Category Archives: NYSUT benefits

NYSUT Benefits: Legal Service Plan provides peace of mind

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The importance of having a will—to protect loved ones and ensure one’s wishes are carried out—cannot be stressed enough.

This is especially true when there are children under the age of 18 or dependents with special needs. A will allows for guardians to be legally named for one’s children. It also ensures estate distribution according to one’s wishes. Without an executed will, these very important, personal decisions are made by the state.

The NYSUT Member Benefits Trust-endorsed Legal Service Plan provides one Legal Security Package each year of plan enrollment. The package includes forms to create a simple will, durable power of attorney, living will and health care proxy.

The plan provides access to unlimited, toll-free legal advice from plan attorneys, who will make phone calls and write correspondence on the participant’s behalf, at no charge, to resolve legal situations before they become major problems.

In addition, the purchase of this plan includes coupons for free consultations with a plan attorney.

With the Legal Service Plan, participants receive legal assistance with a variety of legal matters. Many other benefits are provided with enrollment in the plan, including plan attorneys located nationwide who charge discounted hourly rates; guaranteed maximum fees on a number of personal legal matters; advice and guidance on identity theft, debt consolidation and mortgage foreclosure; and a legal newsletter covering consumer-oriented issues.

Optional riders providing benefits in the areas of elder law and business protection can be purchased to provide specialized benefits to the plan.

For information, contact NYSUT Member Benefits at (800) 626-8101 or visit www.memberbenefits.nysut.org.

For information about contractual expense reimbursement/endorsement arrangements with providers of endorsed programs, please contact NYSUT Member Benefits or refer to your NYSUT Member Benefits Trust Summary Plan Description. Agency fee payers to NYSUT are eligible to participate in NYSUT Member Benefits-endorsed programs.

NYSUT Benefit: Online service keeps members informed

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With more than 30 endorsed insurance, financial, legal and discount plans, it’s hard to keep track of what is available through NYSUT Member Benefits.

Bargaining unit members with access to e-mail may wish to consider joining MAP, Member Benefits’ Member Assistance Program. Once every three weeks, a brief e-mail message is sent. It may be an advance notice of a change in an existing plan, an announcement of a new endorsement or a reminder about an endorsed program.

Since MAP Alerts are sent from Member Benefits, e-mail addresses are not shared with any outside parties.

To join, simply complete a brief sign-up form on the Member Benefits Web site, www.memberbenefits.nysut.org, and within three weeks, a MAP Alert will be sent.

Bargaining unit members participating in the NYSUT Member Benefits-endorsed voluntary insurance programs, legal service plan and the new financial counseling program can look up information about their participation online.

Through MPP (My Program Participation), members can view the payment methods available to them as well as the method used (payroll/pension deduction or direct bill); deduction amounts if payroll/pension deduction is used; premium amounts and coverage information if provided by the program provider to Member Benefits; and phone numbers for the providers.

Participation in AFT and NEA benefits is not included in this service, nor are any benefits provided by UUP, UUP Benefit Trust Fund or the employer.

Look for the MPP-My Program Participation navigation bar on the left side of the www.memberbenefits.nysut.org home page. An initial login will establish an account. Due to privacy issues, members will need to create their own enhanced security code to access the look-up service. Instructions are on the Web site.

For assistance, call Member Benefits, (800) 626-8101, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., ET.

(For information about contractual expense reimbursement/endorsement arrangements with providers of endorsed programs, please contact NYSUT Member Benefits or refer to your NYSUT Member Benefits Trust Summary Plan Description. Agency fee payers to NYSUT are eligible to participate in NYSUT Member Benefits Trust-endorsed programs.)

 

NYSUT Benefits: New financial counseling program available

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The NYSUT Member Benefits Corporation Board of Directors is pleased to announce their recent endorsement of a new Financial Counseling Program.

Provided by Stacey Braun Associates Inc., an independent investment advisory company, members will receive unbiased and objective advice customized for every financial situation. Stacey Braun’s planners and advisors are fee-based and prohibited from selling investment or insurance products.

The program’s annual fee is $260, reduced to $250 if paying through payroll or pension deduction.

Members who enroll are entitled to six hours of toll-free phone consultations with a Stacey Braun certified financial planner or registered investment advisor. Members can request customized written summaries and reports on a variety of financial issues. Specific 403(b) advice is also included in the program.

Other benefits include access to the Stacey Braun password-protected Web site and a 24-hour e-mail helpdesk for basic financial questions.

In-person consultations, limited to 90 minutes, can be arranged for an additional fee of $250.

