Retired Teachers Chapter News
Legal Plan a key retiree benefit
Apr 24, 2008 2:30 PM
Your union provides a legal plan for you, so I have asked Sasha Greene to tell you about the plan’s provisions and how you may access them.
— Tom Pappas, chapter leader
We strongly recommend that you take advantage of the benefits contained in the UFT Retiree Legal Plan with Elder Law Supplement that is provided to all UFT retirees as part of your Welfare Fund benefits.
In addition to certain free services, the plan also provides other services at a significant discount. Our basic Legal Plan is the only one of its kind and we are proud to provide it to our retirees.
By now you all should have received your Legal Security Package which includes very important documents free to you:
- The Health Care Proxy
- Living Will
- Durable Power of Attorney
- Simple Will
In addition, the package contains instructions on how to access the plan, as well as coupons entitling you to two free office consultations with an attorney.
If you are a new retiree and have not received this packet or have misplaced it, you may get one by calling NYSUT Member Benefits at 1-800-626-8101.
All UFT retirees are automatically enrolled in the Legal Plan which is designed to assist you with all legal matters including estate planning as well as other issues we encounter as we grow older.
The plan includes the following at no cost to our retirees:
- Unlimited telephone advice with an attorney regarding any legal issue that you encounter.
- Two free hour-long consultations with a plan attorney.
- Letters written on your behalf by the main office of our attorneys on their stationery to assist you in any legal issue at no charge. Each letter will be forwarded to you for your review by the main office prior to mailing.
- 24-hour emergency hotline.
- Review of legal documents by our attorneys prior to your signature to avoid entanglements.
Fees are discounted on all other legal matters that you may face such as home sales and purchases, trusts, matrimonial and family law matters, adoptions, name changes, bankruptcy and criminal law matters. You also have access to any other attorneys you may need.
These services are available to UFT retirees throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.
In addition, our Legal Plan contains a unique Elder Supplement which provides access at reduced fees to a panel of UFT-approved elder law attorneys across the country who will provide you with the highest possible level of advice on issues such as: Medicaid planning, estate tax planning, nursing home regulations and questions regarding Medicare, trusts for disabled individuals, etc.
These issues are all covered by a 20 percent discount from the normal office fees charged by these elder law attorneys. The terms of the basic Legal Plan regarding fee service do not apply to elder law attorneys.
To access these benefits you may call the main office for our plan at Feldman, Kramer and Monaco from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. New York State residents, except Long Island residents, call 1-800-832-5182. Long Islanders call 1-631-231-4480. Residents of other states call 1-800-292-8063. You only need to identify yourself as a UFT retiree to gain access to all the benefits described.
The free documents you receive are very important — especially when you are in the hospital. Please be sure to fill them out as soon as possible.
