District Community Connections

Tracie Eubank on July 17, 2022

By Deryl Davis Fulmer, PhD, Community Liaison

Fellow Retirees,


The NCRGEA experienced a great Celebration of Public Service during June 6-10, 2022. Several of our members participated and provided their views on the joys of retirement during a panel discussion entitled: Relaxed and Ready to Roll: Reimagining Retirement. They were excellent and helped the audience to know that retirement is (and can be) all you want it to be! The discussion was led by Sharbara Ellis, District 6, and the chat was monitored by Dorothy Davis, also of District 6. Panelists were Dr. Earl Moore (District 7), Dr. Gary Ackley (District 8), Dr. Doris Carver (District 4), Horace Robertson (District 8), Brenda G. Moore (District 5) and Cynthia Williamson (District 6 and the brain- child of this session). Members also sent in pictures and stories about their active and engaged lives that we featured via Facebook. A video was created showcasing members in recognition of their contributions to public service and their continued activities in their respective communities. It is obvious that our members are active and engaged. It is obvious that our members enriched the lives of North Carolinians during their careers. And, it is obvious that State and Local Governmental Retirees continue to serve communities across the State! Let’s stay active and engaged, and remember Retirement Reimagined, Relaxed and Ready to Roll!

Thank you, Panelists and Board members who participated. A special thanks is extended to Rosalie Calarco of AARP Coastal Region for sponsoring the Bingo game and the Humana Neighborhood Centers for sponsoring the exercise session. Three Board members, Suzanne Merrill (District 8), Karl Sanders (District 5) and Cecil Wood
(District 2) shared information on the NCRGEA’s local engagement initiative and how members can get involved. In the afternoon, Board members from across NC held “Nice to Meet You” sessions to help members know who they are and their goals to realize the expansion of local engagement and to grow membership. Thank you Vann Langston, Karl Sanders, Jerry Pinkard, Martha Sue Hall, Suzanne Merrill, Bob Shepherd, Libby McAteer, Cecil Wood, Ben Neal, Bobby Burleson and Frank Lewis!


If you missed the activities during that week, please go to NCRGEA YouTube where it is posted for your convenience. We hope that you will visit often!

Get to Know the NCRGEA Trivia Game

The July Trivia game is available on our website under the “News” tab. Our May $50 gift card winner is Sheilia Fox, from Granite Falls, NC, Caldwell County (District 2). Sheilia retired in 2006 from the Department of Social Services and is a local government retiree. She continues to be active and engaged and holds a part-time job in her community. Please find out more about Sheilia on Facebook.

Trivia answers for May 2022:

Questions: NCRGEA is hosting a Celebration of Public Service Week schedule from June 6-11, 2022. What is the purpose? Name 5 events occurring during the week. Answers: To honor public servants of North Carolina and their service. Advocacy, Digital Communications, Service, Local Engagement and Public Service Perception

And finally, remember that our collective voices and our growth are important! Please contact me at deryl@rgea.info to see where you can become active and engaged!


Deryl
deryl@rgea.info

Break the Circle of Silence

Tracie Eubank on July 17, 2022

By Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall

Just a few weeks ago, we marked World Elder Abuse Awareness Day as well as Elder Abuse Awareness Month. It is so important to take this time to shine a light on the damage done by elder abuse, including the financial exploitation of seniors.


Financial abuse is one of the most common forms of elder abuse, estimated to cost seniors across the country as much as $36 billion a year. The Secretary of State’s Securities Division steps in where financial abuse takes the form of investment fraud. We protect North Carolina’s investing public through registration, regulation and education. We take our role in protecting North Carolina’s seniors from investment fraud very seriously, and we know that we are constantly fighting an uphill battle. North Carolina is a destination state for retirees, and as more Baby Boomers hit retirement age our state is becoming a bigger target for scam artists.

We estimate that about half our securities enforcement actions involve fraud targeting seniors. There are many reasons for that, from issues like cognitive decline and social isolation to the number one reason: Seniors typically have more savings in the bank. Despite that, studies indicate that for every documented case of a senior being targeted by a scam artist, another 44 cases never get reported at all.


The first step to spotting and stopping fraud is breaking the circles of silence that con artists try to build around their scams. Every one of us can be part of that step simply by having conversations. It is never a bad time to remind people that if an investment deal sounds too good to be true – it probably is.

If you see something suspicious, please do not hesitate to call our North Carolina Investor Hotline at 800-688-4507. The sooner we hear about a possible investment scam, the sooner we can try to stop the damage. Our Securities Division staff can tell you if the person making an investment offering is registered to sell securities in North Carolina. Plus—and this is major—we can tell you if the investment offering itself is registered. If the answer to either of those questions is “no,” put your hand on your wallet and walk away.

