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2014 Issue 2 INSIDE this edition...INSIDE this edition... NEW!! —Your guide to CenturyLink healthcare plans. AUSWR health care specialist Barbara Wilcox creates a complete guide to help you understand the complex retiree health care plans managed by CenturyLink. Whether you retired before 1990 or after 1991, or you are retired management or an occupational retiree, you will want to read and save these pages. READ MORE ON pages 5-7 Curtis Kennedy recovers from critical motorcycle accident. Curtis continues a speedy recovery from an accident on his motorcycle. He had successful surgery to repair his injuries. Curtis asks “no cards or calls”, and that you send him your positive thoughts as he recovers at home with his wife and three children. All our voices join in wishing him a full recovery! READ HIS STORY on page 2 Joe Nacchio in the news with new claims he was a “victim” because he refused to give customer phone records. Former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio is making the rounds of cable Pinancial talk shows, touting that he was prosecuted for insider trading because he stood up to the NSA and other secret security agencies. READ THIS STORY by AL LEWIS on page 9 CenturyLink’s “cloud” technology wins big with experts. As landline subscriptions continue to decline, CenturyLink strategic planners envision market leadership of “cloud” technology with wise infrastructure investments and acquisitions —stock up 17% in 2014. READ THIS STORY on page 10 NRLN says, “Do not let Congress privatize Medicare.” NRLN President Bill Kadereit tells why a proposed Congressional budget for 2015 “will obliterate Medicare forever ”. He explains how a voucher plan will affect everyone, and he proposes alternatives to save traditional Medicare. READ THIS STORY on page 8 “To maintain a point of contact and information for telephone retirees Retiree Guardian on health care and other beneLit issues.”— 2014 Issue 2 Page 1 — AUSWR CO/WY Mission Colorado/Wyomin g Edition Have You Updated Your Designated BenePiciaries? Who Do You Love? by Curtis L. Kennedy, NWB Litigation Attorney employer’s life insurance beneLit plan. In the case of Hall v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Many times the retiree organization has periodically Company , Case No. 13-1332 (8th Cir. May 8, 2014), the published reminders in editions of the Retiree Guardian appellate court ruled that the deceased retiree had failed about why it is so very important for each of you to make to change his beneLiciary certain all of your designation form so as to beneLiciary forms are up Curtis tells his designate the love of his life, to date, especially those his wife, as beneLiciary. pertaining to beneLit story: Although Mr. Hall Lilled out programs provided by Most recently, I had good and signed, he never CenturyLink, the reason to check to see submitted, a beneLiciary- successor to the whether I had completed designation form naming his company you retired and recorded my family wife as the sole beneLiciary from. Unfortunately, too members on the of his retirement life many retirees have not insurance policy. While in paid attention, and for Curtis and his wife, Lisa, at necessary beneficiary the hospital, before that reason, I want to, AUSWR dinner in September 2013 designaon forms for my undergoing his last once again, encourage own life insurance policy operation to treat his cancer, everyone to pay attention and and my self-employed rerement plan. On April 17, he executed a new will take necessary action to update 2014, while riding my Triumph Rocket III motorcycle designating his wife to or conLirm your beneLiciaries, if on an interstate highway in Denver, I avoided what I receive almost everything, you haven’t already done so. viewed in both side-view mirrors was an oncoming including all of his life Several times each inevitable serious rear-end collision from a very large insurance proceeds. week, I read the latest pick-up truck that was most certain to hit my back Alas, since Mr. Hall published case law decisions and take me out. But, as I quickly maneuvered to had not followed the rules, concerning employee beneLit avoid that situaon, I put myself in a posion to, and he did not submit the cases, which cases are all necessary beneLiciary form governed by a single, albeit very nevertheless, have a serious collision with a parked to MetLife, the insurance complex, federal law - ERISA. unoccupied vehicle on the shoulder of the highway. I company had to pay the life And, I continue to come across did manage to avoid all damage to my legs, head, insurance proceeds to a rulings made by federal judges neck, and spine. Yes, for 