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2008 Middle Class STAR Rebate Amounts and Mailing Dates
2008 Middle Class STAR information is displayed below for the New York City.

The mailing date indicates the estimated week that we will automatically mail:
  • rebate checks to eligible Basic and Enhanced STAR recipients
  • applications to property owners who need to apply for the 2008 program
Rebate amounts for Basic STAR recipients are provided for each income bracket based on 2006 combined incomes for all resident property owners and their spouses. The rebate amount for Enhanced STAR recipients is provided separately.
 
2008 Middle Class STAR Rebate Details
County: New York City (all 5 Boroughs)
 
Mailing date the week of: October 27
 
  2006 Combined Incomes for all Resident Property Owners and their Spouses  
  Up to $120,000 Over $120,000 and
up to $175,000
Over $175,000 and
up to $250,000
Over $250,000 Enhanced
 
Rebate amounts ($): 131.52 98.64 65.76 0.00 144.42
 
Mitchell Lama rebate amounts ($): 43.84 32.88 21.92 0.00 48.14
 

September 19, 2008

Re: FICA Line of Duty Injury Reimbursement Update

We are informed by the City's Office of Labor Relations that, at long last, the City has received payment from the IRS in settlement of the City's FICA reimbursement lawsuit to recover FICA taxes paid for periods of authorized Line of Duty injury leave for six (6) months or less from1989 through 2005.The Office of Payroll Administration ("OPA") must now issue checks to eligible members of the service, who timely submitted consent forms during the applicable filing period. The OPA estimates that this process will take approximately 4-6 weeks.

We are informed further that the OPA's website http://www.nyc.gov/html/opa/html/home/home.shtml will be updated this weekend with additional details regarding a tentative payment schedule. Members with questions can also call the OPA at (212) 669-2333.

memorial.jpg

Deceased Members who lived on Staten Island

MEMORIAMS, GET WELL, GOOD and WELFARE

Updated 9/2/2008

 

In Memoriam:

 

We mourn the passing of our brothers. May they rest in peace.

 

Firefighter David Clark passed away August 30th. He worked in Engine 28, Engine 69 and Laddder 77. David was an active firefighter.

 

Firefighter Kevin Meehan passed away August 5th. He worked in Engine 34. Kevin was an active firefighter.

 

Firefighter Carmillo Larstanna

Ladder 86

July 28th

Firefighter Frank Calabrese

Fire Prevention

July 14th

Firefighter David Intartagilo

Ladder 1

July 12th

Captain Philip Cutler

 

June 29th

Fireboat Pilot Rosario Fiore

Marine Unit

June 25th

Dispatcher Robert LaPage

Communications

June 29th

Lieuteuant Matthew Brosnan

Ladder 148

June 18th

DC Fire Marshal Matthew Colon

BFI

June 9th

Firefighter Fortunato DeGennaro

 

June 3rd

Firefighter Nicholas Chairulli

Engine 156

June 3rd

Firefighter Fredrick Hornbuckle

Ladder 85

June 2nd

Firefighter William Sholes

 

June 1st

Captain Charles Cooper

Engine 166

May 30th

Captain John Bornhoeff

Engine 152

May 20th

Fire Marshal Thomas Clair

 

May 15th

Lieutenant Joseph Roginski

Engine 55

May 12th

Lieutenant John Murray

Engine 165

April 30th

Firefighter Gregory Forsyth

Ladder 78

April 30th

Battalion Chief Pamino Cupo

Battalion 23

April 20th

Lieutenant William Heintz

Engine 242

March 29th

Firefighter Patrick McDermott

Engine 161

March 29th

Firefighter Chester Steiniger

Engine 165

March 15th

Firefighter William Moreau

Engine 166

March 11th

Firefighter Louis Plankley

Engine 154

March 7th

Deputy Chief Warren Harring

Division 8

Feb 23rd

Firefighter Pasquale Falco

 

Feb 18th 

Lieutenant Michael Groczowski

Ladder 84

Feb 18th

Firefighter James Killen

Engine 231

Feb 18th

Captain Frank Roffler

Engine 158

Feb 14th

Firefighter Johan Bystrom

Engine 159

Feb 13th

Firefighter John Columbia

Engine 165

Jan 31st

Battalion Chief Stephen Downes

 

