advocacy: What It Is, How to Get It, and Why You Need It for Legislative Advocacy Success by Amy Showalter. On March 17 th, NARFE stormed Capitol Hill to meet with our elected officials and put what we had learned into action. Ruthann had a meeting approximately every hour beginning at 10 am until 3 pm. She met with Senator Jeff Merkely s staff, Senator Ron Wyden s staff, Representative Suzanne Bonamici (in person), Representative Earl Blumentauer s staff, Representative Kurt Schrader s staff and Representative Peter DeFazio s staff. Most of the legislators were called out for budget meetings and votes. Ruthann addressed the following topics during the meetings: FAIR Act (Federal Adjustment of Income Rates), H.R.304/S.164, which would provide a 3

4 3.8% raise for Federal workers to make up for the three years of pay freezes, no or reduced cost of living adjustments (COLA) and furloughs due sequestration. Ruthann asked the Representatives and Senators to co-sponsor this bill. Federal Employee Pension Fairness, H.R.785, which repeals the increased FERS retirement contributions that went into effect in January 2013 and January If this bill is passed, all Federal employees in FERS would contribute.8% to FERS. Ruthann asked the Representatives to co-sponsor this legislation. She asked the Senators to introduce a companion Senate bill. Postal Reform including the possibility of reintroducing the Postal Service Protection Act from the 113 th Congress that would eliminate the requirement for the US Postal Service to prefund future retirees health benefits among other things. Ruthann also discussed NARFE s involvement in the Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service and the pending closure of the Bend, Pendleton and Springfield Gateway Mail Processing Centers. She asked Representative Peter DeFazio to re-introduce his Postal Service Protection Act and asked the other Representatives to co-sponsor the legislation if it is re-introduced. Chained CPI and CPI-E. Ruthann talked about how the Chained CPI would impact seniors and how the CPI-E is a much better measure of the expenses of seniors and retirees. Almost all of the legislators offices asked that NARFE keep them informed about the issues that impact Federal workers and retirees. They also asked that NARFE give them a heads-up on new legislation that affects NARFE members. It was a great training and advocacy experience and hopefully, in 2017, some of you will decide to attend this very well organized training experience. All Politics Is Local That s the phrase that Grassroots Program Manager Sarah Weissmann likes to use and Chapter 79 has taken it to heart. The past few months have found us at work to let our legislators know how proposed legislation impacts Federal workers and retirees. On March 14 th, Dave Tobin attended Senator Jeff Merkley s Town Hall Meeting at Harris Hall in Eugene. Dave was lucky enough to be called on to ask a question and he took advantage of it. Dave let the attendees know that Federal workers had not received a pay raise in 3 years and asked for Senator Merkley s support on the FAIR Act, S.164, which would provide a 3.8% raise for Federal workers. He also commented on the problems with Medicare reimbursement rates that have created a shortage of doctors willing to take Medicare patients. Then on April 1 st, Chapter 79 members Lorette Wedlake, Dave Tobin, Tony DeVico and Ruthann Couch met with Representative Peter DeFazio and two of his aides, District Director Nick Batz and Labor Specialist Phyllis Wagoner. We discussed Postal Reform including the pending Mail Processing Center closures, the Fiscal Year (FY) 16 Budget, the FAIR Act (H.R.304), the Federal Employee Pension Fairness bill (H.R.785), and the Medicare Doc Fix (H.R.2). We asked about the possibility of re-introduction of the Postal Service Protection Act that Representative DeFazio had introduced during the 113 th Congress. He said that he was working on it but was adding some governance changes. This bill would eliminate the future retiree health benefit prefunding requirement that has put the US Postal Service in the red and is not required of other Federal Agencies. Thank you Rep. DeFazio, Lorette, Dave and Tony! Chapter 79 President Ruthann Couch with Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici after meeting on March 17, 2015 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. From left to right: Lorette Wedlake, Dave Tobin, Congressman Peter DeFazio, Ruthann Couch and Tony DeVico at April 1, 2015 meeting. 4

