Dealing With Debt Letters: A Top Priority for FEA Check Your LES for Pay Problems or Deductions

Transcription

1 JOURNAL November, Vol. 54 No. 2 Dealing With Debt Letters: A Top Priority for FEA Check Your LES for Pay Problems or Deductions FEA recommends that you always check your LES closely to be sure you are being paid accurately. Although it is illegal, DFAS routinely deducts money from employees even after they have invoked their rights under the Debt Collection Act, Back Pay Act, and Negotiated Agreement, or deducts pay with no notice to the employee at all. Check your LES for these signs: a negative amount in the retroactive earnings section any notice on the LES of a debt deduction a note about indebtedness in the Remarks section of your LES Immediately contact your Area Director or UniServ attorney for advice on how to proceed if you receive a debt letter or suspect any improper deductions or pay problems. Hundreds of letters from DFAS have been sent to DoDEA employees in recent months, alleging debts owed to the government. Many of these letters are inaccurate and claim debts that either are inflated or do not actually exist. DoDEA employees should not be scared into automatically complying with these debt collection claims. As an FEA member, you do not have to live in fear of receiving a debt-collection letter, whether legitimate or not. In an excellent article printed in the October FEA Europe Unity newsletter (available to all members at UniServ Attorney Bill Freeman explained the laws and procedures in place to ensure that your rights are protected in the event of any claim of indebtedness made against you. FEA s advice to members who receive a debt letter (regardless whether you think the debt amount is accurate) is to immediately respond to the debt letter and invoke your rights under the government s Debt Collection Act, Back Pay Act, and FEA s negotiated agreements with management. (Because contract language and provisions vary between DoDDS and DDESS, we urge you to contact your Area Director or UniServ attorney for specific information on the exact steps you should take) Doing so will help ensure that your rights including the right to grieve the debt, if necessary are protected, even if you ultimately do decide that the debt amount is accurate and you wish to repay it. Importantly, even if you ultimately agree with the accuracy of the debt claim made against you and wish to comply, you should never attempt to pay the debt directly to the government through a check or other direct means. Instead, return the consent form included with your debt letter and indicate you want the money repaid via payroll deduction. Why? Because too often the government will cash someone s check and still begin deducting money from their LES. FEA members are honest and law-abiding. You honor your commitments and meet your obligations. This does not mean, however, you should assume any debt claim made against you is accurate. The government carries the burden of proof in any debt claim case, not you. In many instances DFAS does not accurately follow the law. When there are violations of our negotiated agreements or the law, FEA will not let those violations go unchallenged. As a federal employee you have a right to be paid fairly and accurately, without threats or false claims made against you. FEA will always stand up for its members in order to maintain this right.

2 Page 2 FEA Journal Notes from the President Michael Priser Get breaking news and twice-monthly updates from FEA President Michael Priser sent directly to your . Sign up at (use the Membership ID number on the last page of this newsletter to sign in) Moving Forward Together for School Improvement FEA s Ongoing Commitment FEA has always been committed to school improvement. While past research has shown excellence in academic achievement, closing the gap in test scores between minority and non minority students, high graduation rates, and very high satisfaction ranking from parents, this does not mean that we coast on our past accomplishments. Our members know that maintaining excellence much like achieving excellence is not a one shot event. It is a process that occurs daily and involves assessing what we do and how to move forward. Over the past few weeks, FEA leaders have been meeting with DoDEA s Acting Director, Marilee Fitzgerald, to set a course of action that will enable educators to maintain the excellence we have and to improve in areas that need to be addressed. We know the people in the schools know their children, families and communities better than those of us who live thousands of miles away. We want to listen to you and enable you to improve and not create a myriad of paperwork, binders, posters, displays, codes, or other types of busy work that do not serve the needs of children. Here are underlying considerations that FEA has put forth: 1. FEA supports meaningful professional development. While we understand there are a variety of tools and strategies in the field, these need to be tied to the curricular areas in which educators work. Learning about flexible grouping, using data, higher level thinking in your subject area with your colleagues, allows you to grow individually and collectively. 2. Enhance technology. Now is not the time to be cutting technology resources in our schools. Our members have done a tremendous job with the tools that have been provided. We need to assess our needs and add equipment and software to schools and work sites where there are significant needs. Computers should be updated. Interactive teaching tools for educators and students need to purchased. Software needs to be tested and installed prior to the start of the school year. Adequate training on software, especially those aligned with new curricular buys, needs to be provided. The approval of new software for needs identified by the educators needs to be streamlined. 3. Restore educational cuts. FEA would like to see DoDEA reexamine the elimination of programs that served at-risk students along with restoring teaching positions in our smallest high schools. Having students fall behind in basic skills not only hurts that individual student, but impacts the entire class. We need to reverse the decisions that cut highly successful, well documented programs that help our children. 4. Maximize instruction time. FEA has asked that when new initiatives are rolled out, management asks not only how well might this help education, but also what negative impact will this have on our schools and classrooms. As I travel around DoDEA, I see more and more encroachment on educators time. Educators are being asked to spend their time writing a standard on the board, finding a code, doing unnecessary paperwork, labeling bulletin boards, initiating a new non-related classroom program, making public displays of hard to understand test scores and graphs. FEA members tell me that they want more time to teach the outstanding curricular materials that DoDEA ordered. 5. Listen to those closest to the children. It is clear from the research that local decision making has had the greatest impact on improving children s lives. Our members know what works and they want the resources and the time to make that happen. We need to reduce unnecessary requirements that come from external sources, developed miles away from classrooms. We know how to make a difference. This school year, Ms. Fitzgerald and I will be working on a process to make these things happen. We will jointly develop strategies to address concerns early on, gather input from those in the school and provide the means to reach our goals. This will be a major collaborative effort. I know how committed our members are to their students. Together we will make an excellent school system even better. We teach the children.

