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(published in Austin American Statesman, September 16, 2003)

An Unfair Option

(The following letter to the editor was written by Dr. Kurt Senske.)

Re: Sept. 9 article, "Top state officials retire, return to keep earning":

I don't begrudge anyone who takes advantage of a situation that legally allows them to benefit.

Take, for example, the retirement incentives offered to veteran state employees. For those who opt to take retirement as soon as they are eligible, they get a bonus and can apply to be rehired. While they may not get hired back at the same salary, between the retirement benefits and the new salary, many won't see a significant drop in income.

That doesn't sit well with providers of health and human services, who already are reimbursed for significantly less than what it costs to care for the state's abused children, mentally ill, poor and frail elderly.

As the largest provider of children's residential services in Texas, Lutheran Social Services of the South is being asked to continue to take care of the same number of abused and neglected children for $1.3 million less than we did last year.

We weren't offered the option to "retire" and then come back at a higher rate.

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