|
Good and Welfare:
Medicare Part B Additional Reimbursement
NYC
reimburses us Medicare Part B payments (if you notify the city) for the
standard payment. For 2009 (August 2010 check) it was $96.40 a month or
$1,156.80 a year for both you and for your spouse if also on Medicare.
Depending on your yearly income you may have had to pay additional premiums.
You must file a claim with NYC for the additional reimbursement. Information
and forms are on the Office of Labor Relation Health Benefits Programs web
site. The link is http://www.nyc.gov/html/olr/downloads/pdf/healthb/irmaa.pdf
. P2/10
VA Healthcare Eligibility Rules Change
VA
healthcare eligibility rules changed on Monday, June 15, 2009
making it easier for more veterans to enroll
in VA's health care system. This expansion opens VA health care to an
additional 266,000 veterans who were previously barred from access
to veterans’ facilities. When you visit the new web page you will find
a calculator to enter your income information, number of dependents, and zip
code to determine if your income falls within the new income threshold
adjustments.
To
check and see if you qualify under the new rules go to this website
http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/ . You are also encouraged to contact
the Health
Resource Center
at 1-877-222 VETS (8387) if you have further questions. P 6/09
Express Scripts Drug
Plan
The UFOA has revised the
Express Script Drug Plan for Medicare Members. Express Scripts now has a
Medicare Part D plan. If you were in the UFOA drug plan last year and on
Medicare you were automatically enrolled in the new plan. Unfortunately both
the UFOA and Express Scripts could have provided a better explanation as what
we had to do.
A major change is that both
you and your wife have plan different ID numbers. You should have received
new cards in the mail along with an explanation of the new plan. If you had
an internet account and were ordering your renewals on line you will notice
that your prescriptions are no longer listed under your old account number.
You will have to reregister using the new account numbers. You will need a
separate internet account for your wife. For your account all you will have
to do is reregister. For our wife’s account as the credit card number was not
transferred to her new account you will also have to contact Express Scripts
by telephone and give them a credit card. Once you reregister all your
prescription information will appear. If your spouse is not on Medicare check
with Express Scripts as to procedures to be followed.
When ordering prescriptions
at a local pharmacy you will have to reregister using the new ID numbers. You
now can get some 90 day orders directly from your pharmacy and not have to
use mail order. There will be a slight price difference which you can check.
I also checked with the
UFOA and Express Scripts regarding the ability to get 90 day supply of certain
prescriptions directly from a pharmacy (Coctco – Shop-Rite, Wallmart etc) at
a lower price than the co-pay Express Scripts charges. They both have no
problem with it and encourage you to get the best price you can. The only
thing the UFOA said is not to give the pharmacy your Express Script card as
they might send the charge into Express Scripts. Either go to a different
pharmacy or check with your present pharmacy to make sure they will give it
to you without using the plan. This can be a substantial savings. (P1/09)
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
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 – 199
Van Brunt St Brooklyn NY 11231
- 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
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.
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
Inside the FDNY
“Inside the FDNY” is the Official
Resource web site for FDNY personnel. It contains news articles, Department
Orders, FDNY news, etc.
You can sign up for E-Mail
notification of announcements. (Icon of top right)
www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/inside/index.shtm
The Official FDNY web site
is www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/home2.shtm
|
