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CCGNRC
12 June 2012
Your Coast Guard Retiree Resources - Commandant of the Coast Guard
National Retiree Council
Greetings to all Coast Guard retirees and annuitants from the Co-Chairs of
the Commandant of the Coast Guard National Retiree Council (CCGNRC)!
To connect with your Regional Retiree Council, so that you can receive
valuable and timely retiree information, please read the Commandant of the
Coast Guard National Retiree Council section of The Coast Guard/NOAA
Retirees’ Newsletter published by Pay and Personnel Center (PPC), Topeka.
You can access additional information on the National Retiree Council from
the website:
CCGNRC’s National Retiree Help Desk (NRHD)
telephone/E-mail “HOTLINE" has handled hundreds of inquiries since standup
in July 2006. All USCG retirees or their family members are encouraged to
contact the NRHD by voicemail: 202-475-5381 or 1-866-664-6245 or by e-mail,
NRHDesk@gmail.com if they have
questions or problems that are not otherwise being addressed or resolved.
The NRHD team will make every effort to provide an answer or aid in getting
you to the right person with the right answer.
There are ways you can get involved in today’s Coast Guard if you are so
inclined and have the time. These include joining your Regional Retiree Council
or starting one if it does not exist, joining the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and
assisting the Work-Life Program. Today’s Coast Guard Auxiliary provides a
broader range of support to Coast Guard missions. America’s Volunteer
Guardians is strong and has renewed focus and continues to offer an
exceptional venue for retirees to continue to participate and give back to
the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard Regional Retiree Councils continue to provide service to the
many Coast Guard retirees who served ably and honorably to our nation
throughout their active duty, reserve or civilian careers. We are now
thirteen (13) Coast Guard Regional Retiree Councils strong, with the recent
additions of councils in Tampa/St Petersburg, FL and Mobile, AL. We have
also begun planning for a new council in New England (Boston, MA). But we
can do better. We are looking for retirees who are interested in starting up
new regional councils in areas with a high Coast Guard retiree populations
or where Coast Guard Bases exist, specifically Elizabeth City, St. Louis,
Los Angeles/Long Beach, New Orleans, Ketchikan, Kodiak, and New London
On the National Retiree Council level, we have added the new Co-Chairs of
our newly chartered Coast Guard Regional Retiree Councils. From the Tampa/St
Petersburg Regional Council, YNC Kim Lorigan USCG (ret) and CDR Don
Goldstein USCG (ret) were added and from the Mobile Regional Council, CAPT
Terry Gilbreath USCG (ret) and BMCS Jack Crowley USCG (ret) were added.
Additionally, we have added three new At-Large Members. As Military Service
Organization Liaisons, we have added CAPT Bud Schneeweis, USCG (ret) from
the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) and YNC Penny Collins
USCGR (ret) from the Fleet Reserve Association (FRA), and as the
Representative from the Coast Guard National Help Desk, CAPT Bob Warakomsky,
USCG (ret) was added.
The CCGNRC program is on the cusp of major change. The Coast Guard Retiree
Council Program was established in the early 1990s by ADM Kime. It was
updated in the early 2000s by ADM Loy to the current CCGNRC format. Now in
the early 2010s, ADM Papp is changing the CCGNRC Program to a Coast Guard
Retiree Services Program, with the Coast Guard taking a much more active
role in servicing Coast Guard Retirees, with focused support provided by the
Coast Guard Retiree Councils.
In May 2011 we hosted our tenth annual meeting of the Commandant of the Coast Guard National Retiree Council. In addition to retiree informational briefings, the Council had an ambitious agenda of retiree advocacy issues and recommendations development, primarily the review and endorsement of the Proposal to Improve the CG Retiree Services Program drafted by the CCGNRC Co-Chairs. Based upon the endorsement of the CCGNRC, the Commandant directed that a Project Officer be brought onboard to work on developing the policy for and implementation to improve the Coast Guard Retiree Services Program. Additionally, the Assistant Commandant for Human Resources (CG-1), RADM Hewitt, established a Retiree Affairs Working Group (RAWG) to support this effort. The CCGNRC Co-Chairs provided assistance to the Project Officer and the RAWG for the major effort to rewrite of the Commandant Instruction (COMDTINST) 1800.5 (Series).
In May 2012 we hosted our eleventh annual meeting of the Commandant of the Coast Guard National Retiree Council. You can access the 2011 and 2012 CCGNRC Reports off this website. Again, in addition to the retiree informational briefs, the Council reviewed and developed recommendations for the draft COMDTINST 1800.5G, and met in newly established Standing Committees to work on retiree advocacy issues and recommendations. The CCGNRC produced ten Retiree Affairs issues and recommendations for the Commandant’s consideration. The new CCGNRC Standing Committees and Co-Chairs are:
-
Benefits and Entitlements Committee –
led by CAPT Bud Schneeweis and YNC Penny Collins -
Outreach and Volunteer Services Committee –
led by CWO Fred Siegel and CAPT David Bernstein -
USCG Unique Retiree Services and Program Committee –
led CDR Don Goldstein and RADM Bert Kinghorn
In May 2012 the Coast Guard Reserve and Military Personnel Policy Directorate (CG-13), led by RADM Steve Day and his deputy, CAPT Steve Nye, assumed the duties as the Program Manager for the new Coast Guard Retiree Services Program. The CCGNRC Co-Chairs will assist them and the staff assigned to complete COMDTINST 1800.5G and plan for and execute implementation of the new Coast Guard Retiree Services Program. Once the new COMDTINST 1800.5G is approved, we will provide you the details of this new Program.
The CCGNRC and Regional Councils exist due to a cadre of highly dedicated retirees. We sincerely enjoy working with the Regional Council Co-chairs in disseminating information important to retirees, ensuring your voices are heard by the Commandant and the Military Coalition, and seeking support/nurturing Regional Council activities and involvement in the day to day Coast Guard. As Council Co-Chairs, we’ve seen the Council progress and grow … and soon to transform. However, we remain focused on communication, connection and assistance to our retiree community and how retirees can bring value, or “make a difference,” for all of our Service’s men and women, active duty and retired, Reservist, Civilian and Auxiliarist.
Coast Guard For’er!
| RADM Ron Silva, USCG (Ret) | MCPOCG Vince Patton, USCG (Ret) |
|
2011 CCGNRC Report 2011 CCGNRC Annual Meeting Report Issues and Responses 2012 CCGNRC Annual Report to the Commandant |
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