Federal Daily - September 28, 2009

House Approves Bill to Prevent Part B Premium Hikes

EnBy an overwhelming 406 to 18 margin, the House on Sept. 24 voted to eliminate all premium increases for Medicare Part B next year. In 2010, retirees receiving Social Security benefits are not expected to receive a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), and most Social Security retirees are exempt from premium increases when there is no increase in Social Security payments. However, more than a million federal, state and local governmenretirees are not eligible to receive Social Security benefits and would have been unprotected from an increase without the legislation. Medicare Part B pays for physician services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, and durable medical equipment. “This bill is about equity for all Medicare beneficiaries, because without it, federal, state and local government retirees who are not Social Security-eligible would have to pay the Part B rate hike in a no-COLA year, while Social Security beneficiaries would not,” said National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) President Margaret L. Baptiste. The bill, H.R. 3631, the “Medicare Premium Fairness Act,” now moves to the Senate. To see more, go to: www.narfe.org/departments/home/articles.cfm?ID=1897.

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Thousands of Slots Open at Postal VER Deadline

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) offered up to 30,000 voluntary early retirement (VER) slots to eligible postal workers, but about a quarter of those slots remained untaken one day before the offer’s Sept. 25 deadline, according to a news release posted on Sept 24 on the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Web site. Under the plan announced last month, USPS offered $15,000 bonuses to eligible employees who elect to retire or separate before the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2009. USPS negotiated the separation incentive plan with the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) as part of an effort to accelerate staffing reductions for employees represented by those unions. As of Sept. 24, approximately 22,000 requests for the incentive package had been made to USPS: about 19,000 by APWU-represented employees, and almost 3,000 by NPMHU members. Because those who elected to take the package are allowed a brief grace period to change their minds, the final tallies could be lower, APWU President William Burrus said. Initial interest among APWU members was strong, but it quickly dropped off, according to Burrus. “It seems clear that the number of applicants will not reach the maximum number of recipients allowed, so all eligible employees who have applied or expressed interest and who end their employment should receive the incentive,” Burrus said. The incentive will be paid in two installments: $10,000 to be paid during the first three months of FY 2010, and a second $5,000 installment paid in October 2010. USPS hoped the incentive plan could save the Postal Service $500 million next year in reduced personnel costs. To see more, go to:
www.apwu.org/news/webart/2009/09-117-incentive-numbers-090924.htm.

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DOJ Makes First Landlord-Tenant Settlement Under SCRA

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Sept. 24 announced it had reached an out-of-court settlement with a Northern Virginia landlord over allegations that she violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). It was the first such settlement reached under a DOJ-prosecuted SCRA case. Under the SCRA, a servicemember who receives permanent change of station orders or who is deployed to a new location for 90 days or more has the right to terminate a housing lease without penalty. The lawsuit alleged the landlord failed to return prepaid rent and security deposits to a tenant who had terminated her lease early to comply with military orders to relocate to Georgia. Under the terms of the settlement, which still must be approved in federal court in Virginia, the landlord must pay her former tenant a total of $5,600 in damages and is enjoined from engaging in future violations of the SCRA, DOJ said in a statement. Servicemembers or their dependents who believe that their SCRA rights have been violated can contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program office. Office locations may be found at
http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/content/locator.php. To see more, go to:
www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2009/September/09-crt-1022.html.

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