3 November, 2010 Page 3 Association Business H.T. Nguyen FEA Executive Director Unions Are No Obstacle to Achievement Teachers unions have long been a favorite punching bag for those who oppose public schools and wish to privatize them or co-opt them through vouchers and other schemes. Recently, the foes of public education released a movie, Waiting for Superman, that seeks to paint teachers unions as major obstacles to reform and improvement in public schools. Backed up by opinion pieces from the likes of educators such as Michelle Rhee, the former head of public schools in Washington DC and vociferous opponent of unions, these so-called reformers preach that the ills of America s public school system could be cured if only the reigns of power could be seized from the mighty teachers unions, which exist solely to stifle achievement and accountability. Pinning all the problems of education onto teachers is good theater, and the news media has been quite willing to swallow this story line. In an age where Jerry Springer recently celebrated his 20th anniversary on air, it s not surprising that the media would prefer to show viewers a fight between different sides of an issue rather than present a reasoned examination of the facts. After all, who would tune in for that? The truth isn t as exciting or easy to swallow, particularly for those who see education as a multi-billion dollar industry that they want to control without the interference of teachers unions. Whether they ll admit it or not, the producers and supporters of Waiting for Superman have given teachers unions a very positive endorsement. These critics have repeatedly cited the country of Finland as an example the U.S. should be following in the field of education. There is good reason for this: Finland s students routinely are ranked at or near the top of students worldwide in tests of math, science and other academic areas. What the Waiting for Superman crowd fails to mention is that Finland s educators are unionized big time! According to OAJ, the Trade Union of Education in Finland, 95 percent of educators in that country belong to the union. OAJ negotiates the conditions of employment for all educators, just like teachers unions in the United States. If Finland, with so high a percentage of union members, can be cited as the shining example of education quality, surely we cannot cite similar unionism in the U.S. as the source of all (or even most) problems in our schools. This is backed up by evidence in the U.S. as well: most states with poor collective bargaining laws and relatively low percentages of union membership also have students who perform the worst on standardized tests. Of course, this does not mean that teachers unions are the solution to every problem in education. That would be as oversimplified a stance as that taken by critics of unions. But teachers unions are the only bodies that speak up on behalf of professional educators: the people who work in classrooms everyday and best know the students and their needs. How could silencing that voice possibly be a good thing? FEA members need only look at the way they were collectively able fight off bad decisions by management in recent years such as attempts to cut staff in middle schools and reduce kindergarten aides as examples of collective action coming to the rescue of students and educational quality. The outstanding quality of work done by the heavily-unionized educators in DoDEA is widely recognized. Superman would be proud to have our record of achievement! Get all the latest news on issues affecting FEA members by regularly visiting FEA s Web site at

