Each year at the beginning of March, eligible retired members receive a partial reimbursement from the UFT Welfare Fund for the cost of an optional drug rider that provides prescription coverage from their insurance carrier.

For $120 a year, UFT retirees who are members of the Retired Teachers Chapter can obtain supplemental benefits that reimburse them for some out-of-pocket expenses, including ambulance rides, dental work, hearing aids and private-duty nursing.

William Faulkner famously said, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” In our politically forgetful society, many forget what happened in politics last month, let alone what happened two or three years ago. 

While many people were in the midst of holiday preparations or celebrations on Dec. 23, UFT retiree Theresa Hambel was taking a course on changes to federal tax law. It was part one of her annual training as a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program tax preparer.