A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION Kentucky Retired Teachers Association Serving Retired Teachers Since 1957 VOLUME XLIV, NUMBER 2 LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY DECEMBER 2009 Over the past two months, I have had the pleasure of useless. So my talk today is not billion to the Commonwealth in 2010. Averaged out traveling around the state meeting with over 1,500 of just about this year or next, but over the last three years, that equals 6,800 jobs at you at our KRTA Workshops. It has certainly been a busy about a thought process for the $40,000 each. But our legislators and governor’s office time, but I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting as many of rest of your lives. And I hope to seem to be more excited by a Toyota Plant or a you as I could and sharing my message about how be watching for the next thirty International Horse Show than the well being of our “United We Win.” Since not all of you were able to join years and keeping tab. own retired teachers. As retired teachers, we must us at the workshops, I wanted to share some of the text of unite to make our state government realize that they my speech with you in our newsletter this month. I used As you can see my theme for must place more importance on the needs of this an analogy in the speech about building and construction. the workshops is United We dedicated group of professionals. In my presentation, I had some images that my son, John Win. Now why did I choose this Cebert Gilbert C. Gilbert, a project manager with Ross Tarrant as a theme? Mainly because, KRTA President As a woodworker, craftsman, and dabbler in Architects, helped me put together. You’ll have to bear over my years of experience in construction, I like to make the analogy that our goals that in mind as you read my speech. You also missed out education, I’ve come to realize that, as as retired teachers are similar to the construction of a on some good jokes! At any rate, it is the message I want professionals, we are not united in our thoughts and new building. By that I mean that we must plan first, to share with all of you; and I hope that you’ll not just actions as teachers or retired teachers. Back when then construct, and finally, finish the job at hand. So read this speech, but act on it. I was superintendent, I always told my teachers what can we do to set our own long-term goals? First and staff to put their God first, their families second we must get in the ditches and start digging in for a and their careers third. Too often, I would see well-constructed plan of survival. We have retired Past President Billy Triplett’s theme last year was teachers putting their careers first and losing teachers substituting back in the classroom, working about numbers. I thought about that in the sense that everything. So today I want you to listen to the at Walmart or Lowe’s, taking in ironing and odd jobs what good is a million dollars if you put it in a safe information presented; because now, as retired to survive. Is this right for a professional educator to deposit box and never get it out? It really does not education professionals, we have only Our God and work for 27, 30, 35 or 40 years and not be able to live help you or the economy. The same goes for your families, and please don’t forget, we all are family a good life in their latter years? I think that we can all vote—your voice in our political process. If you had as retired teachers. We must commit to one another agree that this is unacceptable, but we also realize a million votes and never voted, your voice becomes and be united in our goals. that it is a sad fact of life for many retired teachers. In Kentucky we have one of the finest retirement Even worse, when you consider that the rate of inflation KY , , 572 systems in the United States (KTRS), and you will is 13%, but our legislators and governor’s budget has STD hear from them first hand today. As a group, we given us 0% in the last two years, the situation POSTAGE . P A I P D need to start today planning for our own future. We becomes even more dire. Do the math. S PRSRT . PERMIT U have a retirement system that will contribute $1.6 LOUISVILLE (Continued on page 17) IN THIS ISSUE . Workshop Fun & Friends . 14 A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT . 1 2010 KY GENERAL ASSEMBLY: KRTA Guide .9 Constitutional Officers, Committees, United We Win PERSONALLY SPEAKING Senators and Legislators From the Executive Director . 2 2010 KRTA LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM . 12 KRTA: Do All Your Retired Teacher KRTA PARTNERS Legaline . 15 Social Security & Pension Watch Finance & Investment . 15 PUBLICATION NATIONAL HEALTH ADMINISTRATORS Long Term Care Insurance: Did You Know? . 3 Delta Dental . 16 TERLY Filing a Long-Term Care Claim . 3 LifeLock . 16 Liberty Mutual . 17 QUAR MULES & WILDCAT HEADS . 