Joe was elected Director of Retires in 2006. A position he has held for 16 years and was recently re-elected in 2022. Joe began his postal and Union career in 1965. Joe saw many changes within the Postal Service and Union at the beginning of his career. With just 5 years on the job, the carriers went on strike and Joe was right there with them. After the strike joe continued his postal career as a changed man. He volunteered for many things that would benefit the carriers of Branch 36 and was elected Shop Steward by his fellow carriers. In 2000, Joe was selected by then President Orapello to work at the Letter Carrier’s Credit Union. Joe held that position full time until 2012 when he switched to a part time position. In 2006, President Charlie Heege selected Joe to become the Director of Retirees. Thanks to all the members who voted in the 2022 election, Joe was re-elected to the position of the Director of Retirees where he continues to assist Branch 36 carriers in life after the Post Office.

OPM Tax Document Delays

I was deeply saddened when I heard the news about Pat McNally’s passing. He was a good friend of mine and someone I truly respected. We shared many good times and much laughter together over the years and it was my pleasure to know him. Pat will be remembered for many years to come for the work he did for the membership and the friendship he shared with all of us at Branch 36. Rest in Peace, my friend.
We lost another good union man, David Velazquez, Sr. a few days later and his death came as a shock to all of us. He never let on to anyone that he was sick and continued to work the whole time. David always greeted everyone with a smile and I considered him a friend as well. Much like Pat, he also fought hard for our union members and will be remembered fondly by everyone. Rest in Peace, David. I, along with my wife Alice would like to offer our deepest condolences to the McNally & Velazquez families.
Many federal retirees have faced delays in receiving tax documents from OPM, which were weeks behind schedule to arrive in the mail. Many also had difficulty in contacting OPM for assistance. Some retired branch members called me for assistance; but unfortunately, all I could do was tell them to contact OPM at the official Retirement Service number (888) 767-6738. I also advised those members to create a government account at OPM.gov and to create a personal email account.
OPM updated its tax form delivery policy last year, in an effort to expedite the process for retirees. Unfortunately, the change has caused frustration for many annuitants, who still haven’t received their 1099-R form from OPM. In the past, OPM mailed the 1099-R forms (a required tax document to report federal retirement related distributions) by the end of January. But according to OPM’s new policy, federal annuitants, who have an email address associated with their OPM online account will receive only a digital version of the 1099-R form, unless they actively request a paper copy by mail. Retirees without an email account in the OPM system, should have automatically received a paper form in the mail, according to OPM. However, many federal retirees were still waiting for paper documents to arrive, which were several weeks behind schedule. Others reported difficulties in creating or logging into their OPM accounts to access the digital 1099-R form or to change their setting to request mail delivery.
We have received many complaints from members over the years about con¬tacting OPM by phone, but this year seems to be the worst it has ever been. My best advice for retirees is to begin calling at 7:40 am and continue to call every 30 minutes until you get through.
It is unacceptable for a federal agency responsible for tax documentation to fall short in providing a timely reliable service to all retired Americans. We can only hope that they fix what’s broken, so next year we all have a better experi¬ence and less frustration.