5 Chapter 79 Member to Lead Elks On April 4, 2015, NARFE Chapter 79 member Richard Tracy was installed as the Exalted Ruler of the Springfield Elks Lodge He has been very active in the Elks organization and now assumes the leadership position that is similar to the President or CEO of an organization. Richard was a USDA supervisor of meat inspectors in Alaska and in an area that covered Northern California up to Salem and west of Madras. He is now retired from the Federal Government and is active in NARFE at the local level coming to meetings, participating in the annual audit of our treasury, attending the 2014 Oregon Federation Convention in Medford as a Chapter delegate and helping out with the Alzheimer s raffle. Congratulations Richard, we know you will do a great job! NARFE Legislative Update (Excerpts from the April Legislative Update for NARFE Chapters) House Budget: On Wednesday, March 25, the House voted on six possible budget resolutions. The budget that received the most votes would be considered the House s budget. Two of the budgets were introduced by Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), who is the House Budget Committee Chairman. A third Republican budget was introduced by the conservative Republican Study Committee. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), the ranking member on the House Budget Committee, introduced the official Democratic budget. The Progressive Caucus and the Black Caucus also introduced budgets. The two Price budgets differed only by how they handled defense spending. The first Price budget included $20 billion in additional emergency defense spending that would not be subject to sequestration, but would need to be offset by other spending cuts. The second Price budget included an extra $2 billion in defense spending, and did not require any offset for that additional $22 billion in emergency spending not subject to sequestration. The second Price budget, nicknamed Price II, was the one that passed the House. Seventeen Republicans and all of the Democrats opposed the budget, H. Con. Res. 27. In terms of federal employee and retiree issues, both Price budgets assume $318 billion in savings by: Increasing retirement contributions by roughly 6 percent for all current federal employees; Increasing some federal retirees share of their health insurance premiums by basing the government contribution on their years of service; Increasing employees and retirees Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) premiums by tying the government s employer contribution to inflation and turning FEHBP into a voucher program; Decreasing the civilian workforce by 10 percent through attrition, whereby one employee would be hired for every three who leave government service; Decreasing the rate of return on the Thrift Savings Plan s Government Securities Fund (G Fund); Encouraging the total elimination of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS); Eliminating the FERS Annuity Supplement; and Increasing postal employees share of their FEHBP premiums. The Republican Study Committee budget included the Chained CPI. The Democratic budget did not have specifics on federal employee and retiree issues, though it did include a policy statement in support of the federal community. NARFE opposed the Price budgets and issued a press release, sent a letter to Capitol Hill and signed onto a Federal-Postal Coalition letter in opposition. Following the vote, NARFE issued a second press release. You can see how your members of Congress voted on the budget by visiting NARFE s Legislative Action Center. While there, you can send your representative a letter thanking them for their opposition or asking them to explain their vote. Senate FY16 Budget: The Senate also voted on their budget proposal. Unlike the House, there was one budget that was voted on, but multiple amendments were voted on during an extended Senate session. NARFE opposed the Senate budget and sent a letter to Senators. The Senate Budget Resolution, S. Con. Res. 11, assumes $170 billion in savings from the federal community by: Increasing retirement contributions by roughly 6 percent for all current federal employees; Increasing employees and retirees Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) premiums by tying the government s employer contribution to inflation; and Decreasing the civilian workforce by 10 percent through attrition, whereby one employee would be hired for every three who leave government service. 5

6 You can see how your Senators voted on the budget by visiting NARFE s Legislative Action Center. While there, you can send your Senator a letter thanking them for their opposition or asking them to explain their vote. What s Next in the Budget Fight: Over the next few months, a final budget will be negotiated between the House and Senate. Because budget resolutions do not get signed by the President, they do not have the authority of law. Budget resolutions provide guidance to the appropriations committees in terms of their spending levels. Once the spending levels have been determined, the appropriations committees will begin their work of setting spending policy for the government. By including these proposals in their budgets, the House and Senate have made it easier for them to be included in appropriations legislation, or even stand-alone legislation as a pay-for. The budgets also set the stage for Reconciliation, which is signed into law. House Oversight and Government Reform Mark-Up: On March 25, the House Oversight and Government Reform (OGR) Committee marked up several pieces of legislation under its jurisdiction. One piece that was approved is a bill introduced by the committee s chairman, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R- UT), dealing with federal employees who are delinquent