4 Page 4 FEA Journal ELECTION SCHEDULE Notice of Election For Election of Officers in Spring 2011 In accordance with the provisions of the Department of Labor Rules and Regulations governing elections, notice is hereby given to all reported members that an election for the purpose of electing Executive Officers of the Federal Education Association is to be conducted in a secret ballot election by members. Balloting will be done by mail during the months of March and April and received by the FEA Washington office not later than April 19, The officers to be elected to the following positions shall be elected to serve a three-year term of office commencing on August 2, 2011, as stipulated by the FEA Constitution and Bylaws: FEA Director for DDESS Pacific Area Director Europe Area Director (for Isles, Cuba and Heidelberg Districts) Europe Area Director (for Bavaria, Kaiserslautern and Mediterranean Districts) These officers shall be elected by the members in their respective areas. ATTENTION FRSs, LOCAL PRESIDENTS AND OTHER SCHOOL LEADERS: Please remember that FEA Election Guidelines require you to post and/or distribute all campaign materials received in the exact same manner for each and every candidate. Important Information for Candidates 1. Candidates cannot use the FREE MPS to send out campaign literature. For more information, please see C.1. of the FEA Election Procedures (available from your FRS or 2. Candidates will be provided with two sets of membership labels and two sets of leadership labels to be used only to mail campaign literature to members/ leaders. 3. Candidates who do not wish to use MPS to mail their campaign literature may elect to use a mail house, selected by the FEA Washington office, to print and mail their campaign materials at their own expense. Please see section C.2 of the FEA Election Procedures for additional information on this option. 4. Membership and leadership labels which are not used by the candidate must be returned to the FEA Washington office. Candidates may, at their option, decline one or more sets of labels by notifying the FEA Washington office in writing. 5. All candidates must sign a statement agreeing to use the labels provided by the FEA Washington office only for purposes of their own campaign. Also, all candidates must sign a statement promising that, if elected, they will not accept any DoDEA position outside of the bargaining unit within three years of their leaving the FEA Board. Please see Official Acceptance and Biographical Information/Mailing Labels and Mail Restrictions Form for more details on the above two requirements. December 17, 2010 Deadline for postmark on Nomination Forms. January 13, 2011 Deadline for receipt of Official Acceptance and Biographical Information/Mailing Label and Mail Restrictions Form. January 14, 2011 FEA Director of Administration sends the list of candidates to the BOD, FRSs, and all candidates. Candidate list posted on the FEA Web site. FEA Administrative Office sends all candidates notice of certification of their candidacy and election information. February 2, 2011 FEA Administrative Office sends all candidates two sets of mailing labels for leaders and members and guidelines for mailing campaign materials. Deadline for receipt in FEA Washington office of Candidate Picture. February 4, 2011 Deadline for withdrawal of nomination if candidates do not wish to have their name printed on the ballot. March 8, 2011 FEA Administrative Office mails Sample Ballot Packet to FRSs, Local Presidents and Area Directors. March 9, 2011 FEA Administrative Office mails Ballot Packets to active membership. March 24, 2011 Local Presidents, FRSs and Area Directors may reproduce ballots for those members who have not received theirs. April 19, 2011 Deadline for receipt of ballots. April 20 and 21, 2011 Votes tallied. April 22, 2011 Election results posted on FEA Web site within 24 hours of tally.

5 Nomination Forms for FEA Area Director Seats November, 2010 Page 5 Any FEA Active Member may use these forms to nominate herself/himself or another Active Member for office. Simply clip along the dotted line, fill out the necessary information, and mail your form. Be sure to use the appropriate form and mail it to the Nominations Chairperson at the address below, prior to the December 17 deadline. OFFICIAL OPEN NOMINATION FORM A (Self-Nomination) I,, do hereby nominate myself for the office of: Europe Area Director (representing the Heidelberg, Isles and Cuba Districts) Europe Area Director (representing the Bavaria, Kaiserslautern and Mediterranean Districts) Pacific Area Director FEA Director for DDESS OFFICIAL OPEN NOMINATION FORM B (Nomination of Another Person) I,, do hereby nominate for the office of: Europe Area Director (representing the Heidelberg, Isles and Cuba Districts) Europe Area Director (representing the Bavaria, Kaiserslautern and Mediterranean Districts) Pacific Area Director FEA Director for DDESS Signature Date Signature Date Mailing Address Nominee s Mailing Address Personal (Non-DoDEA) Address Nominee s Personal (Non-DoDEA) Home Phone Duty Phone Nominee s Home Phone Nominee s Duty Phone Requirements set forth for BOD officers: Must be an Active member of FEA (either full-time, half-time or part-time). Each candidate must fulfill the requirements of unified membership (NEA, FEA, and Local) in the United Education Profession. Requirements set forth for BOD officers: Must be an Active member of FEA (either full-time, half-time or part-time). Each candidate must fulfill the requirements of unified membership (NEA, FEA, and Local) in the United Education Profession. MAIL THIS FORM TO: CATHY McADAMS NOMINATIONS CHAIRPERSON 204 MARINERS CIRCLE SMITHFIELD, VA MAIL THIS FORM TO: CATHY McADAMS NOMINATIONS CHAIRPERSON 204 MARINERS CIRCLE SMITHFIELD, VA A backup copy may also be mailed to the FEA Washington Office; ATTN: Elections; th Street, NW; Suite 117; Washington, DC Forms may also be faxed to the FEA Washington office at FORMS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY DECEMBER 17, A backup copy may also be mailed to the FEA Washington Office; ATTN: Elections; th Street, NW; Suite 117; Washington, DC Forms may also be faxed to the FEA Washington office at FORMS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY DECEMBER 17, 2010.