40 years I have always worn different person who was that go against the intended a full wrap-around, top of the line, motorcycle designated to be the sole wishes of retirees, helmet. Nevertheless, the parked car won, and beneLiciary several decades unfortunately deceased. In grossly beat up my every rib and the lung on my right ago. those very dismal cases, what side. Almost a week a er I showed no improvement the retirees didn’t do is make while in ICU, a team of angelical surgeons removed a Two lessons learned: certain their intended third of my right lung and reinforced every rib on my 1) Make very certain that beneLiciaries were properly right side with tanium. This was a new procedure for the proper form for your recorded on the required forms beneLiciary designation has and the completed forms the team, successfully done. A er 20 days, I came been delivered to the delivered to the administrator home to my dear family. And, I want you to know employee beneLit of his or her employee beneLit that I am doing incredibly, progressively well, geng administrator; plan. back at doing what I truly enjoy – helping rerees 2) A will does not trump Here is one heart- help themselves. the requirements to comply breaking example of a failure by with the rules of an a retiree to follow the necessary employee beneLit plan. rules under his former Copyright – Fair Use - Fair Use Notice --AUSWR—The Association of U S WEST Retirees reprints copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We make such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of issues to our members. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is available without profit. For more information go to: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html Retiree Guardian — 2014 Issue 2 Page 2 Colorado/Wyoming Edition CO/WY Presidents’ messages COLORADO NEWS representatives for our members. by John Rommelfanger, Colorado President The AUSWR CO/WY board is of the mindset that we need to continue to be a viable organization going The AUSWR family of retirees has been hit hard with forward and work with CenturyLink to ensure that the losses, life-threatening illnesses and accidents of “partnering proposal” to not reduce the Health BeneLit members in 2014. Cap for post-1990 retirees will continue after 2017. Our AUSWR e-mail editor, Bill Alsdorf, lost his wife, Stay tuned. Joyce, from her battle with cancer in March. Our treasurer, Bill Campbell, lost his daughter from her Light While nothing of this magnitude goes without a hitch, with a serious kidney ailment in April. Our past secretary CenturyLink successfully transferred 22,900 post- and Retiree Guardian contributor, Don Warsavage, has his 1990 occupational Medicare-eligible retirees and their granddaughter Lighting for her life at this moment. And dependents from the company healthcare plan to our “hero”, Curtis Kennedy, is recovering from a critical Medicare private insurance plans effective May 1. motorcycle accident. Our thoughts and prayers go out As they have done so often in the past, thanks goes not only to these folks, but to our entire membership, again to Barbara Wilcox and Jim Heinze for their who might be in need. efforts to assist CenturyLink and help retirees in Money was transferred from the AUSWR CO/WY to the making this as easy as possible. All and all, a good job NRLN in the amount of $7,000 to help them defend our done by all involved. earned beneLits as retirees and seniors on Capitol Hill in Washington, D. C. Read Barbara’s report on the next page. ———Rommel—Rommel Other donations approved are to these groups: • Centura Health Links for SHIP in metro-Denver and other Colorado counties; AUSWR CO/WY monthly meetings • Wyoming Senior Citizens Inc. for WSHIP throughout are held at the: Wyoming; —Prince of Peace Lutheran Church • Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments for SHIP in —2400 South Colorado Blvd., Denver the Colorado Springs area; • Mesa County RSVP, Inc. for SHIP in Grand Junction. at 9:30 am on the nd The entire amount of $3,000 is for the 2 Monday of each month Medicare 101 classes that are being held in —barring bad weather. conjunction with AUSWR CO/WY and CenturyLink Meetings are open to all members. WYOMING NEWS date on the interaction between the CWA and CenturyLink. Hopefully we will share positive news for By Bob Rucker, Wyoming Co-President current employees and retirees. We hope to include the AUSWR CO/WY Co-President Bob Rucker and the director of the Wyoming Senior Citizens Organization at Wyoming Area Representatives: Gary Overturf (Casper), our meetings, as in the past. Jim Reddon (Lander/Riverton), and Dorothy Rhoades The AUSWR CO/WY board meets every month.