Jan 21st

Lieutenant Patrick Scollan

Engine 284

Jan 12th

Lieutenant Donald Leo

Ladder 148

Jan 11th

Firefighter Ralph Mandia

Ladder 81

Jan 10th

Firefighter Alvin Galter

Ladder 8

Jan 9th

Firefighter George McGoff

Engine 164

Jan 6th

Lieutenant John Martinson

Engine 249

Jan 3rd

Lieutenant Victor Navarra

Ladder 35

Dec 30th

Lieutenant Christopher Caccese

 

Dec 24th

Fire Marshal Thomas Driscoll

Engine 18

Dec 19th

Fire Marshal Douglas Mercereau

 

Dec 2nd

Lieutenant Dion Hart

 

Nov 11th

Firefighter Albert Perreira

Engine 210

Oct 9th

Captain Ronald Bollmeyer

Ladder 118

Oct 5th

Firefighter Dominick Errichette

Engine 167

Oct 2nd

Battalion Chief Frank D’Amico

Battalion 21

Oct 1st

Firefighter William Sharp

Engine 7

Sept 25th

Firefigther David Petit

Ladder 76

Sept 23rd

 

Get Well Wishes:

 

 

Good and Welfare:

 

RETIREE BREAKFAST

 

Free Retiree Breakfast sponsored by the Counseling Service Unit Stay Connected Program. Thursday September 25th. 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. at the Staten Island CSU located at 1688 Victory Blvd. To register please contact Greg Smith at 212-570-1693 x317 (smithgj@fdny.nyc.gov) or Karen Volpe at 718-815-4111. This is monthly program check with CSU for date and time. P6/08

 

HELPS

 

HELPS is a new retiree health care benefit that provides a tax-free distribution of up to $3,000 from retirement plans to help retirees pay for health insurance or long-term care insurance.

The IAFF won an unprecedented congressional victory with the passage of the Health Care Enhancement for Local Public Safety Officers (HELPS) act.  Under it, retirees can receive a tax-free distribution of up to $3,000 from retirement plans to help pay for health insurance or long-term care insurance premiums. The IAFF encourages affiliates to remind retirees about the HELPS benefit. 

Under the benefit, the IRS will allow retired fire fighters to exclude from income distributions made from eligible retirement plans up to $3,000 annually to pay the costs for accident or health insurance or long-term care insurance. The funds can cover the retiree, spouse or dependents. The distribution must be made directly from the retirement plan to the insurance provider. Eligible retirement plans include qualified trusts, section 403(a) plans, section 403(b) annuities and section 457(b) plans. 

This is from the IAFF web site. I am sure more detailed info will come. P2/08

Catastrophic Insurance

 

It has come to our attention that some retirees do not understand the deductible clause of the Catastrophic Insurance we purchase through the unions.  There is a $10,000 deductible that must be met before the Catastrophic Insurance will cover the cost. However the deductible is not out of pocket expenses. Any expenses occurred even if they are paid for by Medicare or your secondary insurance coverage count toward the deductible. The money does not have to come out of your pocket.

 

It does not take much to meet the deductible. A few days in the hospital, an MRI , Cat Scan, blood tests and doctor visits will quickly meet the deductible. After that everything you have to pay out of your pocket is covered. Keep in mind you can get a second opinion from a doctor or hospital covered by your plan.

 

Takes some time to read about your insurance coverage before you need it. P1/08

 

FDNY Expands WTC Medical Treatment to Staten Island


The FDNY has expanded its ability to treat active and retired members. The FDNY has opened a satellite office on Staten Island for active and retired members who are participants in the WTC Medical Monitoring & Treatment Program. If you are a retiree and recently had a WTC Medical Monitoring exam, or if you are active and recently had your Company Medical, you may be eligible to visit a satellite office. The satellite office will not be used for duty determination. It will be open one day per week (Wed) to start out and will not perform actual medicals, focusing instead primarily on lung issues, as well as GERD, sinus and mental health issues. The SI office will also be able to provide active and retired members with WTC-related prescriptions. For more info or to make an appointment, contact FDNY BHS WTC Medical Monitoring & Treatment Program 718-999-1858 or by emailing . For more info go to www.fdnyinsider.com   P9/07

 

City Joins UFA Plea On Tax-Free Disability Status


The City, UFA and other local unions have asked the IRS to keep the disability pension for civil servants injured on the job completely tax-free. The issue arose after a question about the retirement fund's tax-free status was raised earlier in the year. The central component of the pension - payments worth 75 percent of a worker's final average salary - will likely remain tax-free, city and union officials maintain. The extra benefits that might be taxable include the annuity fund and increased take home pay (ITHP). P 9/07

Counseling and Support services

There are several organizations that will provide counseling and support to active and retired firefighters and their families. They offer a vast variety of services.

