Some retirees are eligible for, and are receiving, a Spouse Allowance. Eligibility for that benefit enhancement include:

* 20 or more years of service credit
* Marriage to current spouse at least one year before your retirement benefits began
* Spouse is not receiving an employer-provided retirement benefit or did not receive an employer-provide lump sum retirement payout

Eligibility for this benefit would have been determined during the initial application process-before your benefits started-and would not be added at a later time.

The Spouse Allowance portion of a retirement benefit is a conditional benefit and is subject to reduction or discontinuance under certain circumstances. As long as the marital status* of the retired participant remains the same as it was on the benefit effective date and the spouse does not receive employer-provided retirement benefits of his/her own, the retiree remains eligible to continue receiving the Spouse Allowance. (*A divorce or death of a spouse would constitute a change in marital status.)

However, should any of these circumstances change at any time, it is the retiree’s responsibility to provide that information to the plan office as soon as possible to avoid any benefit overpayments that would have to be recovered. Thank you for your cooperation in helping us to administer plan benefits according to policy.

2008 Medicare Part B Premium

The premium that Medicare charges you for Part B will increase from $93.50 to $96.40 per month effective January 1, 2008. Retirees who are eligible for partial reimbursement of this premium will see an increase in this benefit with the January 27 benefit.

The North American Division has voted an increase in the pension factors effective January 1, 2008. Benefits for the general church plan will be increased by approximately 2.7%, and for the hospital plan approximately 2.5%. For a rough estimate of your new rate, multiply your current benefits by 1.027 for church service and 1.025 for hospital service. The reason for the difference is that the hospital plan policy calls for a 2.5% increase each year, and the church plan generally uses the Consumer Price Index.

We know it isn’t a pleasant thought, but in the event of your death, there are certain things that need to be done. On the next page, we’ve consolidated information for you to clip and keep with your important papers. Doing this will ease the pain of your passing for your family – because they know what to do and how to get it done. Also, once a death has been reported and the information processed, the name of that Retiree or Spouse is included in a list printed quarterly in Reflections. If for whatever reason a name is not included in the list, it will be included in the next quarterly list. We appreciate your patience.

The following information has been compiled to assist the surviving relative (spouse, child, etc.) Or friend in the steps to follow when reporting the death of a retiree or a retiree’s spouse.

1.In the sad event of a death, it is very important to contact the Retirement Office immediately, as future benefits can be affected if there is a surviving spouse. Please contact the Retirement Benefits Assistant who handles the part of the alphabet that begins with the first letter of the deceased’s last name to report the death. If they are not available at the time you call, please leave a message and they will get back to you as soon as possible. The telephone numbers and alphabet distribution are as follows:

Joyce Keeler (301) 680-6288 (A-C)
Diane Gatling (301) 680-6289 (D-G, V,X-Z)
Hellen Gorde (301) 680-6235 (H-J)
Linda Tatum (301) 680-6274 (K-M)
Sharon Kuykendall (301) 680-6283 (N-R)
Karin Dortch (301) 680-6248 (S-U, W)

2.Single life and survivor spouse benefits need to be discontinued as soon as possible after the date of death. A relative or close family friend should be chosen to make the phone call to Retirement, unless there is an executor of the estate.

3.The Retirement Plan requires that a death certificate be on file in order to process a death benefit. The death certificate may be faxed to (301) 680-6190, or mailed to:

NAD Retirement
ATTN: (Benefit Assistant’s name)
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600

4.The Retirement office will usually be able to give a death benefit amount (if retiree or spouse is eligible) during the phone call, and often survivor benefits can be quoted as well, if applicable. However, in many cases we will need to research our files and get back to you with this information.

We will need the name, address and telephone number of the person who is to receive the death benefit check. Please note that the death benefit shall be paid to the surviving spouse, or if there is no surviving spouse, to the person who has undertaken the responsibility for the funeral arrangements.

SHARP Questions

We understand the healthcare coverage questions can be complicated. Our office has two SHARP specialists who can answer your questions about your SHARP coverage. Joyce Macatiag (301) 680-6269 (A-M)
Vernon Rogers (301) 680-6273 (N-Z)

Recent news stories have been a sad reminder that it is important for everyone, regardless of age, to discuss their end-of-life wishes with family members and put them in writing in a legally recognized form. In the United States, four out of every five adults have no advance directive. In 1950, about half of Americans who died did so at home. Now, about 85% of Americans die in a health care setting: a hospital, a nursing home or a rehabilitation center. At least 12% die in an intensive care unit. Federal law governs the use of advance directives in that the Patient Self-Determination Act requires health care facilities that receive Medicaid and Medicare funds to inform patients of their rights to execute advance directives. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have their own laws recognizing the use of advance directives. A lawyer can help you understand the laws of the state you reside in, in order to make sure your wishes are followed. When making these decisions, let your values be your guide. Only you know what decisions you would be comfortable with and putting these wishes in legal form will give you the gift of peace of mind and your loved ones the gift of not having to make tough choices in a time of stress and emotion.