in their taxes. NARFE opposes the legislation. High-3 to High-5 Legislation: Bruce Westerman (R-AR) introduced legislation (H.R. 1230) to change the formula that is used to determine federal employees annuities. Currently, the formula uses the highest average salaries for three years but the legislation would change it to the highest average salaries for five years. There are currently no cosponsors on the bill. NARFE is not encouraging members to take action on the legislation because we do not want to bring attention to its introduction. Medicare Doc-Fix : On Thursday, March 26, the House passed a bipartisan bill that would permanently repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. The SGR formula determines how much doctors are reimbursed for providing care for patients covered by Medicare. Since the creation of the formula, Congress has delayed its full implementation resulting in the threat of greater and greater cuts. To avoid those cuts, Congress would pass doc fix legislation. The compromise legislation, H.R. 2, would permanently repeal the SGR formal, thus avoiding the need for doc fixes. The legislation would provide modest, 0.5 percent increases in payments for the next five years and then transition to a performance-based payment formula. To partially offset the cost of repealing the SGR formula, the bill would increase premiums for higher-income Part B and Part D participants, starting in Premiums would increase by up to 15 percent for individuals with income above $133,500 ($267,000 for a couple). The Senate is expected to take up the legislation when they return from the April recess. What s the Impact? There are several of the House budget proposals that we have not seen before and could have a major impact on all of us. The first proposal is to increase the federal retirees share of their health insurance premiums by basing the government contribution on their years of service. That means if you retire early you will probably pay higher Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) premiums as a retiree. Or if you start working for the Federal Government later in life, you will probably pay higher health insurance premiums as a retiree. Or if you take time to raise a family and leave government service for a period of time then go back to work after the your children begin school, you will probably pay higher health insurance premiums as a retiree. A second proposal is to increase employees and retirees FEHBP premiums by tying the government s employer contribution to inflation and turning the FEHBP into a voucher program. Currently, the government pays approximately 72% of the FEHBP premiums. NARFE estimates that after 10 years the employee/retiree contribution, which is now about 28%, will increase to approximately 50%. This proposal is also in the Senate budget. A third proposal is to decrease the rate of return on the Thrift Savings Plan s (TSP) Government Security Fund (G Fund). Currently, the G Fund is averaging a 1.8% return. But the proposal would change the rate of return to.01%, which would add almost nothing to your TSP. You would not lose any principal but your TSP would not grow over time. May Meeting Includes Installation Our May 18 th meeting will feature Sean Stafford, US Forest Service (USFS) Fire Staff Officer. He will tell us about how the USFS prepares for and manages the fire season. District IV Representative Chuck Brodigan will install the Chapter Officers elected at the April meeting. We hope you will be there to show your support. 6

7 NARFE Scholarship Program applications must be postmarked no later than April 24, Your High School senior could win $1000! In Case You Missed It Ruthann submitted a Letter to the Editor to the Eugene Register Guard and the Springfield Times. The letter was published in the April 12, 2015 Register Guard and it was also published in the Springfield Times on April 17, Region IX Leadership Training Conference Becky Stiles, Lucas Murphy and Ruthann Couch will attend the Region IX Leadership Training Conference that will begin at noon on May 2 nd and will run until noon on May 3 rd at the Monarch Hotel in Clackamas, OR. NARFE National President Dick Thissen will attend the conference on Sunday morning. Ruthann will be giving two presentations, one titled Organizing by Congressional District and the other How to Have Effective District Office Meetings. We will report back in the May newsletter. Sign Up to Help Chapter 79 will have a NARFE table at the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Oregon Convention, on May 15 th and 16 th from 8 am to 4 pm daily. The NALC Convention will be held at the Holiday Inn in Springfield near Gateway Blvd. We are looking for members to help staff the table to answer questions about NARFE and hand out NARFE information/magazines/membership applications. This is a great opportunity to share information about the benefits of NARFE and recruit new members. Please let Ruthann Couch know if you can participate. House Bills Target Tax-Delinquent Federal Employees and IRS Workers (excerpts from Washington Post article by Eric Yoder) A House Bill is aimed at compliance by Federal Employees