Friends of Firefighters – 159 1/2 Columbia St. Brooklyn 11213 - 718-643-0980

Safe Horizion – 26 Broadway Suite 767, NY 10004 – 212-747-0733.

Crisis support line - 1- 800-621- HOPE or 212-577-7777 – Web Site -www.SafeHorizons.org.

If you, or anyone in your family are having reactions from a traumatic event such as 9/11 please contact them.

Retiree Checklist

The UFA has posted a Retiree Checklist on its web site (www.ufalocal94.org). It has a lot of updated information on Security Benefit Fund benefits and carriers. It also has a list of procedures and notifications that must be made.  (Similar to our “What to Do” section)

The Security Benefit section contains a list of forms that may be downloaded They include NYC, NYFD, and UFA forms. The NYC and FDNY forms are pertinent to members of both the UFA and UFOA. P11/06

Workers' Compensation Law for Retired Firefighters who worked at Ground Zero

Members who retired prior to 9/11/01 and worked at the WTC site between September 11, 2001 and September 12, 2002 are eligible for benefits under this legislation. The site location is defined as anywhere in Manhattan south of Canal Street, the Staten Island Landfill, barge operations or the NYC morgue. All retired members who worked at the site should register even if they are not sick of have symptoms at this time. The deadline for registering is August 14, 2007. Our retirees worked as volunteers, although the law is vague on defining exactly who is a volunteer, we are urging our members to register. WTC Workers Comp Filing Extended 1 Year: to Aug. 14, 2008

To register on the internet, go to www.nycosh.org and click on the link near the top of the page. Or call 212-227-6440, ext. 23 to request a form. On the form, you must write the dates and locations of the rescue, recovery or cleanup work you did and the name of your employer, or the organization you volunteered with. If you did rescue, recovery or cleanup work for no pay, you should register as a volunteer, even if you were not a part of an organized group of volunteers, giving the details of the work you performed. The registration form must be a sworn and notarized statement, so it is very important to make certain it is accurate and complete.   P 10/06

 

Retiree Liaisons

 

Mike Donavan, is the Retiree Liaison for the UFOA Family Protection Plan. The FPP is co-directed by Kevin Sullivan and Rich Goldstein.

 

James Dahl is the Retiree Liaison for the UFA Security Benefit Fund.

 

9/11 Medical Monitoring

 

The FDNY Bureau of Health Services has invited retirees to participate (at no cost) in an BHS World Trade Center Medical Monitoring Program. It has been jointly developed by the BHS, NIOSH, Mt Sinai, UFA, UFOA and EMS Locals.

It consists of a four hour medical exam and follow-up testing. The exam includes a comprehensive medical, an electrocardiogram, chest imaging, pulmonary function and hearing tests and screening for cholesterol, prostate cancer, liver, kidney and blood diseases. A mental health survey and interview and three WTC monitoring exams over the next five years.

For more information and Retiree Contract Form contact the Medical Office at 718-999-1858 or WTCMed@fdny.nyc.gov  P1/18

 

FDNY VFW Post:

 

The FDNY now has its own VFW post. FDNY Veterans of Foreign Wars Post # 12033 was instituted on 8/12/2005, in memory of SSGT Christian P. Engeldrum of Ladder 61.  He was the first NY Firefighter to die in the war in Iraq. 103 NY Firefighters have been activated since 9/11. Chris also fought in the first Iraq war.

 

In keeping in the spirit of our national organization, we have been steadfast supporters of the rehabilitation of disabled veterans from Walter Reed and Bethesda Hospitals, assisted the widows and orphans of disabled and needy veterans and promoted Americanism through education in patriotism and service to the community of New York City. 

 

 Anyone interested in joining can contact them on there web site www.FDNYVFW.com . It has a list of current members as well as contact and meeting information.  P10/24