We also have a great investor education team that holds community workshops to give North Carolinians the tools they need to recognize the signs of fraud and report it. In addition, we email out an electronic newsletter with information the investing public needs to know.


Information and a healthy sense of skepticism are essential defenses against fraud, so always ask before you invest. Don’t hesitate to ask questions if you have a friend, a family member or a neighbor that you believe is being targeted by a scam artist— make no mistake—these are criminals that need to be held accountable.

NCRGEA Completes Successful Celebration of Public Service Week

Tracie Eubank on July 17, 2022

LivingPower Newsletter, July/Aug. 2022

Dennis McNair
Dr. Deryl Fulmer and Margaret Burrell
Brenda Moore

A week-long virtual event just for retirees? That’s exactly what NCRGEA hosted with its Celebration of Public Service Week, June 6-10. Designed for North Carolina government retirees, pre-retirees, and benefits specialists, the conference is one of the few offered strictly for retirees’ benefit in the United States. With sessions reflecting the needs and interests of this demographic, over 900+ people registered to learn more.

During the conference, we were fortunate to hear from a number of North Carolina dignitaries, including Congressman Greg Murphy, Governor Roy Cooper, and State Treasurer Dale Folwell, as they recognized the important work and dedication public servants provide for their communities. Our service + benefits sessions ranged from Social Security updates and information for 2022 to preparing Power of Attorney and other documents in preparation for unexpected events. Attendees also heard from retirees who described how they are reimagining retirement by remaining active through physical fitness, volunteer work, bonus careers or developing new skills.

Whether it was the low-impact soup can workout or the chance to meet others in their NCRGEA districts, conference participants had a variety of experiences during the week. The conference came to a strong close with several presentations surrounding advocacy. Topics included specific ways in which retirees can successfully communicate with legislators, the implications of the Lake Case ruling, and an interview with NC State Representative Erin Paré.

Other Celebration of Public Service Week highlights included Clifton Blake Metcalf being named the first recipient of the NCRGEA Lifetime Public Service Award (pg. 3) to the announcement of Tim O’Connell as the new Executive Director of the organization (pg. 8). To learn more about either of them, be sure to read the articles included in this newsletter.

So, what did we learn from our first week-long conference? First, putting an event on of this length involves incredible preparation — from lining up presenters and coordinating the technology — to marketing the event and preparing staff to provide support. It’s amazing what a group of dedicated individuals will do to support North Carolina’s public servants. Second, we learned that attendees preferred to watch session videos later in the day or evening vs. attending live events. This data, and the rest we’ve gathered, are important because the information will impact when we offer programming in the future. For NCRGEA, it’s all about meeting our members’ needs, and it reflects, once again, how retirees are living busy lives that may leave them little time during the day. In fact, survey feedback from those who didn’t attend indicates that the most common reason was the session timing. Third, we learned attendees found the sessions to be of excellent quality, with the vast majority rating them a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale. This information means our selected topics were mostly on target to meet retirees’ needs and interests.

Thanks to all who attended Celebration of Public Service Week, whether live or later, and to those who answered our survey with regard to nonattendance. There’s also still time to participate in the survey at bit.ly/NCRGEACelebrationSurvey. If you didn’t get a chance to participate in the conference, then the session videos are available on NCRGEA’s YouTube channel at bit.ly/ncrgeayoutube.

Blythe Evans
Wynette and Chris Martin

NCRGEA Members Who Referred the Most Conference Registrants – $50 gift card

Sherese Austin, Wallace, NC

Nancy Broos, Thomasville, NC

Brenda Moore, Williamston, NC

Conference Participation Winners – $25 gift card

Sharon Ashmore, Stanley, NC
Joyce Branch, Greensboro, NC
Sherretta Carter, Durham, NC
Elloree Erwin, Charlotte, NC
Susan Wilson, Leicester, NC
Glen Hughes, Candler, NC
Deaudrea Irving, Carthage, NC

Darlene Jacobs, Durham, NC
Avery Johnson, Apex, NC
Sharon King, Charlotte, NC
Wynette Martin, Kernersville, NC
Edward McClure, Statesville, NC
Dennis McNair, Fayetteville, NC
Brenda Moore, Williamston, NC