6 Page 6 FEA Journal FEA Members Turn Okinawa into RO C KINAWA Not only does DoDEA Educator and Kubasaki High School FRS Ron Phipps look like he should be playing drums in a rock band, he even has the sound bites down. My favorite memory with Handsome Stranger is...well, I can t go there, says Phipps, discussing the band he s performed with the past 10 years. Handsome Stranger is made up of Phipps and five other DoDEA educators Fred Bales, Don Kinghorn, Jim Hashman, Mark Honnold and Phil Snook. The band plays out frequently throughout Okinawa. Phipps began playing the drums while he was a student in the 1960s and played in a local band for several years before joining the military. Vietnam was calling, he explains. Flash forward to 1999, when bass player Bales learned of Phipps past as a drummer and asked him about forming a band there on Okinawa. I laid down my drum sticks in 1969 and did not play again Ron Phipps, hidden behind his massive drum kit, performs with his fellow DoDEA educators Fred Bales and Rich Curi (who has since retired from DoDEA) in their band, Handsome Stranger. The group has been gigging around Okinawa for the past 10 years. until I met Fred Bales at Kubasaki High School. He had been in a band with Don (Kinghorn) and wanted to get one going here. Fred heard through the grapevine I was an old rock drummer from the 60s. He came to my room and we talked about starting a band...we found other teachers on island who were musicians and started making contacts. Over the ensuing years, members have come and gone and the band has expanded from a four-piece to a six-man outfit. But the membership of Handsome Stranger has always consisted exclusively of educators. With all of us being Do- DEA employees we have always kept it inside DoDEA, Phipps explains. The band has even helped to reunite old friends: Bales and Kinghorn worked together previously at the DoDDS school in Panama before it was closed in late 1990s. They also played together in a band there. When Rich Curi, the band s original lead guitarist, retired from DoDEA at the same time Kinghorn received a transfer placement on the island, the band asked Kinghorn to join. At this point, I was getting paranoid wondering when one of Fred s past drummers was coming to the island to replace me, jokes Phipps. Over the past decade, Handsome Stranger has played numerous shows on base and in the Okinawa community. The reaction from both their students and their fellow educators has been very encouraging to the band members. The students are impressed that a bunch of old guys can rock, says Phipps. We have a large DoDEA following when we play and they all seem to be having a great time at our shows. Asked if he has any advice for his fellow educators and/or fellow musicians, Phipps offers another letter-perfect sound bite from a drummer in a rock band: Yeah, you re never too old to rock, so get off the couch and go have some fun, he says. The time will come when you can t get off the couch and then it s too late. So, What s Your Story? Do you have an interesting hobby, a great teaching idea, a story you d like to share? Let us know by sending a message to [email protected]

