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July 4, 2008  

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Rate increase for Catastrophe Major Medical Insurance Plan

UFT members who have purchased the Catastrophe Major Medical Insurance Plan, endorsed by NYSUT Member Benefits Trust, will experience a premium rate increase of 6 percent.

Death benefits for in-service members

If you should die, in addition to whatever insurance coverage you may have, the UFT Welfare Fund provides a benefit that’s payable on a decreasing scale to the beneficiary of in-service members.

CIGNA makes changes in health plan

CIGNA HMO is becoming an Open Access Plus In-Network plan on July 1. This will allow subscribers to choose any doctor from a national network without referrals.

City health plans to change rates

Each year at this time, New York City’s health plans announce rates changes that go into effect July 1. These changes affect in-service municipal employees and non-Medicare retirees.

COBRA keeps you covered

Are you or a family member — because of a change of job or other life circumstance — going to lose your Department of Education-provided health insurance and UFT Welfare Fund benefits?

DOE discounts

Like all New Yorkers, you expect to get it for less. So here are some good bargains for educators, whether you want to talk on your cell, finally buy that new computer, make photocopies, get buff at the gym, read the newspaper in your bathrobe or have a night at the theater.

NYSUT, AFT also have you covered

As a UFT member, you are eligible for an array of optional supplemental benefits offered through our umbrella labor organizations.

Health and Cancer HelpLine, Retiree Social Services: Just a phone call away

Are you or a close family member struggling to cope with a health-related problem? The UFT has created social services to help that are free, strictly confidential and only a phone call away.

Discounts galore for educators: Web site builders, software, books and more

Teachers are entitled to a host of bargains on the Web.

Special coordination of benefits

If you and your spouse or domestic partner are both UFT members, you don’t have to choose one or the other’s benefits — you have the benefit of both when it comes to certain Welfare Fund benefits.

Workers’ Comp

If you are hurt on the job, there are certain procedures you should follow to ensure that you get all the benefits that you are entitled to.

Prescription drugs

Now that we have reviewed the drug plan design for in-service members in our last issue, here’s some advice on how best to maximize your prescription drug benefit.

Domestic partner health benefits may be taxable

The health benefits of domestic partners of UFT members are taxable income, according to the Internal Revenue Service, unless the partner is the member’s dependent for tax purposes. Members who have domestic partners who are not dependents will have the fair market value of the partner’s health benefits included as income on their W-2 forms, according to the UFT Welfare Fund.

Your prescription drug plan

Tips for in-service members All eligible in-service UFT members and their dependents have prescription drug coverage through the UFT Welfare Fund.

Short-term disability plan

In-service UFT members have the protection of a short-term disability plan that can provide valuable income when personal illness renders them temporarily unable to work.

Long-term-care insurance

Long-term care is the type of help you would need if you required assistance with simple, everyday activities you now take for granted, such as eating, bathing or dressing.

Computer discounts — plus tech support and training

Teachers can buy reduced-price computers and software tailored to meet their needs through a program created by the New York State Teacher Centers.

Do you pay for child care or incur hefty out-of-pocket medical expenses?: Save money with flexible spending accounts

You may be able to save hundreds of dollars a year in federal and Social Security taxes by enrolling in the city’s Flexible Spending Accounts program.

Take the subway or local bus to work?: Transit program can save you money

The TransitBenefit Program allows teachers and other municipal employees to use pre-tax earnings to cover certain public transportation costs.

Are you the parent of a full-time student aged 19 to 23?

Your health insurance plan and the UFT Welfare Fund — which provides prescription drugs, eyeglasses, dental work and hearing aids — will continue to cover unmarried, full-time students from ages 19 to 23. But during those years, it’s no longer automatic.

Need help with a health-related problem? Call the UFT Helpline

Are you or a close family member struggling to cope with a health-related problem? The UFT has created social services to help that are free, strictly confidential and only a phone call away.

Welfare Fund offers new benefit and 2007 ‘Red Apple’

The UFT Welfare Fund is offering a new benefit on enteral formulas and a new “Red Apple” booklet, one for in-service members and one for retirees, that describes the new benefit as well as all others.

Get personal cell phone service for less

As a Department of Education employee, you are eligible for discounts on personal cell phone service from the three major providers.

Welfare Fund increasing optical benefits

The UFT Welfare Fund is increasing its optical benefits. The improved benefit includes a more extensive eye exam, expanded discounts for special features when using a panelist and an increased flat reimbursement from the current $40 to up to $75. The new plan goes into effect on April 1.

Dental benefits get needed boost

The UFT is infusing $15 million into the union Welfare Fund to improve dental benefits for members, UFT President Randi Weingarten announced at the May 17 Delegate Assembly.

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