Sandra Prange, West Jefferson, NC
Beverly Reynolds, Lexington, NC
Marilyn Royal, Fayetteville, NC
Vicki Simmons, Thomasville, NC
Pattie Smith, Elizabeth City, NC
Susan Wilson, Leicester, NC
Sylvia Wynn, Kannapolis, NC

Trivia Winners – $25 gift card

Mary Daniels, Longwood, NC
Hazel Gibbs, Chapel Hill, NC
Sharon Gibson, Statesville, NC
Buddy Jean Morris, New London, NC

Dennis McNair, Fayetteville, NC
Janice Putman, Hillsborough, NC
Beverly Reynolds, Lexington, NC
Jackie Rogers, Southport, NC

Francena Robinson, Burgaw, NC
Dyanna Sherrill, Newton, NC
Lisa Ward, Winston-Salem, NC
Susan Wilson, Leicester, NC

North Carolina Retirement Systems Experiencing High Volume of Calls

Tracie Eubank on July 13, 2022

Due to an increased number of phone calls this month, North Carolina Retirement Systems requests NCRGEA members and any other contacts to use the “Callback assist” option offered immediately after the anticipated hold-time message.

The Callback option keeps the member’s call back request in the queue — and the call will be returned when that slot comes up in the order in which it was received. Most issues, such as EFT bank change, tax withholding, addresses, beneficiaries, etc., can be changed by the member in their ORBIT account, eliminating a need to call altogether.

NC Retirement Systems expects the issue to be resolved in a couple of weeks.

2022 State Budget Signed by Governor Roy Cooper

Tracie Eubank on July 13, 2022

Governor Roy Cooper signed the state 2022 budget Monday, July 11, one day before it would become law without his signature. The $27.9 billion budget provides pay increases for teachers, state government workers, and raises per hour wages for non-salaried state workers. The budget also provides an additional 1 percent state retiree bonus to an already appropriated 3 percent bonus that will hit bank accounts and mailboxes in October.


While legislative leadership and the governor worked together more closely than any other year in Cooper’s tenure, the session did not come without hiccups. Two of the anticipated larger pieces of legislation expected to see light in this year’s summer short session, Medicaid expansion and medical marijuana, hit obstacles that sent lawmakers home without resolution.


Although these major efforts may be postponed for now, legislative leadership praised the budget as both bipartisan and fiscally responsible.


“I’m pleased to see the governor finally signed the budget,” Sen. Joyce Krawiac (R—Forsyth) said. The healthcare, DHHS appropriations, and pensions chairwoman added, “This is a fiscally responsible budget that had bipartisan support. It continues the sensible spending that has guided our state for more than a decade.”


In December 2021, state retirees received a 2 percent bonus. In October 2022, retirees will receive a 4 percent bonus, totaling 6 percent in all for the 2021-2022 biennium. The Local Government Retirement Board of Trustees approved a 2 percent bonus in January that will reach local retirees this October.


The budget also provides ample rainy day fund increases to abate inflation, additional mental health support for public schools, and a substantial increase in public works funding for rural areas.

House Speaker Tim Moore issued a statement regarding the governor’s signature.


“We are pleased Gov. Cooper signed this responsible spending plan into law. Moving forward, we are committed to working together to improve healthcare, access and expand Medicaid, while providing the necessary safeguards to preserve the state’s fiscal health,” Moore said.

A Letter from New Board President Michael Taylor

Tracie Eubank on June 29, 2022

I am honored to have been elected the new Board President for NCRGEA.

In NCRGEA’s 52-year history, I do not believe the organization has been better positioned to move forward than we are now. I base that optimism on five facts:


1. We have a very receptive audience in the current NCRGEA membership, which is just over 50,000. Our members, who are more engaged in their community and other activities than any previous group of retirees, want their organization to be more engaged as well. They want us to offer more benefits and activities for them and to be a
louder voice on their behalf in the corridors of power in Raleigh. If we do this for the current membership, we become more attractive to the other 300,000 plus state and local retirees in our state.


2. Our strategic plan offers us a road map to a better, stronger NCRGEA. All points in this plan are designed to improve our services to current members and to expand our reach with new members.


3. Financially, NCRGEA has the resources to implement our strategic plan. We must use our balance sheet to better meet the needs of our current membership, who helped grow our budget, while reaching out to new members.


4. With a new Executive Director and our long-serving staff in Raleigh, NCRGEA has the human capital to move us forward like never before.


5. Finally, with our current board and the most recent additions, the NCRGEA Board of Directors gives the organization the leadership to work with the new executive director and our staff, use our financial resources, and follow our strategic plan road map to focus on growing the organization by better serving our current membership while reaching out to thousands more.


