President’s Newsletter Message

Tracie Eubank on March 4, 2022

June-July 2022 Message

This is my last letter to you as President of NCRGEA. I do hope that you have found these letters to be informative about what we do for you and how much we consider each of you a member of our public servant family. And what do families do? We stick together and support one another. Well, as I leave my two-year tenure as your President and 10 years as a Board member, I want you to know that we need to keep on sticking together. You did your duty even in the tough times, and now it’s time for state and local officials to do their duty to our many retirees, whether it be pensions, COLAs or health insurance!

You have heard already that, after 10 years, the Supreme Court ruled on the Lake Case in the favor of state public servants who had joined the State workforce for a salary often below the market rate, with the promise that health insurance would be provided at no cost for an 80/20 plan. When the State reneged on that promise in 2011 by charging a fee for our health insurance, 28 plaintiffs, including Justice I. Beverly Lake, and one past and one current NCRGEA Board member, sued the State. NCRGEA supported that suit on behalf of our members from the very beginning and has spent over $300,000 supporting that effort. Yes, it was a gamble over those 10 years when the outcome was not certain, but we knew NCRGEA needed to stand up for its members and all other retirees. Look for more news about the Lake case in this newsletter on page 2.

Previously, I announced that we had hired an interim ED while we searched for a new one. I want you to know that Bryan Setser and his team have not only kept the trains running on time, but they are producing more new services than ever before. If you have checked our website, you have already seen the first efforts at making the site more modern and user friendly while adding much new content. Over the next few years, you will find the NCRGEA website to be the “go-to site” for the lifestyle of retirees. We want to be the one place where you can go to be connected to all kinds of services you need to live a better, richer life. As I write this letter in April, we are in the midst of the Executive Director search led by Martha Sue Hall. Hopefully, we will be informing you of the new Executive Director at our June board meeting.

Elsewhere in this publication, you will learn details about one of the staff’s greatest achievements – a week-long virtual celebration of Public Service and Public Servants for the first full week of June. Instead of a few district meetings this Spring, all 65,000 of you will have access to presentations spread over most of the week, so you

can choose what topics you want to learn about. The topics are those traditionally offered at our district meetings, plus many, many more. You can read much more about these opportunities in this newsletter on page 4 and on the website and social media.

You will also find in this newsletter several opportunities for you to participate in our efforts to recognize the contributions you and others make to our state, counties and municipalities. As a family of public servants during our careers, and even in retirement, let’s celebrate that.

You and I are proud to have been public servants and I am honored to have served you on our Board.

Vann Langston, NCRGEA President

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March-April 2022 Message

There have been a few developments in recent months here at NCRGEA you need to know about. After seven and a half years as Executive Director, Richard Rogers has re- signed to pursue other opportunities. His years of service leave us in a much better place. In fact, he is leaving us with an excellent strategic plan which will lead to even better services to our members and to increased membership. The Board is grateful for his service and wishes him well in his future endeavors.

NCRGEA is fortunate that Bryan Setser will serve as Interim Executive Director until summer. His company, Setser Group, was essential in the development of our Strategic Plan and has provided transition support to our staff since last June. Don’t forget, too, that our knowledgeable staff will continue providing member support, while our lobbyists work daily on your behalf, as they did with the recent retiree bonuses.

Over the next few years, you will see a dramatic expansion of member services, including a campaign to improve the public’s image of govern- ment service and public servants. We are convinced that the decline in the general public’s appreciation of public service underlies many of the prob- lems we face today. It is hard to convince voters and legislators to spend tax revenue on pensions, health care, or even direct public services when they don’t value governmental services and believe you can get something without paying for it. We are not saying we shouldn’t be efficient and effec- tive, but the government can’t run shorthanded forever.

In this newsletter, you will find a statement from Josh Stein, our Attorney General, outlining his efforts to fight scams and robocalls. Please understand that scammers know which organizations we support, but a tug at our heartstrings doesn’t mean we should donate. So, have you been called by the Police Officers PAC or the Americans for Female Officers PAC and many other “worthy causes” that end in “PAC”? Please be aware that “PAC” stands for Political Action Committee. That means your donation is not tax deductible, and the organization has few, if any, rules governing how the funds are spent. Neither of the “police” PACs listed above actually provide funds to police departments or individual officers; therefore, they are scams. Before donating, Google these PACs, visit www.Charitynavigator.org to check out real charities, or call your local police, fire departments, etc. to ask how you can help locally.

Remember that old saying, “Charity begins at home.” Our organization will always fight for you against these scammers, and please be vigilant in the days ahead.

Vann Langston, NCRGEA President

Six Reasons to Become an Advocate

Tracie Eubank on March 2, 2022

In April, we will offer virtual training on issues facing retirees and strat- egies to best advocate for our retiree community. Join us and become a retiree advocate.

