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Campus Review
November 19, 2012
Choices Made Now Affect Life in Retirement
by Diane Burns
Commons area on the first floor of the
Baker Center. Loch’s cake will be provid-
ed by Dining Services and there’ll be the
always-popular photo ops with Loch.
Saturday, Dec. 1
On Saturday, Dec. 1, there will be a bas-
ketball doubleheader; Clayton State vs.
Chowan in the 5:30 p.m., women’s game,
and Clayton State vs. Clark Atlanta in the
7:30 p.m., men’s game. There will be spe-
cial birthday celebration events at the
games, including a half-court shot where-
to Director of Grant Accounting &
Compliance Vickie F. Smith.
The application deadline for the 2013
Women’s Forum Scholarship, which will
undoubtedly help make someone’s
dreams real, is Feb. 15, 2013, and the
Annual Women’s Forum Scholarship
Luncheon will be held in April 2013.
Recently I visited campus for the 10th
anniversary of the founding of the
Clayton State Retirees Association
(CRSA). It was fantastic to see my former
colleagues and to visit across campus with
many friends who are still working. The
campus looked terrific; I was amazed at
how much had changed in the five years
since my retirement.
As I talked to former colleagues who were
still working, we touched on some of the
things that are important to consider prior
to retiring. How, for example, the choices
you make long before you actually retire
can affect your benefit options in retire-
ment.You may think retirement is so far
off that you don’t have to be concerned
with your benefits in retirement. Well,
think again!
The University System of Georgia offers
excellent benefits to its employees and to
retirees. Unless you are careful now, how-
ever, some of those benefits may not be
available to you in your retirement. For
example, you cannot choose a dental plan
or optical plan after you retire if you were
not covered at the time you retired. And, if
you discontinue coverage after retirement,
you could lose your benefits permanently.
The USG covers employees with a basic
life insurance benefit of $25,000.
Employees can also elect to purchase
additional supplemental life insurance.
Did you realize, though, that there are
specific limits that apply to that supple-
mental coverage in retirement? This is
especially so if you did not purchase a
supplemental plan during the last 10 years
before you retired. Many retirees have
expressed regret that they did not pur-
chase an outside life insurance policy
while they were young and could take
advantage of low rates.
I’m no expert on benefits, but I do know
from my own experience that it is very
important to research retirement benefits
by referring to the Retirement Guide even
while you are still an active employee and
long before you are actually going to
retire. Doing so will help you to make
good decisions in the present that ensure
optimal choices during your retirement.
Visit the Clayton State HR website to find
the Retirement Guide to learn more. Don’t
wait until it’s too late.
Working at Clayton State was a rewarding
experience for me. I’m grateful that I can
stay in touch and support the University
now and in the future through the CRSA.
If you are retiring soon, I hope you will
choose to become a member!
in one lucky Clayton State fan will get a
chance to make their dreams come real be
winning a $500 gift card to The Loch
Shop. More details on this event are to
come…
Retirees gathered at the 10th anniversary celebration of CRSA. (Above) Dr. Peggy Capell, Winnie
Thacker, Dr. Bryan Edwards, Helen Brown and, author of this article, Diane Burns
Birthday, cont’d. from p. 1
Women’s Forum, cont’d. from p. 1