Author: tdesantis

Dear Colleagues, 

Over 12 million people in the United States are struggling to make their monthly student loan payments, and millions more see economic and personal opportunities pass as they prioritize paying down their debt. Does this sound like you or someone you know? 

Many of these people may qualify for free federal programs that can help reduce their monthly payments and eventually lead to student loan forgiveness, but these lifeline programs are significantly under-enrolled. In an effort to help our members get access to these programs, United University Professions and the American Federation of Teachers are proud to host a Student Debt Clinic which will provide information on how to enroll in Income-Driven Repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.  

We will be offering virtual Members Only Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Clinics on the following dates:

Wednesday, February 11, 2026 from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM via Zoom

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 from 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM via Zoom

To attend one of the virtual Members Only Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Clinics, you must pre-register here: http://go.aft.org/StudentDebtClinicRSVP.

From the “student debt clinic” drop down menu, please select the UUP clinic that you are interested in attending – they are labeled “UUP [Virtual Student Debt Clinic] [date] [time].” In the affiliate field, type in the full name of our local (United University Professions), and it will autofill after a few keystrokes. 

Registration is first-come, first-serve, and we must cap attendance for a single clinic at 125 participants to ensure that we are able to provide maximum assistance to attendees. Registration will close 48 hours prior to the virtual clinic. Webinar login information will be provided prior to the clinic to all who register. [If you can’t make one of these virtual clinics, don’t worry – we’re planning on offering them every payday. If you want to help host a chapter-specific virtual clinic, please let us know!] 

Managing your student loan debt is the first step in taking on the inequities which plague our system of higher education, and we look forward to seeing you at the virtual Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Clinic and working together to find a collective solution to the problems of student debt and college affordability! 

Register now!

Jeri

She / Her / Hers

[My work day may look different than yours. Please do not feel obligated to respond to my emails beyond your work hours.]

Jeri O’Bryan-Losee, MA, MS, MSEd

United University Professions

Statewide Secretary-Treasurer

NYSUT Board of Directors, ED41

AFT PPC Member

jobryan@uupmail.org

www.uupinfo.org

All those in UUP are eligible to receive Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Click here to register for an upcoming PSLF clinic: https://uupinfo.org/calendar/  

Dear Chapter Members:

Please join me in spreading the word regarding our Beyond Med webinar.

Join us to learn more about an exclusive UUP Members only benefit regarding Beyond Med on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 12:00pm. There will be a chance to win gift cards!

As a UUP member you have discounts on elective and cosmetic services that other health plans leave out.  You have access to a premier network of providers and virtual care or concierge at home available.

Services include, but are not limited to : Weight Loss + Rx, Fertility, Massage, Nutrition, wellness devices, holistic medicine and so much more  

Register using this link:   https://forms.gle/gzRrPkyYLXnnvWXDA

Thank you,

Doreen

Doreen Bango

Director of Member Benefits/Fund Administrator

518-640-6610

Please distribute widely to your membership regarding the January 2026 Pre-Retirement Workshops.

Dear Chapter Leadership and Members:

UUP’s popular monthly Pre-Retirement Workshops are scheduled for January 20th and January 22, 2026. The part 1 workshop will take place on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 12:00 pm which will cover Healthcare/Medicare.

The part 2 workshop will take place on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at 12:00 pm which will cover union benefits (dental & vision)

You may take these workshops as many times as you like as the information is rather complex especially with Medicare and feel free to have your spouse/partner attend with you.  Also, you can take these two workshops in any order as they don’t depend on each other. For this and other UUP programing information go to the UUP Events Calendar  https://uupinfo.org/calendar/

You will need to register for the workshops, and a Zoom link is sent the day before the workshop to the email address that you register under.

We do not record these workshops because of privacy concerns and because the information does change, and we want to make sure you have the most current information.

To register for the January pre-retirement workshop’s, use this link: https://forms.gle/oYe1ucdnpPRLu3QW6 

In Solidarity,

Patrick Romain

UUP Membership Development Officer

518-640-6639

promain@uupmail.org