that have not paid their taxes. That bill would make those with a seriously delinquent tax debt ineligible to remain, or to become, federal employees. It would apply to those who have a federal tax levy against them, unless they are making timely payments under such an order or the order is under appeal. Current employees further would be subject to disciplinary actions up to firing for willful failure to file federal taxes or willful understatement of the amount due. Certain appeal rights would apply. The tax delinquency issue has been a longtime priority of Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who this year became chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Last month, he released IRS data showing that about 4 percent of federal employees, including postal employees, collectively owed more than $1.1 billion in what the agency called unresolved federal taxes in 2014 a slightly lower percentage, but a slightly higher amount, than in However, the percentage of federal workers who pay their taxes as they should is much higher than the 91 percent compliance rate for the general public for 2013, the latest statistic available for the general public. Another bill would make it a firing offense for an IRS employee to take or neglect to take certain actions such as audits for personal gain or political purposes. A third bill a response to the controversy over the unavailability of internal s that may have been pertinent to investigations into the handling of tax-exemption applications would bar IRS employees from using personal s for official purposes. 7

8 You Can Make a Difference-Just Call Our Chapter received an from the Oregon Federation Legislative Chair Zane Suverly and each of us is being asked to call Capitol Hill and talk with our Representative's and Senator's office as soon as possible. Time is critical because the House and Senate will be voting any day now on a joint Budget that is extremely unfair to Federal workers and retirees. Below is the toll free number to call and a script that you can use when you talk to the office staff. To give you some background, here is information that NARFE Grassroots Program Manager Sarah Weissmann sent out: As I am sure you are aware by now, the NARFE Legislative Department is closely monitoring the current budget negotiations on Capitol Hill. In March, both the House and Senate passed Fiscal Year 2016 budget resolutions that attack federal employees and retirees earned pay, health and retirement benefits. House and Senate budget committee chairmen Rep. Tom Price, R-GA, and Sen. Michael B. Enzi, R-WY, are currently negotiating a conference committee report for a joint budget resolution. This joint budget resolution will be released and voted on any day now. The NARFE Legislative Department is encouraging NARFE members to telephone their members of Congress to encourage them to vote NO on any budget proposal that unfairly attacks the earned benefits of federal employees and retirees. Because of the timeliness of the vote, we are encouraging NARFE members to use the NARFE toll-free number to reach Capitol Hill. NARFE members can call their members of Congress directly in four easy steps: 1. Dial NARFE s toll-free number for the Capitol: Ask the operator to connect you to your representative s or senator s office. 2. Tell the staff person who answers the telephone your name and where you live so he/she knows that you are a constituent. Then say: I am a retired/active federal employee and a member of NARFE. I am encouraging Representative (NAME)/Senator (NAME) to oppose any FY16 budget agreement that penalizes hard-working federal employees or threatens the retirement security of federal retirees. Proposals included in the House and Senate budget resolutions are a direct attack on effective government, will impact every American, and should not be included in a joint budget resolution. You also can add: Federal workers and retirees didn t cause the budget crisis. Making extreme cuts to their pay, health and retirement benefits would unfairly single out those who protect our nation and many retirees now on a fixed income. 3. Thank the staff member for listening and request a written response. 4. Repeat steps 1-3 until you have called your representative and both senators. You can also ask your family and friends to call, too. Please make the calls. If you do, please let Ruthann Couch know at Another Scam to Watch Out For One of our members ed to let me know about a new scam with VISA and Mastercards that we all need to be aware of. The scam works like this: A person calls on the telephone and says - 'This is (name) and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460, your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti- Telemarketing Device for $ from a marketing company based in Arizona?' When you say 'No', the caller continues with, 'Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching, and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address). Is that correct?' You say 'yes'. The caller continues - 'I will be starting a Fraud Investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the number listed on the back of your card and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. 'Do you need me to read it again?' Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works - The caller then says, 'I need to verify you are in possession of your card'. He'll ask you to 'turn your card over and look for some numbers'. There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the last 3 are the Security Numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the last 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, 'That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?' After you say no, the caller then thanks you and states, 'Don't hesitate to call back if you do', and hangs up. You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the card number. 8

