THE BULLETIN BOARD
April 2005
[April 6th]LifeCare® Can Help With All of Your Academic Needs!
Whether you have a child entering preschool, a college-bound teen, or any age in-between, LifeCare® can save you time and stress by helping you locate the most appropriate schools and educational programs for them.
For instance, LifeCare's highly trained academic specialists are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide counseling, education and referrals to help you:
- Locate schools in your area or nationwide
- Determine your child's readiness for kindergarten
- Find before- and after-school programs
- Help your child develop effective study and homework habits
- Assist children with special needs
- Locate extracurricular and enrichment programs
- And much more!
Plus, we can help college-bound teens:
- Locate colleges in your area or nationwide
- Understand and prepare for the college admission process
- Search and apply for financial aid and scholarships
- Manage the transition from home to college
And, if you are planning to return to school yourself, LifeCare also provides information and referrals on continuing education, graduate school, and more.
To access LifeCare, simply log on to www.lifecare.com. New users will need to register for the site by clicking the "New User? Click here to Register" link and entering registration code: postal.
When prompted for your Member ID, enter: your last name, followed by your first name (no spaces) plus your Date of Birth (no spaces) (Format YYMMDD). For assistance logging on to the web site, contact the Help Desk at 888-604-9565. Or, call 800-873-4636 to discuss your needs with a LifeCare specialist (if you are deaf or hard of hearing, call 800-873-1322).
[April 2nd]Elimination of the TSP Open Seasons: July 1, 2005
Public Law 108-469, which was signed into law on December 21, 2004, eliminates the Thrift Savings Plan open seasons and the restrictions on contribution elections which are tied to open seasons. The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board will implement this law on July 1, 2005.
After the close of the current TSP open season (December 31, 2004), there will be one more open season, April 15 through June 30, 2005. This means that participants may file contribution elections with their agencies or uniformed services at any time beginning April 15. Through June 30, these elections will be processed under the current rules. Beginning July 1, contribution elections will be processed under the new rules— that is, the elections must be made effective no later than the first full pay period after they are filed.
Participants must continue to file contribution elections with their agencies or services, and the agencies and services must continue to implement the elections by deducting contributions from participants' pay and reporting these amounts to the Thrift Savings Plan each pay period.
The law does not affect the waiting period new employees covered by the Federal Employees' Retirement System must serve before they become eligible for agency contributions to their accounts. In addition, the law does not affect contribution allocations or interfund transfers, which can be made at any time by using this Web site or the ThriftLine or by submitting an Investment Allocation form to the TSP.
[April 1st]John Edwards Walks APWU Picket Line
APWU Web News Article #14-05
John Edwards, the Democrat's vice presidential candidate last year, gave a boost to striking APWU truck drivers in Des Moines when he walked the picket line with them April 1.
The union drivers work for Mail Contractors of America (MCA), one of the nation's largest private mail haulers.
Edwards, a former U.S. senator, walked the line for about 20 minutes, according to Des Moines Area Local APWU President Lance Coles. "He expressed his support for the drivers' cause and talked with several of them individually," Coles said. "While walking with the APWU members, he spoke with President Burrus by phone."
More than 100 MCA drivers walked off the job March 22 in Des Moines and Kansas City, KS. About 70 MCA drivers in Jacksonville, FL, joined the walkout two days later. The strikers are demanding an end to unfair labor practices by the company.
Past Issues of the Bulletin Board
[March 2005]
[February 2005] [January 2005]
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