These points are the source of my optimism for the future of NCRGEA and lead me to conclude, like the title of the 1980s song says, “The future is so bright, you gotta wear shades.”

NCRGEA Legislative Update: North Carolina’s 2023 Budget Takes a Good Shot But Misses Mark

Tracie Eubank on June 29, 2022

June 28, 2022

This week, the legislative leadership rolled out a comprehensive budget addressing many current and anticipated matters, including recession and employee recruitment and retention. While doing so; however, the budget failed to support both active and retired government employees as had been hoped.

Retirees will receive an additional 1 percent bonus to an already scheduled 3 percent bonus this October. In all, retirees will receive a 6 percent bonus for the two-year 2021-2023 biennium, having received a 2 percent bonus in 2021, and 4 percent this fall. 

This past January, local government retirees, who are typically not included in general fund appropriations, receive a 2 percent bonus from LGERS Board of Directors, to be distributed as required by law in October 2022. Investment returns from the local government retirement system funded the bonus.

“I’d like to thank our legislative leadership for the grueling work they’ve done to create the budget,” said NCRGEA Executive Director Tim O’Connell. “It’s clear to me, though, that our legislative leadership remains somewhat deafened to the needs of retirees. While we recognize the impact 6 percent in bonus money has and will have on retirees – and it’s a positive impact – we have yet to make up for the years of pension value loss retirees have suffered since the Great Recession. 

“While we will continue to fight for our retirees, we do indeed recognize and thank legislative leadership for providing the largest bonus money seen in many years, and one of the largest in the United States. But we have more work to do.” 

No budget sails smoothly, and this year’s budget may experience some bumps in the days to come. House Minority Leader Robert Reives said, “I think it’s going to be a fight,” while others are calling on Gov. Roy Cooper to veto the non-amendable conference report. 

State Treasurer Dale Folwell praised the bonus and efforts by the General Assembly to provide additional money for retirees. “They’ve fully funded the pension plan and the state health plan, and given retirees one of the biggest bonuses in years. And paid for it.” (Will Doran, News and Observer).

Active employees will see increases starting July 1, with additional boosts from last year’s long session raises of 2.5 percent. In all, active TSERS will receive a 3.5 percent increase in pay. The average teacher pay increase will be 4.2 percent, with additional incentive bonus pay for teachers in underserved counties.

When questioned during the press conference yesterday by reporters, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger said the budget, “was the right budget for North Carolina at this time.” Leaders said that the 2022 budget was built to help the state weather current and predicted economic trends and also provide needed infrastructure improvements in state government facilities, water and sewer, as well as the sale of several exhausted properties. 

Staff and consultants for NCRGEA will continue to study the budget very closely for any additional items of interest to retirees. 

You can find the bill of text of state budget here: H103-PCCS20003-MLXR-9 (ncleg.gov)

North Carolina Institute of Medicine Launches Task Force on Healthy Aging

Tracie Eubank on June 14, 2022

North Carolina Institute of Medicine Launches Task Force on Healthy Aging

MORRISVILLE (May 31, 2022) – The North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) has launched a Task
Force on Healthy Aging to focus on policies and practices to support aging in place in North Carolina
Communities with funding from The Duke Endowment, the North Carolina Department of Health and
Human Services, and AARP North Carolina.


With the increasing older adult population in our state, this task force will specifically identify
recommendations related to social connections, nutrition, mobility, and preventing falls. Over 60 task
force members are engaged as experts in topics related to aging in place, as well as leaders in faith
communities, local and state government, academia, health care, and other sectors. Two co-chairs for
this work bring their expertise in aging – Dr. Tamara Baker, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, and Dennis Streets, the retired former
Executive Director of Chatham County Council on Aging. The first task force meeting was convened on
May 10, 2022, and featured robust discussions of the current opportunities and challenges facing these
issues and the potential for improvements.


“We are excited to partner with leading experts in aging, public health, and community services to
identify the necessary strategies for healthy aging in North Carolina. We are confident that this task
force will help strengthen our state and local systems and services to provide healthy, supported aging
in our state,” says Kathy Colville, NCIOM President and CEO.


Ten task force meetings will take place through December 2022 and are open to the public. A final
report will be published in early 2023 with actionable recommendations to inform policies to support
healthy aging. To learn more, visit https://nciom.org/task-force-on-healthy-aging/.


The North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) is an independent, quasi-state agency that was
chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1983 to provide balanced, nonpartisan information
on issues of relevance to the health of North Carolina’s population. For more information, visit www.nciom.org.