9 Within 20 minutes of the call, we called the number on the back of our credit card and reached the real VISA Security Department and we were told that it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $ was charged to our card. We made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number. What the Scammer wants is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA directly for verification of their conversation. The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card, as they already know the information, since they issued the card! If you give the Scammer your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit. However, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report. It appears that this is a very active scam, and evidently quite successful. Do not be fooled! Distinguished Members with Chapter 79 President Ruthann Couch: from left to right, Jerry Campbell, Lanny Fredricks, Robert Jurgens, President Ruthann Couch, Don Lind and E. Delane Sholes. Congratulations! At the Chapter 79 March meeting and the April 8 th Meeting in Redmond, ten members reported hours of volunteer work. That gives Chapter 79 a total of 625 hours for the year to date. Please continue to keep up the good work, keep track of your volunteer hours and log them at a meeting. The 2015 Volunteer Community Service Award Program began January 1, 2015 and will end December 31, 2015 and only allows the hours to be logged at meetings. CHAPTER 79 OFFICERS/EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President Ruthann Couch couchruthanngene@centurylink.net Vice President Dave Tobin dwtobin74@gmail.com Secretary Patricia Kramer retiredpat07@comcast.net Treasurer Darlene Raish draish71@hotmail.com Executive Comm 2 Year Elected Lue Berg Executive Comm 1 Year Elected VACANT CHAPTER 79 SUPPORT STAFF Alzheimer s Coordinator Darlene Raish draish71@hotmail.com 2280 Bonnie Lane, Springfield, OR Chaplain Judith Tracy judith_f5@q.com Legislative Chair Lucas Murphy wallacemurphy@hotmail.com Membership Chair Becky Stiles beckystiles@comcast.net NARFE PAC Chair Lucas Murphy wallacemurphy@hotmail.com Newsletter Editor Ruthann Couch couchruthanngene@centurylink.net 3250 Whitbeck Blvd, Eugene OR Newsletter Editor Assist Dave Tobin dwtobin74@gmail.com Programs Ruthann Couch couchruthanngene@centurylink.net Public Relations Officer Ruthann Couch couchruthanngene@centurylink.net Service Officer Virginia Dickason Sunshine Becky Stiles beckystiles@comcast.net 9

10 NAT L ACTIVE & RETIRED FED EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION NON PROFIT ORG EUGENE/SPRINGFIELD CHAPTER NO. 79 (April 2015) U S POSTAGE 3250 Whitbeck Blvd PAID Eugene OR EUGENE OR PERMIT NO. 230 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NARFE Chapter 79 Eugene Meeting will be held at the Sizzler Restaurant, Gateway Blvd, Spfld, OR Apr 27, 2015 Region IX Training Conference will be held at the Monarch Hotel, Clackamas, OR May 2-3, 2015 Oregon Federation of Chapters Convention will be held at the Monarch Hotel, Clackamas, OR May3-5, 2015 NARFE National Convention will be held at the Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV, FL August 28-September 1, 2016 Let Your Voice Be Heard The toll free number for the Capitol switchboard is Ask for Senator Wyden s Office, Senator Merkley s Office and your Representatives Office. Or you can call the Senators and Representative s local offices. For the Eugene Offices, call the following: Senator Ron Wyden Senator Jeff Merkley Representative Peter DeFazio For the Bend Offices, call the following: Senator Ron Wyden Senator Jeff Merkley Representative Greg Walden If you make a call, please let Ruthann Couch know at so that we can report Chapter 79 s efforts. Thanks in advance for making a difference. The Eugene Chapter 79 of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) Oregon Federation meets on the fourth Monday of the month (September through May) at the Sizzler Restaurant, Gateway Blvd in Springfield, OR at 12:00 p.m. (Noon). The business meeting begins at 12:30 pm and the program speaker begins at 1:00 p.m. NARFE members and guests are always welcome. WEB SITES Oregon Federation NARFE The NARFE NEWS is published monthly September through May and once during the summer by the Eugene Chapter 79, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, 3250 Whitbeck Blvd, 10 Eugene, OR 97405, phone or couchruthanngene@centurylink.net.