7 Don't Wait Until the Last Minute: Order Your Read Across America Hats and Materials Now! Every year you promise yourself This will be the year I get one of those great Cat-in-the-Hat hats for Read Across America day on March 2. But, inevitably, things come up and distractions pile on. Next thing you know, it s late February and you re trying to stretch out an old red stocking cap, wondering if you can paint some white stripes on it. Well, not this year! This is the year you go to Be a Super Smart Seuss Supporter; Go to today! There, you will find the Seuss Store (also known as the Cat-alog ), where you can order hats and other materials now, so they arrive in plenty of time for March 2. You will also find lots of tips and ideas for your reading events. You can even order the 2011 NEA s Read Across America calendar, full of more suggestions for making reading fun throughout the year. If you are overseas, when checking out from the store be sure to enter APO or FPO under City and AE or AP under State, and choose the First Class Mail shipping option. FEA members do a fantastic job every year promoting the benefits of reading with children through programs such as NEA s Read Across America. But what if a parent is deployed somewhere far afield and is unable to sit down to read with their child? United Through Reading, a non-profit organization, exists to help bridge that gap. United Through Reading promotes and arranges readingaloud experiences between children and family members who are separated by great geographic distances. Most relevant to FEA members and their students, United Through Reading makes its services available to deployed U.S. service members through a worldwide network. Here s how the program works: A deployed parent visits any of the more than 300 United Through Reading recording locations, which can be found on deployed U.S. Navy ships, in tents in Iraq and Afghanistan, in more than 70 USOs and on bases and installations worldwide. November, 2010 Page 7 United Through Reading Program Offers Deployed Parents Chance to Read Aloud to Children Back Home Once there, the parent is video recorded reading a book aloud to their child. A DVD of the reading session is then sent to the service members home so the child can see their parent reading aloud to them. This is something really important that the deployed parent can do, says United Through Reading Chief Executive Officer Sally Ann Zoll. Children can see Get more information at their parent s faces and hear their voices almost as if they are sitting across the room from them. Because of this connection, they watch the video recordings over and over. The organization has worked with the Navy and the Marine Corps for 20 years and has been making strong inroads with the other services since FEA members have such a direct and important connection with military families. We hope they will help us spread the word about the availability of this program so we can encourage even more deployed parents to tape reading sessions, says Zoll. To help spread the word, refer parents to:

8 Page 8 FEA Journal Free Courses on Indoor Environmental Quality, Managing Asthma Available FEA members with concerns about Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) at their schools or helping students manage their asthma while at school can now sign up for two free online courses, provided by the NEA Health Information Network (NEA- HIN). Indoor Environmental Quality What s Your IEQ? A Roadmap to School Indoor Environmental Quality is a 4.5 hour online course. The course will educate participants in how to identify, prevent and resolve IEQ issues like mold and moisture problems, chemical exposure, asbestos, radon and more. The five modules of the program cover topics such as ventilation; the design, construction and location of schools; the effects of IEQ on performance and health; common pollutant sources; and how local associations can organize around the issue of poor IEQ. Managing Asthma NEA, NEA-HIN and the Merck Childhood Asthma Network (MCAN) worked together to create the Managing Asthma in the School Environment: What NEA Members Need to Know online course. This free, 1.5 hour course, offered through the NEA Online Academy, addresses the causes, signs and symptoms of asthma. It also covers asthma triggers, the key elements of asthma control, and strategies for creating asthma-friendly schools. Additionally, it provides suggested changes that can be made to reduce triggers in school environments, such as removing upholstered furniture and ensuring good indoor environmental quailty. To sign up for either of these courses: To access either course you must register for a password through the NEA Academy. Go to and click on the name of the course you are interested in for instructions on how to access the course. RA Delegates Wanted Whether you have an important issue you want your Professional Association to address, a desire to network with thousands of your peers, or just a craving for deep dish pizza, FEA wants you to consider running for a delegate s seat to next summer s NEA Representative Assembly in Chicago. The NEA-RA will take place June 30-July 5 and will be proceeded by FEA s Annual Membership Meeting June 29 and 30. Any FEA Active Member may run for a delegate s seat. Delegates are elected by your fellow members. Contact your Local Association leader or your FEA Area Dirctor for information on how to run. Do it soon though so you don t miss out! The Representative Assembly is NEA s annual gathering. Upwards of 10,000 delegates elected to represent the entire 3.2 million membership of NEA meet to discuss, debate and vote on the issues and policies that govern NEA. The NEA-RA is considerd to be the largest democratically elected governing body in the world, and a heaven for debate junkies. As a delegate, you will help to shape the future of your association and tell your elected leaders in NEA how you want them to govern. Delegates to the NEA-RA also attend the FEA Annual Membership Meeting. The meeting, which is open to any FEA Active or Retired member who would like to attend, gives members a chance to hear directly from their representatives on the FEA Board of Directors and to ask questions of the FEA Board and Staff. To learn more about the NEA-RA and FEA Annual Meeting, go to