3 A 2009 FALL WORKSHOPS REPORTS & PHOTOS ComfortKeepers . 17 President Gilbert . 4 MISCELLANEOUS INFO Vice-President Wood . 4 September 2009 Directory Revisions . 18 KTRS Pre-Retirement Seminar . 18 Membership . 5 Legislative & Health ~ Insurance ~ Wellness . 6 Social Security/Medicare Update . 18 Kentucky Retired Teachers Association Teachers Retired Kentucky AARP . 6 Opportunities to Save . 18 KTRS . 7 Are You at Risk for ID Theft? . 18 FOR YOUR INFORMATION . 19 Humana & Medco . 8 District Presidents & Business Partners . 13 QUIPS, QUOTES & PUZZLES . 19 Legislators . 14 DECEASED RETIRED TEACHERS . 20 Louisville, Kentucky 40291-3234 Kentucky Louisville, 7505 Bardstown Road Bardstown 7505 PAGE 2 KRTA NEWS DECEMBER 2009 PERSONALLY SPEAKING . Social Security & Pension Watch Social Security News Security credits and then entered HR 235 (Social Security Fairness Act) teaching in Kentucky and taught 20 years, that teacher could lose more than Politics is not a Spectator Sport! currently has 311 co-sponsors. These Kentucky Representatives (Ben half of his/her earned Social Security National Healthcare Reform Chandler, Geoff Davis, Brett Guthrie, retirement benefits. Bob Wagoner As I write this, Congress has turned Hall Rogers, Ed Whitfield and John If a teacher's spouse was a Social its total attention to healthcare reform Yarmuth) have signed on as co-sponsors Security earner and preceded the and the rhetoric has increased. I of HR 235. These individuals should teacher in death, the teacher would lose Executive Director cannot help but think that family, be applauded for recognizing the harm the earned Social Security spousal friends and former colleagues will the Windfall Elimination Provision death benefit. approach you with questions and (WEP) and the Government Pension Write your letter today! concerns about what healthcare reform Offset (GPO) are causing retired means. I view these conversations as a chance to help make sure that they are educators. An easy way for you to communicate able to draw upon facts rather than, sadly, the misinformation that may with our federal legislators on the WEP/ This bill would repeal the Social understandably be scaring them. GPO issue is through our website Security penalties applied to Social www.krta.org. Click on “Links” at the I suspect you, like me, have had a difficult time sorting out fact from fiction. Security benefits of Kentucky public top of the home page. On the “Links” Listed below are a few resources that I have used that you might find helpful. school educators, educators in 14 other page, click on “Your Representatives The following websites are run by nonpartisan organizations with no stake in states and some public employees in all in Congress.” On the “Your the current proposals that continue to be vigorously debated. 50 states. Repealing these penalties Representatives in Congress” page, 1. The Kaiser Family Foundation's side-by-side comparison of the details of are important to people affected by click on the specific senator or the leading proposals: http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm them. representative you wish to send an 2. The Annenberg Public Policy Center's fact checker: www.factcheck.org S 484 is the companion bill to HR 235. email. 3. Politifact.com's Truth-O-Meter: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/ Currently S 484 has 30 co-sponsors. KRTA continues to work closely with I have been asked on numerous occasions over the past several weeks, “How Unfortunately, neither Senator Bunning the Coalition to Preserve Retirement will national healthcare reform impact Kentucky's retired teachers?” My nor Senator McConnell has signed on Security (CPRS) on these important response is simply, “I do not know.” I talk almost daily with KTRS officials as co-sponsors. You can contact both social security issues (i.e., mandatory who are also monitoring events in Washington, D.C. The consensus opinion is of them through a link on our website social security, GPO and WEP). The that currently there are not enough details to know whether the potential impact (www.krta.org). attacks on public employees’ retirement would be positive or negative. A very important step in getting the HR security (i.e., Kentucky retired The easiest way you can communicate with our federal legislators is through 235 and S484 on the radar screen is teachers) remain and are increasing. our website: www.krta.org. Click on “Links” at the top of the home page. On for you to contact the Speaker of the KRTA continues to work on these the “Links” page, click on “Your Representatives in Congress.” On the “Your House Nancy Pelosi about HR 235 and issues at the national level with the Representatives in Congress” page, click on the specific senator or representative Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Coalition to Preserve Retirement you wish to send an email.