Please contact both Senators from your state to tell them that they should support the Akaka amendment to Sen Bill 1789. This bill could be taken up as soon as tomorrow, so time is nearly out to convince Senators to vote against 1789 or at least support Sen. Akaka’s amendment.
FLEOA BULLETIN:
FLEOA continues its fight to maintain the FECA benefits federal law enforcement officers have earned. Senator Akaka's Amendment S.2034 to the "21st Century Postal Reform Act" is a common sense reform that sustains the benefit levels all injured federal officers deserves and lays the groundwork for correcting the system so it better supports injured law enforcement officers.
FLEOA can't do this alone, it needs the help of EVERY member to call both of their respective Senator's DC offices and express to them the urgency of supporting Senator Akaka's amendment.
You can contact your Senators by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
Stay strong
FLEOA
Dear Senator:
I am writing on behalf of the more than 26,000 members of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association to advise you of our strong support for S. Amdt. 2034 to S. 1789, the “21st Century Postal Service Act,” offered by Senator Akaka.
As you know, included in Title III of the legislation are provisions to enact governmentwide reforms of the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). While FLEOA does not disagree with the need to reform both the U.S. Postal Service or FECA, we hardly believe it is appropriate to attempt both in the same legislative vehicle. More importantly, we have serious concerns about the impact that the reforms in Title III will have on injured law enforcement officers currently in the FECA system. In particular, the retroactive application of benefit cuts for law enforcement officers upon reaching retirement age and the elimination of the FECA supplement for dependents.
Amendment #2034 is a sensible compromise that will make commonsense changes to the FECA program without reducing benefits for those who have sacrificed their health in service of this nation. It would replace the current language of Title III with the text of H.R. 2465, the “Federal Workers' Compensation Modernization and Improvement Act,” which passed the House of Representatives last November by a unanimous voice vote. Specifically, Amendment #2034 will ensure injuries or illnesses sustained as the result of terrorism are covered as a war-risk hazard, streamline the claims process for workers who sustain a traumatic injury in a designated zone of armed conflict, expand the Labor Department’s (DOL) ability to collect from third parties and combat fraud, and promote greater accountability in the program. And that is why FLEOA respectfully requests your support for this important amendment.
On behalf of the membership of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, thank you for your attention to our concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact me, or our Washington Representative Chris Granberg at 202-457-7755, if we can provide you with any additional information or assistance.
Respectfully,
Jon Adler
National President
Respectfully,
Jon Adler
National President
