GOOD NEWS FOR ALL MEMBERS: Alternative Dues Payment System
American Federation of Teachers has estalished an alternate method of dues payment for those who are not eligible for dues deduction through payroll OR for those who simply prefer not to have dues deducted from their pay checks,
Online dues sign-up for HFT--Hampton Federation of Teachers
KPERS Study Commission Service-Based Plan
Senator King developed and presented a Service-Based Pension Plan to the KPERS Study Commission on December 7th. The Commission accepted this plan with an 8 - 5 vote. The new plan is essentially a Hybrid Plan which will contain two components: a defined benefit cash balance plan, and a defined contribution 401(k) or 414(k) plan. The current KPERS defined benefit plan (as modified by HB 2194) will remain in place for current, vested participants but will be closed to new entries. Overall the plan will shift all risk from the state to the employee. The new plan has an estimated 4% higher cost for the state than the estimated cost of HB 2194 passed by the 2011 Legislature and signed into law by the Governor. Below is a summary of Senator King’s plan which will be formatted into a bill and introduced to the 2012 Legislature for consideration.
Attention Medicaid Employees of DHMH
Please note: The survey deadline has been extended. Please disregard the previous deadline of December 12. We will continue collecting responses through the new year.
Complete the survey online at http://leadernet.aft.org/surveymaker/take/survey.cfm?id=0fd69146-5056-b94b-111a-d3bb2d816be9
Loritta Johnson Named Morgan Hill Woman of the Year
Congratulations to Loritta Johnson, former Nordstrom kindergarten teacher and MHFT Building Rep, and current MHFT Retiree Chapter leader, for being named Morgan Hill’s Woman of the Year! If you don’t already know her, you can read about Loritta and her numerous accomplishments by clicking on the link above.
Medical Insurance for Children Ages 23 to 26 Available for Children of Retirees
Public Act 08-147 requires group health plans to provide coverage for unmarried children up to the age of 26, regardless of the child’s student or dependent status. A Comptroller's memorandum explains how the Public Act is implemented under the State of Connecticut Employee Health Plan. The effective date of implementation was January 1, 2009.
To download the Comptroller's Memorandum on this insurance use this link. To download the agreement SEBAC signed to get pharmacy added to the coverage (only medical was required by statute) use this link.
Please read the Memorandum and rate chart carefully and completely. The Fair Market Value of the insurance for the child who is not a dependent under §152 of the Internal Revenue Code is taxable income to the retiree, and the retiree is required to include the Fair Market Value for this benefit in their taxable income. Retirees with questions as to the tax impact of the inclusion of the Fair Market Value of health benefits for non-qualified children are advised to consult their personal tax advisor.
Visit Richard Gazzola Teacher Center
The Richard Gazzola Teacher Center Website Link is Now Available.
Govenor Brown's Pension Reform Proposal
Governor Brown's twelve point pension reform plan for public employees follows.