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Present: Joe Dykstra, Ben Gaylor, John Roy Gray, Jackie Holloway, Julia Hoppe, Ben Johnson, John Jones, Bob Keil, Marigrace Kirstowsky, Charlie Kuykendall, Tom Lemons, Pete Lotts, Mary Helen Rose, Joe Setaro, Troy Trotter, Bill Wilcox

Opening Remarks. Charlie Kuykendall, presiding for the last time before his term as President ends December 30, thanked all CORRE board members on behalf of retirees for contributions they have been making, mentioning each individual and the specific work they have done. He also recognized the participation and influence of the ATLC and PACE.

Secretary & Treasurer’s Report. Mary Helen Rose highlighted her Treasurer’s report, copies of which had been distributed to board members. Balance on hand November 30, 2003, was $42,719.78, with a total of about 2,204 Active Members.

Communications. In Sandy Dean’s absence, Kuykendall stated that an article has been sent to Retiree News for CORRE Corner, which especially encourages retirees to become Active Members of CORRE.

Website. John Roy Gray reported that the Website is up to date, and it was agreed that he should make some changes to the format of the member signup form.

Meeting with DOE-ORO. Kuykendall reported that he and Bob Worrell met with Chris Hill on December 9. Hill is retiring, and it is not yet known who will replace him. He said the data on pension comparisons with other DOE facilities includes 401Ks and makes comparison difficult. Worrell will get the data and analyze it. It was decided that Dykstra should try to get the number of people who have died while we are trying to get minimum pensions, and try to get some names as examples.

Legislative Committee. Pete Lotts mentioned meetings with Linda Ponce (Rep. Wamp’s Office) and Carolyn Jenson (Sen. Frist’s office) that were reported at the last board meeting. He met yesterday with Patrick Janes in Sen. Alexander’s office in Knoxville. Lotts said the committee’s situation right now is that they are waiting to get the data DOE-ORO has on comparison of benefits at all DOE installations. We need to get the information, analyze it, and put it in a form understandable to the legislative staff people. He said we also need to push the petition process, which has been underway since October 9. Our strategy right now is to try to get our members of congress to create an atmosphere at DOE-HQ that will allow the contractors to make proposals. What the committee has so far are names of contacts that we can work with in Sen. Alexander’s and Sen. Frist’s Washington offices.

Analysis of Medicare Drug Benefit. Joe Setaro distributed copies of an analysis of "Out-of-Pocket Drug Spending in 2006 for Medicare Beneficiaries Under New Medicare Legislation." He highlighted the analysis and pointed out that our present supplemental plan is very good, compared to benefits under the Medicare plan. He emphasized that a retiree cannot be covered under two plans (no double-dipping). Kuykendall asked Setaro to continue to study the legislation and inform the CORRE board, so that we can eventually adopt a position. Bill Wilcox suggested that Setaro write an article for CORRE Corner, briefly summarizing for retirees what we now know and letting them know that we are studying the matter.

Strategy Discussion – Goals. Already discussed.

Roane County Resolution. In Ken Cowser’s absence, Kuykendall read a copy of a resolution adopted by Roane County Commission supporting efforts by retirees to obtain pension increases. The Legislative Committee will ask various other government entities to adopt a similar resolution. Jackie Holloway will help with Oak Ridge and Anderson County.

Appreciation to Charlie Kuykendall. Bill Wilcox gave a tribute to outgoing President, W. C. Kuykendall, at his final board meeting. He offered the following resolution:

The resolution was approved unanimously by the board, and a standing ovation followed.

Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 4:05 p.m.

Mary Helen Rose, Board Secretary