9 November, 2010 Page 9 Bargaining of New MLA Underway for FEA Stateside Representatives of FEA s Stateside Area met with management officials for two weeks in October to begin the process of bargaining a new Master Labor Agreement (MLA) for certified employees in the Stateside Bargaining Unit. We had very amicable discussions, reports FEA Director for DDESS Terry Arvidson, adding that the two sides expect to return to the bargaining table in February to continue the process. The request to reopen the contract was made by management. The first MLA covering DDESS was signed in the late 1990s. In addition to Arvidson, FEA was represented by Stateside UniServ Attorney Dorothy Lee and Certified Unit members Sandy Akin (Maxwell AFB), Gary Cantrell (Fort Stewart), and Cynthia Francis (Fort Jackson). Additionally, Laurel Dawson (Fort Knox) served as an observer. We have a great bargaining team representing our members, Arvidson says. It s a lot of work to undertake and we re very grateful to our team members for all their hard work and dedication on behalf of their fellow members. NEH Program Helps Korea Educator Bring Lessons of UK Industrial Revolution to Classroom of Today Teacher s Education Association of Korea (TEAK) Vice President Ronnie Lynn Holley recently participated in a scholarship award program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. The fiveweek research program conducted at the University of London s Institute of Historical Research, University of Nottingham, St. Aiden s College, and at Durham Holley University, England, brought together scholars from around the world. Participants studied and visited numerous historical sites in England to develop an appreciation for the experience of industrialization in Britain, the historiography of the subject, and the lasting influence these interpretations have had on cultural values. The program also allowed participants to explore an important subject in some depth, to appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of humanistic studies, to explore connections between the texts and material culture, and to do so in an atmosphere conducive to collegiality, study and reflection. Holley teaches several Advanced Placement courses at Osan American High School in South Korea. How did you learn about the NEH program and why did you sign up? I have always been a person who seeks new experiences and insights into various topics that I could use within my classroom. While discussing differing historical interpretations of the Industrial Revolution with a professor from the College of William & Mary, I was told about new research opportunities in England through the National Endowment for the Humanities. What was your favorite experience while participating in this program? My favorite experiences while participating in this program centered around access to important artifacts in numerous museums and sites associated with the origin and development of the Industrial Revolution in England. From an examination of historical records, to participating in excursions where the first textile mills and railways were developed, and even exploring the deep coal mines of the Midlands, I was able to formulate my own unique interpretation of significant historical events that continue to impact the lives of my students. What did you gain as a result of participating in this program? My participation in this program has dramatically increased my content knowledge of the causes and consequences of the Industrial Revolution in England. Interestingly, having traveled rather extensively in China over the past few years, I have observed many similarities in the economic development of England during the 18th century and within China today. However, there are also many differences especially those associated with global economics in the post-modern world of the 21st century. Overall, these experiences have enhanced my own understanding of both economic and socio-cultural factors that dominate the world in which we live today, making my classroom presentations more enlightened and interesting for my students. Is there a website where others who may be interested in this program could get more information? I highly suggest teachers and educators seek additional information at the National Endowment for the Humanities website: Have you or any of your colleagues participated in any professional development or other interesting programs you think your fellow FEA members might like to know about? Please let us know by writing to [email protected]

