1 July 14
MEMORANDUM FOR RAO DIRECTORS AND RETIREE COUNCIL MEMBERS
FROM: HQ AFPC/DPFFF
550 C Street West Ste 8
Randolph AFB TX 78150-4713
SUBJECT: Retiree Activities Program Letter
2014 Air Force Retiree Council Meeting – This year’s meeting was held May 5 to 9, and was a rousing success! The Council discussed the following issues:
ü Maintaining the commissary benefit.
ü Continued support for printing and mailing of the Afterburner.
ü Enhanced support for Defense Finance and Accounting retired and annuity pay customers, including promoting myPay accounts for self-service.
ü Continuing Retiree Activities Office support at the base level -- both financial and administrative - and the growing need for more volunteers.
ü Support for legislative issues, specifically eliminating offset between the Survivor Benefit Plan and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation; paid-up SBP premiums for retirees at age 67 versus 70; and full pay for the month that a retiree dies.
ü Concerns about rising TRICARE costs and reduced Medicare/TRICARE for Life reimbursement.
The Council co-chairs, retired Lt. Gen. Steven R. Polk and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney J. McKinley, will work with the agencies related to the issues. In the fall they will meet with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh to discuss these issues and other items important to retirees and annuitants.
Retired Address Finder Tip – Those of you who use the new Retired Address Finder may have already discovered that inactivity results in your account being “locked” and your access denied. Just mark your calendar to login once a month to ensure your account remains active.
If your account is locked, send an email to and Tammy Cournoyer can unlock it for you.
RAO Directory/AF Retiree Services Website – RAOs can find the most current listing of Air Force RAOs on the Air Force Retiree Services website at http://www.retirees.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=12578. In order to keep this listing current, it is vital that you contact us with any changes as soon as possible.
The RAO Directory we maintain changes almost weekly so it is not feasible to send one out each time an update is made; however, if you would like a current copy, please email a request to .
Annual Reports for 2013 – Thank you for making the annual reporting rate for 2013 much more successful than it was in 2012 – 79 percent versus 52 percent, respectively.
The 2013 totals showed we had 1,495 RAO volunteers who gave 281,860 hours, saving the Air Force nearly $2,043,500. If all RAOs had reported, these numbers would be even higher!
Let’s strive for full accounting for 2014. Stronger numbers can only help us prove our value moving forward. Every RAO should be able to submit a report even if it only lists the number of volunteers and volunteer hours.
A helpful hint is to keep a log throughout the calendar year – this way you should not have to scramble at report time to compile the data.
Inviting a Lawsuit – In reviewing your newsletters, it is important to remember you must have a “Used with Permission by Author/Publication” when using material from outside sources. Doing otherwise can lead to serious legal trouble.
I have noticed a few publications that offer news from commercial sources such as Air Force Times, CNN, The Washington Post and others. Attributing the source is not enough – you must have written permission as the material is copyright protected.
Please keep the use of outside sources to a minimum. Also remember that negative political comments have no place in Air Force RAO publications.
AFI 36-3106 5.3.3 states you must coordinate with, “at a minimum, the installation PA to ensure the newsletter/base web page posting meets Air Force requirements governing published material publications.”
If you ever have any questions about newsletter content, send an email to .
June 2014 Afterburner – This issue is being finalized, and should be printed and in the mail soon.
New Afterburner Distribution Policy -- We have partnered with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in an effort to continue cost-cutting measures to ensure future funding for the Afterburner, especially with the current budget challenges the Air Force is facing.
Air Force retirees and annuitants with an online myPay account will automatically be removed from the hard-copy mailing list. They will receive notification via their email address on file with myPay when a new issue has been posted on the Air Force Retiree Services website. This action is expected to save more than $120,000 an issue, and help ensure retirees and annuitants without Internet access can still receive the Afterburner via the U.S. Postal Service.
People can view the latest issue and Afterburner archives anytime at http://www.retirees.af.mil/afterburner/.
No RAD Support – Because of ongoing budget constraints, DFAS-Cleveland’s funds for travel continue to be indefinitely suspended for fiscal 2014. Officials there regret that they will be unable to send representatives from DFAS-Cleveland to any Retiree Appreciation Day events.
As a result, DFAS officials have created a video show casing resources available to customers, with a special emphasis on self-service options. They are also looking for innovative ways to deliver their message at events and would like your input on any ways they can further facilitate and broaden this endeavor.
In addition to the video, officials also have a wide variety of instructional literature on a host of retiree and annuitant topics that can be sent to support your events. They ask that you please give at least 30 days advance notice of any materials you would like them to provide you. To learn what materials are available and to request a copy of the video, please send your requests via e-mail to .
TRICARE Pamphlets & Publications – Since walk-in service ended at TRICARE Service Centers in April, some retirees and annuitants are reaching out to RAOs for assistance. Special thanks to retired Senior Master Sgt. Robert Greene, the Area V representative, for discovering that RAOs can request bulk
mailings of TRICARE pamphlets/publications by becoming a "registered user" at
http://www.tricare.mil/publications.aspx. TRICARE pamphlets/publications can also be downloaded from this website.
Location, Location, Location – A round of applause goes out to retired Chief Master Sgt. David L. Ehlers, the RAO director at Andersen AFB, Guam, for always identifying his RAO location in the subject line of his emails.
When sending email to this office, please help us quickly identify which RAO we are hearing from by identifying your location in the subject line. We do not have all your names, units and locations memorized – yet!
Thank you for all your hard work and dedication, and for still serving our great Air Force!
/signed/
TAMMY HERN, DAFC
Chief, Retiree Services
Directorate of Airman & Family Care