The HCFSA is a flexible spending account for health care expenses. Here is how the HCFSA Program works:

First, you contribute before-tax dollars into your HCFSA account via automatic payroll deductions.

Next, in order to receive reimbursement, you must complete and submit an HCFSA program claim form with the following documentation for your non-reimbursed expenses: a receipt from your provider and an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statement from your health insurance carrier(s) for any medical expenses, as well as an EOB statement for any dental, optical or hearing aid expenses that are not covered by your Welfare Fund (union) coverage.

Once your claim(s) are approved, you will receive a reimbursement check from your HCFSA, or you may elect to receive reimbursement via direct deposit. The amount of your reimbursement is free of federal and FICA taxes.

Enrollment in the HCFSA Program is not automatic. Re-enrollment is required each year by completing an FSA Program Enrollment/Change Form during the annual Open Enrollment Period. The Plan Year begins on Jan. 1 and runs through Dec. 31 of each year.

The annual contribution amount is limited to a minimum of $260 and a maximum of $2,650 (including an annual administrative fee no greater than $48).

Claims for OTC drugs must include itemized receipts showing the dates of purchase, drug names and amounts paid, and they must be accompanied by a prescription from your doctor (except for insulin). In certain situations, the HCFSA program may require additional information or documentation.

It is important that you estimate your annual expenses very carefully prior to electing a goal amount for each Plan Year. As mandated by the Internal Revenue Service, money that is not used for reimbursement by the end of the Plan Year, or the end of the Grace Period, is forfeited and cannot be carried forward to the following Plan Year. This is known as the "Use It or Lose It" rule. However, if you have a remaining balance in your Plan Year account at the end of the year, there is an HCFSA Grace Period during which you may submit claims for eligible expenses incurred from Jan. 1 through March 15 of the following calendar year, using any money remaining in your account.

To read more about the HCFSA program, see the NYC Office of Labor Relations »

To take advantage of this benefit, the first thing you should do is request a Hearing Aid Certificate. The fastest way to get a certificate is to go to the Welfare Fund website and request a certificate online for each family member in need of the service. You also can call the UFT Welfare Fund's automated hotline at 212-539-0539.

You cannot split the certificate by using it first for a checkup and then at a later date to purchase a hearing aid. The Welfare Fund recommends you use your medical benefits for a checkup or evaluation and use the certificate only when you are ready to purchase a hearing aid. That way, you'll get the most value from the certificate.

As a service to retired UFT members, the UFT Welfare Fund will process the hearing-aid reimbursement for retirees who are enrolled in the Supplemental Health Insurance Program (SHIP). For more information about SHIP, visit our main SHIP information page. 

Yes, but there are benefits to using a panel provider. Besides the discounts offered, the Welfare Fund requires our panelists to have a licensed audiologist at their facility to ensure quality service.

The best way to save money is to use one of the Welfare Fund's preferred providers, who have agreed to give a 25 percent discount to UFT members and their dependents.

The preferred provider list is available by calling the Welfare Fund hotline at 212-539-0539, or you can download the list from the Welfare Fund website: https://www.uft.org/files/attachments/uftwf-hearing-aid-providers-directory.pdf.

If members are interested in more information about UFT courses, they can access the current course catalog and register on the UFT website. 

For more information about LearnUFT and courses offered to fulfill your CTLE requirements, visit: https://www.uft.org/teaching/professional-development/earn-ctle-hours-learnuft. 

The Department of Education recently informed the UFT that it discovered potential lead exposure from peeling paint in early child education classrooms in roughly 300 schools. 

The UFT will be closely following the DOE’s efforts to ensure that all the classrooms where peeling lead paint was found in the latest inspection are made safe, and we will keep you updated.

Lead-based paint was banned in New York City in 1960 but remains in some older school buildings. It is not regarded as a health hazard in these buildings as long as the painted surface remains intact. Peeling lead paint, however, may result in dust that small children can ingest from coming in contact with dusty surfaces.

The DOE protocol calls for regular inspections for peeling paint. Any peeling surfaces should be sealed up and painted over. Independent experts then conduct tests to prove that the remediation was successful.

Read more from the DOE about lead-based paint safety »

Adults are generally regarded as less susceptible to lead exposure in this form, but if school staffers are concerned about their own situation, they should be advised to speak to a medical doctor.

Call the UFT at 212-331-6311 if you have additional questions or concerns and ask to speak with a safety specialist. 

The number of students with disabilities in an ICT class may not exceed 40 percent of the total class register with a maximum of 12 students with disabilities. All students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) count when determining the maximum number of students with disabilities in an ICT class. ICT classes must also adhere to general education class-size limits.

ICT classes may not open at the beginning of the school year while in violation of these class-size requirements. If an ICT class is in violation of these limits, the teachers should first ask if there are any students in the class with IEPs who do not require ICT. These students can and should be moved into the appropriate general education classes. If this is not possible, and if an action plan to resolve the issue moving forward is not concretely established, the UFT member should file a special education compliance complaint on behalf of the adversely affected students.

Later in the school year, under limited circumstances, schools may apply for variances to exceed these limits if new students with ICT recommendations are assigned to the school or students are newly recommended for the service.

The school’s Special Education Committee should also raise any class size issues with the principal. Established in the 2023 contract, these school-based committees will meet at least once in the fall and again in the spring to discuss special education compliance issues, including teacher and paraprofessional programming, to correct these issues at the school level whenever possible.

Members can apply for a UFT parental leave 15 days before giving birth but no later than 10 days after delivery. If the birth date is significantly different from the due date, you can revise your information in SOLAS as long as you log back in within 10 days of giving birth. You must log into to SOLAS to confirm your baby's arrival date whenever the birth occurs. 

There are no regulatory requirements that specify how general education students should be selected for ICT classes and there is no published DOE policy or guidance on the issue.

However, as a matter of good practice, the general education “side” of an ICT class should be heterogeneously grouped. The general education students in an ICT class should be a representative sample of all the general education students on that grade level. ELL students are considered general education students in an ICT class. Therefore they should be proportionately represented on the general education side.

It should go without saying that the needs of the general education students should not be so great as to negatively impact on the students with disabilities in the class. For more information, see link: https://ec.ncpublicschools.gov/conferences-profdev/training-materials/administrators-transcript.pdf

If the general education population in the member’s ICT class is not heterogeneous, the member should immediately bring the ICT class makeup language (https://www.uft.org/teaching/students-disabilities/integrated-co-teaching-ict/ict-class-ratios) to his/her chapter leader and/or administration to discuss possible programming solutions. The chapter leader should bring this up at the next consultation committee meeting to establish a resolution that applies to all classes. This strategy is most successful early in the school year. Later in the school year program changes are not in the best interest of students and may not happen.

If an action plan to resolve the issue moving forward is not concretely established, the chapter leader should bring this to the attention of the district representative to resolve with the superintendent. The member can file a special education complaint on behalf of the adversely affected students.