Here are six reasons to become an advocate:

  1. To safeguard your retirement, quality of life, and one of your biggest investments over the span of you career: your pension. While your pension benefits are protected by both the state constitution and case law, your voice to secure cost of living adjustments and other bonuses needs to be heard.
  2. To safeguard the future investments of our children, be they our own or those in our communities: We need teachers, law enforcement officers, first responders and all professionals who keep our communities safe, clean, and highly functioning. A well-funded and well-managed pension will allow communities to continue recruiting top candidates.
  3. To protect one of our state’s greatest, and most important, assets: North Carolina Retirement Systems is the 26th largest defined benefit system in the world. Year after year it remains one of the top ten best funded systems in the United States and fuels the state’s AAA bond rating. It is a gem worth fighting to protect.
  4. Because at the end of the day, advocacy is fun. We love our families, communities; we love North Carolina. Advocating shows our dedication and passion for the Old North State and her people.
  5. Because it fosters leadership: it takes gumption to stand up for something, no matter how right you may be on the matter. We are all called to be leaders. You have an opportunity to develop your leadership skills by participating in NCRGEA advocacy trainings.
  6. It is time to patch back together our lives from the destruction of the COVID-19 pandemic. You had to shelter in place for your health and for our public health, but that does not mean you have to sacrifice your voice, principles, or future.

We hope you will join us! Stay in touch by visiting rgea.info/advocacy/.

Humana Neighborhood Centers Welcome NC State Health Plan Members

Tracie Eubank on March 2, 2022

Humana Neighborhood Centers, both in-person and online via the Virtual Neighborhood Center, offer special events, programs and activities designed to educate on physical and mental health. Many services can be used by anyone, including those who are not Humana members, at no cost. Each location offers a unique calendar of in-person or virtual events, programs and activities.

In-person locations are operating with limited capacity and by appointment to ensure the safety of visitors. Humana’s Virtual Neighborhood Center offers daily online classes on learning to manage health conditions, cooking healthy meals and learning to improve mental and physical health at home.

There are five Neighborhood Centers in North Carolina: Asheville, Greensboro, Charlotte, Raleigh and Winston-Salem. The centers offer classes and events and customer care specialists are onsite to answer plan benefit questions. Licensed Humana sales agents are available to help eligible non-members choose and enroll in Humana plans. Beginning in May, Humana Neighborhood Centers will host North Carolina State Health Plan (NCSHP) educational events at all five centers each month in 2022.

NC Attorney General Josh Stein on ACA Protection & Fraud Prevention

Tracie Eubank on February 17, 2022

Attorney General Josh Stein

February 2022

As your attorney general, it’s an honor for me to go to work every day to protect the people of North Carolina. My colleagues at the Department of Justice and I are dedicated to making North Carolinians’ lives better. You all understand the reward that comes from public service because you have also devoted your lives to serving others – thank you. As attorney general, please know that I am committed to safeguarding the rights of older or retired North Carolinians.

That includes fighting to make sure you can receive affordable quality health care. I have fought to defend the Affordable Care Act all the way to the Supreme Court – and won. The ACA protects more than 4 million North Carolinians from being discriminated against because of their pre-existing conditions, and it saves more than 1.8 million North Carolina seniors more than $1,100 a year on drug costs on average. Health care is a basic right, and I’ll continue to defend it. 

Additionally, my Consumer Protection Division works to protect seniors, students, and consumers from frauds and scams. During my time as attorney general, my office has won back more than $2.5 billion through consumer and taxpayer relief for the people of North Carolina. 

Fraudsters often prey on older or vulnerable populations to try to scam you out of your hard-earned money. In 2021 alone, my office received more than 1,000 complaints of elder fraud. 

Of course, the issue I hear about the most is robocalls. They are a scourge that disrupt our peace of mind every single day, and worse, rob people of their hard-earned money. Last year, North Carolinians filed more than 10,000 robocall reports with my office. That’s why I’m leading a nationwide group of 51 attorneys general and 15 phone companies to push the phone companies to put technology in place that prevents these robocalls from coming to your phone in the first place. 

And we’re also working together to hold these scammers accountable for their behavior. This January, I brought a lawsuit against telephone service provider Articul8 and its owner Paul K. Talbot for allowing tens of millions of illegal robocalls from international callers on the U.S. telephone network. The only way telemarketers can inundate our phones with robocalls is with the complicity of these gateway phone companies. These phone companies turn a blind eye to illegal robocalls in order to make money on each call. It’s wrong. It violates state and federal law, and I won’t tolerate it.

But the best thing you can do to protect yourself is watch out for the common warning signs of a scam: 

  • If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 
  • A lot of exciting offers require you to make a small advance payment first. Don’t fall for it.
  • Don’t give your bank account or Social Security number to anyone you don’t know. 
  • If you get a call or email from someone you don’t recognize, or from a company you may do business with, examine it closely. Call or email the business back through a number or website you know to be legitimate. 
  • Pay with your credit card when you purchase so you can dispute a purchase if needed.
  • If you’re feeling pressured or something doesn’t feel right, pause and verify with someone you trust. 

I encourage you to visit our website at www.ncdoj.gov to learn more about how you can recognize the signs of a scam and protect yourself. If you have questions or think you might have been victimized by a scammer, report it to my office at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or ncdoj.gov/complaint. 

As your attorney general, I’ll go after anyone who breaks the law to harm North Carolinians. And I’ll continue to fight to protect your rights and make sure we all have the opportunity to pursue our dreams, take care of those we love, be a part of strong, stable communities, and live out our lives with dignity. Thank you for your service to our state and its people.

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