10 Page 10 FEA Journal Know the Facts to Make the Most of Health Benefits Open Season by Paula S. Jakub, RHU Executive Vice President, American Foreign Service Protective Association* Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Open Season is upon us and it is especially important to review your coverage to make sure it will meet your needs in Private studies predict medical costs next year will increase 10%. Federal employees have it a little better the average premium increase in 2011 for employees and retirees enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program is 7.3%. Again this year, the Government will pay an average of 70% of the premiums. The new FEHB premiums will take effect the first full pay period of January FEHB Program enrollees who have Self Only coverage will pay an average of $5.53 more bi-weekly, while those with Self and Family coverage will pay an average of $11.45 more bi-weekly. Each year the individual plans of the FEHB Program offer enrollees a benefit package with comprehensive coverage at a reasonable premium. Since plans vary in their changes, it is important to know what your particular plan is doing. We encourage 2011 Premiums (bi-weekly) for Selected Plans 2011 Bi-Weekly Health Plan Employee Premium Self Only Self and Family BCBS Standard $86.39 $ Foreign Service Benefit Plan $56.99 $ GEHA High $81.32 $ GEHA Standard $39.99 $90.95 Mail Handlers Standard $ $ *publication of this article does not constitute an endorsement by FEA of the American Foreign Service Protective Association or its products you to read carefully Section 2 How we change for 2011 in your 2011 plan brochure. Do not rely on premium costs alone to make your health plan decision. Things like extra deductibles and plan allowances for services, especially overseas, Affordable Care Act Expansion of Dependent Coverage o Covers the enrollee s children up to age 26 o No living, financial dependency requirement or marriage restriction o Child is covered, but their spouse /children are not o Change does NOT apply to FEDVIP Plans will send enrollees letters explaining eligibility and enrollment process. FSAFeds the program that allows pre-tax reimbursement for eligible costs not covered by your health plan, such as copays, deductibles, eyeglasses, etc. o Beginning 2011, you can claim reimbursement for over-the-counter (OTC) drugs only if supported by a prescription (excluding insulin) o You still can claim other OTC items, such as bandages or contact lens solution If part of your yearly calculation for deductions includes OTC items like aspirin, Tylenol, sinus medications, etc., you will want to reevaluate and perhaps lower your deductions in 2011 for this program. You must re-enroll each year during Open Season. could cost you extra money. Customer service is of paramount importance for employees and their families serving in foreign countries. Federal Employees Benefits Open Season dates are November 8 through December 13, Employees can make selections/ changes in their FEHBP, FED- VIP and/or FSAFEDS. This is your Open Season. Make sure you choose the plan that best serves your needs. Get more FEHB information at Emphasis of the 2011 FEHB Program Mental Health Parity OPM has directed all plans to comply fully with the Act. o No separate deductibles for medical and mental health treatment o No separate out-of-pocket maximums o Plans must have the same copay and coinsurance levels for both services o Plans may use clinically appropriate medical management standards to treat the condition Preventive Care Initiatives Preventive care (physical exams, cancer screenings and vaccines) is an important component of a healthy lifestyle. Plans may include more generous preventive care benefits for Plans will cover preventive services and screenings at 100% if provided by an in-network provider. Health Information Technology (HIT) OPM is a champion of giving employees useful tools to keep healthy, perhaps avoiding the onset of a chronic condition. Enrollees can obtain up-to-date drug information and check generic pricing. They also can build their own Personal Health Records (PHR s) and have access to Health Risk Assessment (HRA) tools. The use of this health information technology will allow the employees to make better-informed decisions in selecting their health plan.

11 November, 2010 Page 11 Questions About NEA Member Benefits? Call or Go Online! The NEA Member Benefits program provides many programs and services to FEA members. Please contact Member Benefits with questions about any of their services using the following toll-free numbers in applicable areas: Stateside Overseas First dial the AT&T Direct Access Code In Germany and UK In Japan Then dial Member Benefits at And don t forget the Member Benefits Web site. You can access information on all of NEA-MB s programs, get current rates on CDs and investment funds, and sign up for other services. The JOURNAL is a quarterly publication of the Federal Education Association. Contributions, letters, photographs and other submissions to the JOURNAL are welcome and should be sent to the address below. Gary Hritz, Editor H.T. Nguyen, Executive Director Michael Priser, President BettyLou Cummins Vice President Anita Lang, Secretary/Treasurer Brian Chance, NEA Director Mimi Cuadrado, HCR Coordinator Alex Veto, Europe Area Director Chuck McCarter, Europe Area Director Debra Degalis, Pacific Area Director Terry Arvidson, FEA Director for DDESS Federal Education Association th St. NW, Suite 117 Washington, DC Fax: [email protected]

12 Page 12 FEA Journal NEA President Dennis Van Roekel addresses members of the FEA Board of Directors during their October meeting in Washington DC. President Van Roekel discussed ongoing attacks against public education and answered questions during his hour-long visit NEA Mid-Atlantic Regional Leadership Conference - Crystal City, VA NEA Mid-Atlantic Minority Leadership Conference - Crystal City, VA January 17 Deadline to mail nomination forms for FEA At-Large Officer Elections 13 Health Insurance Open Season Ends December Calendar of Events Hearing Straight from the Top C= Use this ID Number to Log in to FIRST CLASS MAIL C FIRST CLASS MAIL th St. NW Suite 117 Washington, DC 20036