NARFE CHAPTER 828 HOUSTON TEXAS NEWSLETTER VOL 26 * ISSUE 3 JULY SEPTEMBER 2015

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1 NARFE CHAPTER 828 HOUSTON TEXAS NEWSLETTER VOL 26 * ISSUE 3 JULY SEPTEMBER 2015 President Steve Kurtz (281) st Vice President Doris Clark (281) Secretary - Yvonne Kmiecik (281) Treasurer - Virginia Curry (281) Editor - Steve Kurtz (281) Service Officer Wilbur Doehring (936) I represented our chapter at the Texas Federation of Chapters State Convention in Killeen on April 29 th thru May 2 nd. There were 160 NARFE members in attendance which was a sizeable increase from the last state convention held in far away Amarillo. Secretary/Treasurer John Dowie, NARFE s second highest officer, represented the national office and stayed for the entire convention. His presence added considerable importance to our meeting as the national leadership clearly recognizes the significance of the Texas Federation. In his opening presentation, Mr. Dowie spoke about the immediate threats to both active and retired federal employees contained in the 2016 Republican budget proposals. He urged all NARFE members to call their Senators and Congressman to voice opposition to any measures that place an unreasonable burden on federal employees and retirees. PRESIDENT S MESSAGE A full report on the TFC Convention is included in the E-edition of this newsletter which will also be posted to our new chapter website. That s right, Chapter 828 now has its own website! Check out our new website at: I'm excited about the new web site because it should help in recruiting new members, and it provides lots of useful information for our chapter members. In the future, look for more content to be added such as links to helpful web sites. On the front page of the web site I ve been posting the most recent updates from NARFE concerning the massive OPM data breach. I received my notification from OPM in June and I suspect many of you have received this notice as well. I immediately registered for the CSID credit monitoring service and I urge you to do the same. As new information becomes available I will continue to post updates on our chapter web site. John Dowie addresses the TFC Convention TFC attendees during opening remarks GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE Gertrude Kubiak does a wonderful job sending out birthday cards to our senior members and get well and sympathy cards to our members in need of this service. However, she can only do her job if YOU let her know when someone needs the support of the Sunshine Committee. Please call Gertrude at (281) to report a member s birthday, illness, or other need for her Sunshine Committee services. FEDERAL LIFE INSURANCE COVERAGE Do you know how much FEGLI Life Insurance you currently have? The total amount of coverage decreases with age after you turn 65, so you may not know what is currently in effect. However, retirees can use the OPM web site to fairly easily check their current Federal Employees Group Life Insurance coverage. Log into Retirement Services Online at: Once you log in to Retirement Services Online, select the Verification of Life Insurance link from the main menu and follow the instructions to view and print your FEGLI coverage information. While you are on the OPM Retirement Services Online web site it might also be a good idea for you to check out your life insurance beneficiary designations to verify that they are still what you want. From the Retirement Services Online main menu simply select the link: Designation of Beneficiary. For those who do not have internet access, you can phone the OPM Retirement Operations Center to review your life insurance coverage and make changes to beneficiary designations. Call OPM toll free at:

2 At the April 21 st meeting, Frank Moler from the Houston Better Business Bureau Senior Medicare Patrol joined us to discuss Medicare Fraud and what we can do to stop it. One important suggestion was to never carry your Medicare ID card with you unless you are on your way to see a new doctor. A lost or stolen Medicare card is like giving a fraudster a license to print money. At our May19 th meeting we conducted our annual memorial program. Bill Philibert s daughter, Juli, spoke about Bill s life and how much he loved his Our next few monthly meetings and social get togethers promise to be interesting, informative, and fun. I hope you will mark your calendars and join us for these events. At the upcoming July 21 st meeting, Rebecca Hutchinson from the North Cypress Medical Center will discuss diabetes fundamentals as well as treatment and prevention strategies. When Rebecca last spoke to our chapter a few years ago she brought free blood glucose monitors for everyone who wanted one. She plans to do the same for members at this meeting. Fun will be on the agenda August 18 th as Chapter 828 members and guests come together for socializing and frivolity at our annual SUMMER SOCIAL! Come beat the heat at the Spring Creek Barbeque located at Northwest Freeway (Hwy. 290) in Cypress. Take the Spring Cypress Rd. exit, make a U-turn under the freeway, and look for the restaurant on the frontage road near Target. RECENT CHAPTER EVENTS UPCOMING CHAPTER EVENTS friends at NARFE. Chapter President Steve Kurtz reported on the Texas Federation Convention and presented a check for $ to the chapter for winning the 2015 Recruiting Contest sponsored by the Texas Federation. As Tropical Storm Bill approached the Texas coast, dire local weather forecasts predicted heavy rain and possible flooding. As a result, chapter officers agreed that cancelling the June 16 th meeting was the smart thing to do. We rescheduled our speaker for the October meeting when the weather should be a whole lot better and more members will be able to attend. The social starts at 11:00 AM with sign-in and the candy jar guessing game. A casual BBQ lunch begins at 11:30 followed by more socializing, a few rousing games of bingo, and a quick new version of cruise ship trivia. There will be lots of fun, prizes, and goodie bags for everyone. Don t be left out in the heat join your fellow chapter 828 members and guests at the Summer Social and take a break from the summertime doldrums. At our September 15 th monthly meeting, we will remember the tragic events of 9-11 with a unique presentation by one of our own chapter members. In his capacity with the Federal Aviation Administration, Charles Konikoff was one of a few thousand federal employees nationwide whose actions impacted millions of American air travelers on Charles has offered to share his story and show a short video that details the impact of 9-11 from an aviation perspective. This should be a fascinating look at a memorable day in American history. JULY FACTOIDS John Adams, our second president, and Thomas Jefferson, our third president, both died on July 4, 1826 exactly 50 years after signing the Declaration of Independence. On July 20, 1969, the first live TV transmission from the moon was viewed by 720 million people worldwide. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the stars of the show. The first U.S. federal government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs (now the State Department), was created on July 27, NARFE is the ONLY membership organization solely dedicated to protecting and preserving the benefits of all federal workers, retirees, and their survivors. Founded in 1921, by 14 federal retirees, NARFE has become an effective and highly respected legislative voice for federal workers and retirees. NARFE s legacy spans more than 90 years advocating on behalf of the federal family. Your continued membership helps NARFE work for you! THIS ENDS THE PRINT VERSION OF THE CHAPTER 828 NEWSLETTER. CONTINUE ON FOR THE ADDITIONAL CONTENT OF THE E-XTRA VERSION.

3 CHAPTER 828 NEWSLETTER E-XTRA (Your electronic bonus content) 3 RD QUARTER JULY SEPTEMBER 2015 If you would like to receive the electronic version of the newsletter, please send your address to the editor at: sk-bk@att.net. TEXAS FEDERATION OF CHAPTERS 58 TH STATE CONVENTION (Full Report) I represented our chapter at the Texas Federation of Chapters 58 th State Convention in Killeen on April 29 May 2, The Mayor of Killeen, Scott Cosper, opened the first day s session with a warm welcome and his thanks to the TFC that we chose to meet in his city. There were 160 NARFE members in attendance which was a sizeable increase from the last state convention which was held in far away Amarillo. Secretary/Treasurer John Dowie, NARFE s second highest officer, represented the national office and stayed for the entire convention. His presence added considerable importance to our meeting as the national leadership clearly recognizes the significance of the Texas Federation. In his opening presentation, Mr. Dowie spoke about the immediate threats to both active and retired federal employees contained in the 2016 Republican budget proposals. He urged all NARFE members to call their Senators and Congressman to voice opposition to any measures that place an unreasonable burden on federal employees and retirees. Mr. Dowie told us to call the Capitol switchboard at and simply ask for our Senator or Representative s office. Calls are quickly forwarded and you can tell the staffer who answers that you oppose budget cuts directed at federal workers and retirees. Many of us at the convention made the call and it was really a very easy process. Try it yourself. Mr. Dowie talked about the strategic planning that is taking place at the national office and that the federations are well represented on the planning team. He also touched on budget and financial issues facing NARFE. The current budget is in balance but falling membership adds to the fiscal challenges of the organization. Current NARFE membership stands at 231,677. Of those, 26,450 are in the E-Chapter. Frances Luna, the TFC Alzheimer s Coordinator, reported that Texas chapters donated $17, to Alzheimer s research in However, the lively auction of donated items at the convention raised an additional $3, for the cause. Wilbur Doehring, TFC Treasurer, conducted a line by line review of the current two-year budget and the budget was accepted by the convention. Wilbur informed us that the $20.00 Dues Withholding Rebate program has been extended through May of It is hoped that many members will take advantage of this opportunity for a nice rebate and a 15% discount on national dues. The Federation recruiting raffle was held and Chapter 828 won the grand prize of $250.00! We received one entry for every new member recruited and an additional entry for every member who converted to Dues Withholding this year. While we didn t have the most entries, we had the one that counted. On Friday morning, a very touching memorial service was held to honor all the members who have passed away since the last convention. Dr. Charles Edwards, the Federation Chaplin, led the service and spoke eloquently about those we have lost. Ann Harder, a news anchor from Killeen s Channel 25, sang Amazing Grace and many in the audience joined in. There was a flower tribute and several Federation officers told stories about some of the members who have passed away. In the afternoon session, the members from District 6 (that s us) elected Dr. Martha Crouch as the new SE Area Vice President. Dr. Crouch is from Bryan-College Station, Chapter 607. On the last day of the convention, I attended training on the new NARFE system. It is a big improvement over regular for sending messages to large groups of members. The format is standardized and contains nice looking NARFE banners and subject titles. Some photos from the convention follow on the next page.