What is an Advance Directive?

An advance directive allows you to make your health care choices known in advance, and to designate someone to make medical decisions in the event you are not able to. It is a legal document in which you state how you want to be treated in the event you cannot communicate those wishes and there is no reasonable hope for your recovery. Below are the most common types of advance directives:

Living Will – A Living Will is a document that allows a person to explain in writing which medical treatment he or she does or does not want during a terminal illness. A Living Will takes effect only when the patient is incapacitated and can no longer express his or her wishes. The will states which medical treatments may be used and which may not be used to die naturally and without the patient’s life being artificially prolonged by various medical procedures.

Health Care Proxy – Some states allow you to designate a health care proxy, someone you trust, to make medical decisions for you in the event you are unable to make your wishes known yourself. You can specify what decisions your proxy is allowed to make. Your proxy then deals with the medical professionals to follow your wishes. Consult a lawyer who knows the specific laws of your state. Not all states automatically give family members authority to make medical decisions when a patient is incapacitated.

Durable Power of Attorney (DPA) – Although not generally considered an advance directive, this designation is coming up more and more in advance directive conversations. This goes beyond medical situations and designates a person who in the case of an incapacitating medical condition or many other types of specified instances, can make bank transactions, sign Social Security checks, apply for disability, or simply write checks to pay bills while you cannot. Contact your lawyer to complete the necessary paperwork.

Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order – A DNR is a request not to have cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if your heart stops or if you stop breathing. This decision should be made after discussion with your doctor about your specific situation. A DNR order is put in your medical chart by your doctor.

What types of decisions does a Living Will cover?

With an advance directive it is possible to accept all treatments recommended by the health care provider, accept some treatments and refuse others, or refuse all recommended treatments. In your advance directive you can choose to receive pain medicines for comfort even if you refuse other treatments. One of the most commonly mentioned treatment is different forms of nutrition and hydration. Depending on the state you live in, you may be able to accept or refuse other treatments, such as:

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Tube Feedings
Artificial respirations
Antibiotics
Dialysis
Surgery
Blood transfusions

Do you need an attorney to write a Advance Directive?

Advance directives deal with various legal issues and the legal and notarization requirements vary from state to state. The best way to make sure all issues and legalities are addressed is to work with or have adequate communication with an attorney.

First, obtain an “official” or generally accepted form for your state, plus one or two additional advance directive forms from other sources so you can study and compare variations in topics and wording. Forms can be obtained from doctors, hospitals, state senators and representatives, lawyers and online. Review the forms and if you are satisfied with one form as it is, fine, if not, don’t be afraid to combine elements from several forms until you have a document you are comfortable with and which reflects your wishes most clearly.

Second, discuss the contents of the forms with your physician, close family and any person you may name as proxy and attorney. Gather information about your current medical condition and its implications for future medical problems; clarify your own values and wishes; and ask your physician, close family and proxy if they are willing to support you in the way you want. You may feel more comfortable bringing your pastor into the discussion also.

Third, complete the form you choose, Be sure to follow the witnessing instructions for your state exactly. Most, but not all states, require two completely disinterested witnesses. Most states do NOT require the document to be notarized, but check with your attorney or a state government representative.

You may change or cancel your advance directive(s) at any time, as long as you are considered of sound mind to do so. Again, your changes must be made, signed and notarized according to the laws in your state. Make sure that your doctor and any family members who knew about your directives are also aware that you have changed them.

Resources:

To find more information about living wills/advance directives, as well as state-by-state appropriate forms, contact the following organizations:

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
1700 Diagonal Road
Suite 625
Alexandria, VA 22314
1-800-658-8898
consumers@nhpco.org
www.caringinfo.org

U.S. Living Will Registry
523 Westfield Ave.
P.O. Box 2789
Westfield, NJ 07091-2789
1-800-548-9455
admin@uslivingwillregistry.com
www.uslivingwillregistry.com

Aging with Dignity
1-888-5-WISHES (594-7437)
www.agingwithdignity.org

American Bar Association
740 Fifteenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005-1022
1-202-662-8690
abaaging@abanet.org
www.abanet.org/aging

Main | HR Personnel | Current Employees | RetireesYou may change or cancel your advance directive(s) at any time, as long as you are considered of sound mind to do so. Again, your changes must be made, signed and notarized according to the laws in your state. Make sure that your doctor and any family members who knew about your directives are also aware that you have changed them.