CALL TO ACTION

To Congressman John L. Mica:

I am concerns about how my earned federal civilian retirement and health benefits could be affected by the budget-cutting attempts.

1. 1.) Federal civilian retirement does not face the same solvency challenges as trust funds that support Social Security and Medicare. Indeed, the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (CSRDF) is fully funded and actuarially sound. In summary, by definition, under the financing arrangements set out in current law, the system is not now and never will be ‘insolvent’ or without adequate budget authority for payment of benefits.

2. 2.) Federal retirement will not be directly affected by the boom in the senior population because the federal retirement population is a function of the size of the federal work force, not the general population.

3. 3.) Disturbing is the plan to require our public servants to pay an increasingly higher share of Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) premiums.

4. 4.) Disturbing also is the suggestion to use the Chained -Consumer Price- Index (C-CPI-U) to set cost-of-living adjustments. The proposals would serve to further erode the benefits public servants have earned doing the nation’s work.

Can I count on you to preserve COLA equity between all federal retirement programs and defend the integrity of a system that provides deferred compensation and benefits to individuals who have dedicated their careers to public service? Please, reply to this letter.

You’re Constituent,