4 Lunchtime entertainment Dinner at a Fort Hood mess hall. Armor on display at Fort Hood At the Saturday night banquet Some of the auction items on display PREVENTING MEDICARE FRAUD Did you know that there was over $61 billion dollars in Medicare fraud in 2014, and that less than 10 percent was recovered by law enforcement? Those are some of the harsh facts about Medicare fraud that Frank Moler, the speaker at our April meeting, shared with chapter members. As a volunteer with the Houston Better Business Bureau Senior Medicare Patrol, Frank hears reports of Medicare fraud on a regular basis. He provided us with some tips on how to protect ourselves and the taxpayers from becoming victims of Medicare fraud. One important suggestion was to never carry your Medicare ID card with you unless you are on your way to see a new doctor. A lost or stolen Medicare card is like giving a fraudster a license to print money. Other fraud prevention tips included: 1) Never give your Medicare number to a stranger; 2) Never sign a blank Medicare form; 3) Never accept free items after being told that Medicare will cover the cost. Also, don t think of Medicare scammers as shady looking individuals lurking in dark corners of the internet or boiler room call centers. Many are reputable doctors and hospitals who regularly defraud Medicare as just their normal way of doing business. Because so much Medicare fraud is committed by doctors, clinics, and hospitals, it s important that you review your quarterly Medicare Summary Statements. Look for 4 things: 1) Charges for items or services you did not receive; 2) Double billing; 3) Billings for services your doctor did not order; 4) Charges for services on dates when you did not visit the doctor. If you detect these or any other suspicious charges, you should first call the medical provider to see if they made an honest mistake. After talking with the billing department, if you still have concerns about suspect charges, you should call the Senior Medicare Patrol s Houston office at They will be happy to look into your concerns. If multiple reports are received about a specific medical provider, a criminal investigation could result. This is how most Medicare fraudsters are brought to justice and taxpayer money is recovered.

5 CHAPTER FYI MONTHLY CHAPTER MEETINGS Regular meetings for Chapter 828 are held on the third Tuesday of each month except for August and December. Our meetings convene at 1:00 PM and last one hour. The location is the Golden Corral Buffet located at: Northwest Freeway (Highway 290 at Hollister). Lunch is optional though many members arrive early so that they can eat and socialize prior to the meeting. Most meetings feature guest speakers who present topics of interest to our members. Guests are welcome at all of our meetings. Two fun social events are also held each year: Summer Social -- August 18, 2015 Holiday Social -- December 8, 2015 The socials are held at the Spring Creek BBQ located at Northwest Freeway (Hwy 290) in Cypress. They begin at 11:00 AM, and when everyone arrives we have lunch. After dessert we play bingo and perhaps some trivia or reindeer races where lots of prizes are awarded. REMAINING 2015 MEETINGS July 21, :00 PM Diabetes Prevention Rebecca Hutchinson, North Cypress Medical Ctr. August 18, :30 AM Summer Social Spring Creek BBQ September 15, :00 PM FAA Response to Sept Charles Konikoff October 20, :00 PM Investment fraud Better Business Bureau Educational Foundation November 17, :00 PM FEHBP Open Season Anita Newby, BCBS December 8, :30 AM Holiday Social Spring Creek BBQ If you are able to attend we would love to see you at a monthly meeting or social event. This concludes the E-XTRA version of the Chapter 828 Newsletter. I hope you enjoyed the extra content that I simply can t fit into a 2-page printed newsletter. I welcome your suggestions on ways to improve the E-XTRA version. Send your comments to me at: sk-bk@att.net.