retiree member club update
The next meeting of the Daytona CWA Retirees Club will be Thursday February 2, 2011 - 1PM at the Union Hall. We will be meeting for lunch at TGI Friday's Restaurant located on the corner of Dunlawton Ave.and Nova Rd at 11:30 am for lunch.
If you have not yet given us your e-mail address, please send it to ronmiked@bellsouth.net so we can keep everyone informed of what is going on. We are planning a bus trip to Amelia Island on November 19. The cost will be $82.00 per person. More information will be given out as the time approaches. We plan on giving money to Toys for Tots this Christmas with the money we have accumulated during the year. Thanks so much to the active employees who have been so generous in contributing their 50/50 winnings to our treasury.
In Solidarity,
Mike Dyer - President,
Daytona Beach CWA Retirees Club
LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM FOR RETIREES COUNCIL
To help retired members stay connected to CWA, and to harness their energy for protecting key retiree issues pensions, health care, Social Security and Medicare CWA is now offering a special Lifetime Membership in the Retired Members' Council for a one-time payment of $25.
"We must do a better job of realizing the tremendous potential that CWA retirees can play in our employer and legislative campaigns to maintain and protect the hard-won benefits we all count on when we retire," said CWA's national officers in announcing the program to locals.
The Executive Board created the lifetime Council memberships in response to CWA's Ready for the Future convention resolution calling for doubling the number of Council members to 50,000 by 2009. Previously Council membership required payment of annual fees.
Under the program, the 20,000 current members of CWA local retiree chapters will automatically be enrolled in the program. CWA last week mailed a brochure and application form to 128,000 retirees who don't now belong to local chapters outlining the new program. To become lifetime members of the Council, retirees can either return the form with a check or credit card information or else join directly online at a new website www.CWAretirees.com.
On the website, retirees will find information about the activities of the Retired Members' Council as well as money-saving discount programs available to Council members through the CWA Union Privilege program�
important benefit information
When you retire and reach age 65 you become Medicare eligible. Your Blue Cross/Blue Shield becomes the secondary insurance coverage and Medicare is primary for both hospitalization and medical.
BUT, what we didn't understand is when you retire and before you reach 65 if you begin collecting Social Security Disability you will become eligible for Medicare after TWO YEARS. You are automatically enrolled in Medicare part A (hospitalization) and also in Part B for doctors visits and diagnosiss. Medicare gives you the option to opt out of Part B and some of our members opt out thinking they still have Blue Cross Blue Shield. Guess What! You must sign up for Part B! If you don't and Blue Cross pays for any medical treatments for you and discovers you are Medicare eligible you will have to repay them.
There have been several cases of this happening in BellSouth. I was advise of a case where a retiree had open heart surgery and not signed up for Medicare part B and was being required to reimburse Blue Cross Blue Shield. One of own retired members who had chemotherapy and mistakenly opted out of Part B has now been notified that he has to repay Blue Cross.
If you are retired or planning to retire and begin collecting social security disability be sure to get yourself covered under Medicare Part A and Part B.
In addition, you must notify Blue Cross and send them a copy of your Medicare card. They will reimburse you a portion of your monthly Medicare premium.
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