Retiree Social Services

Sasha Greene, LMSW
Director
52 Broadway, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10004
212.598.6880

Retiree Social Services provides social services nationwide to assist you with issues or concerns you may have during your retirement years. These services extend to you, wherever you and your family members live in the United States .

Your first stop should be Retiree Social Services, where a full-time geriatric social worker, gerontologist and a staff of trained caseworkers provide free professional and confidential service to help you deal with the following concerns:

Nationwide Telephone Reassurance Program

If you are going through a difficult time with family problems, an illness or a recent loss, you may be interested in hearing from someone who can help you deal with the problem. This program provides retirees with weekly, friendly calls from a member of our professional staff. These calls are made on a regular basis and will continue until you tell us you no longer need them.

Nationwide Hospital Stay In Touch Program

A hospital experience can be overwhelming. Retiree Social services is here to help you. We will be in touch on a daily basis throughout your hospitalization. We will assist you with dietary needs, home care, transportation services, home modification, discharge planning and whatever other needs you may have. We will continue to stay in contact with you after you leave the hospital. Please feel free to call the retiree office prior to a scheduled hospitalization so that we can provide this service to you.

Nursing Homes

The decision to choose a nursing home for yourself or a loved one is always difficult. When to start looking for a nursing home, what to look for and how to choose are some of the questions you will face and may need help answering, You will also need to know how to apply to a nursing home, how the admissions process works and what to expect after admission.

Bereavement And Support Groups

There are many community support groups to help you deal with stressful situations. Caregiver support groups, groups for people with specific health problems and bereavement groups for those who have lost a loved one are just a few.

Short-Term Counseling and Referrals

If you live in the New York Metropolitan area and need help with a problem or decision, we encourage you to make an appointment with Retiree Social Services. After meeting a few times with you, we will make suggestions or refer you to someone with whom you can seek further counseling.

For information or an appointment: Call 1(212) 598-6880, Monday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm. Be sure to leave your name and telephone number so a staff member can get back to you.

The UFT and its Welfare Fund are always working to provide members

with benefits that best meet their needs. To that end, the Welfare Fund has established a legal plan benefit with an elder law supplement for retirees.

All retirees are automatically enrolled in the legal plan, including pre-1970

retirees who are UFT members. The plan provides certain consultation services free and others at discount.

All retirees receive a copy of the UFT Welfare Fund Retiree Legal Plan Security Packet which includes healthcare proxy, power of attorney, free simple will for retiree, spouse, domestic partner, and parent yearly with an elder law supplement booklet. Be sure to fill out and update the Personal Data form each year, especially if you move.

Here’s a brief description of the legal plan’s benefits. Consult the plan

booklet for detailed explanations.

· Two last will and testaments free of charge.

· Two living wills, two health care proxies and two durable
powers of attorney.

· Telephone advice and consultation with an attorney.

· Office consultation with an attorney.

· Legal letters written and telephone calls made on your
behalf.

· Guaranteed maximum fees for specific legal matters.

· National Attorney Referral Network.

· Elder law supplement.

· Discounts for uncontested estates (probate).

· Discounts for personal injury cases.

· Discounts on hourly legal fees.

The National Legal Office can be reached by telephone from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. From Long Island, call 1-516-231-4480. All other New York State residents call 1-800-832-5182. Out-of-state residents, except Florida residents, call 1-800-292-8063. Florida residents call toll-free, 1-800-292-8063.

These numbers can also be found on the back of your ID card.

In addition to the comprehensive services available through the basic

legal plan, this supplement extends services in the specialized field of elder

law. Elder law panel attorneys can advise you on the law in your state and

assist you in putting a health and estate plan in effect that can maximize

your eligibility for coverage of nursing home and home health care costs.

The elder law attorneys have reduced their usual fees because of their

contract with the legal plan. When you are referred to specific firms, the

National Legal Office will advise you about that firm’s discounted billing

rate. The terms of the basic legal plan do not apply to this supplement.