In addition to the full-service program, another option offered is a 403(b) Limited Financial Counseling Program, which carries an annual fee of $185, reduced to $175 when paid through payroll or pension deduction. The limited program includes toll-free phone consultations to discuss 403(b) programs only, with a six-hour limitation.

For information about this program or about contractual expense reimbursement/endorsement arrangements with providers of endorsed programs, please contact NYSUT Member Benefits at (800) 626-8101, visit www.memberbenefits.nysut.org or refer to your NYSUT Member Benefits Trust Summary Plan Description.

Agency fee payers to NYSUT are eligible to participate in NYSUT Member Benefits-endorsed programs.

NYSUT benefits: Payroll, pension deduction can save members money

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Payroll deduction of NYSUT Member Benefits-endorsed programs eliminates check-writing and late payments. This payment option is available to eligible bargaining unit members.

Pension deduction is available to retirees collecting a monthly pension benefit from the NYS Teachers’ Retirement System or NYS Employees’ Retirement System. It’s also an option for retirees who receive income from a monthly lifetime annuity from TIAA-CREF.

Annual premiums are easier to budget, since they are divided into smaller payments deducted from 26 paychecks or from 12 monthly pension benefits.

Payroll and pension deduction also yield reduced premiums and additional coverage at no cost for these NYSUT Member Benefits-endorsed programs: Term Life Insurance; Catastrophe Major Medical Insurance; Long-Term Care Insurance; Disability Insurance; Automobile, Homeowners/Renters, Boat, Personal Excess Liability (Umbrella) and other personal property insurance; Legal Service Plan; and Retiree Dental Plan.

The WrapPlan® II Flexible Premium Adjustable Life Insurance Plan can also be purchased using deductions.

For specifics, visit www.memberbenefits.nysut.org and click on the Payroll & Pension Deduction tab on the left-hand side of the home page. Or call Member Benefits at 800-626-8101.

For information about contractual expense reimbursement/endorsement arrangements with providers of endorsed programs, please contact NYSUT Member Benefits or refer to your NYSUT Member Benefits Trust Summary Plan Description.

Agency fee payers to UUP are eligible to participate in NYSUT Member Benefits-endorsed programs.

NYSUT Benefit: New hearing care plan available

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The NYSUT Member Benefits Corporation recently endorsed EPIC (Ear Professionals International Corporation) Hearing Service Plan—a national network of more than 3,500 credentialed audiologists and ear, nose and throat physicians.

Through these providers (more than 250 in New York state), bargaining unit members receive customized care and, if needed, may purchase brand-name hearing aids at substantial savings.

EPIC identifies and screens qualified experts in hearing evaluation and treatment. It researches and evaluates all hearing aid technology to assure the latest and most effective options are available.

Also, EPIC negotiates the best prices for all treatment protocols, including hearing devices. EPIC prices may be as much as 50 percent below manufacturer’s suggested retail price and up to 35 percent lower than most discount offers.

Members and families may use this plan. There are no enrollment fees.Visit www.memberbenefits.nysut.org and click on Discounts to get information on how the program works and a link to EPIC’s Web site for NYSUT members. UUPers or family members who want to use the plan should call EPIC toll-free at (866) 956-5400 and provide the Member Benefits identifier code: NYSUTMBC.

For information about this program or about contractual expense reimbursement/endorsement arrangements with providers of endorsed programs, please call NYSUT Member Benefits at (800) 626-8101, visit www.memberbenefits.nysut.org or refer to your NYSUT Member Benefits Trust Summary Plan Description.

Agency fee payers to NYSUT are eligible to participate in NYSUT Member Benefits-endorsed programs.

NYSUT’s new e-mail service provides reminders, information

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Are you aware of the various ways to save money through NYSUT Member Benefits Trust? With more than 40 endorsed insurance, financial, legal and discount plans, it’s hard to keep track of what’s available.

UUP bargaining unit members with access to e-mail should consider joining “MAP,” Member Benefits’ Member Assistance Program. Approximately every three weeks, members will receive a brief e-mail message. It may be an advance notice of a change in an existing plan, an announcement of a new endorsement or a reminder about an endorsed program. These e-mail messages are immediately recognizable by the subject line: MAP Alert.

Members have the option of reading the brief text message in an e-mail format or in html format, complete with eye-pleasing colors and graphics.

Occasionally, MAPers are asked for opinions on programs under consideration for future endorsement, including which features are most important to them.When possible, MAPers help Member Benefits test potential new programs and services and provide feedback. For example, MAPers helped kick the tires on the new online look-up service, My Program Participation, before it was introduced in January.

Sometimes MAP Alerts include the opportunity to win valuable prizes offered by Member Benefits or providers of its endorsed programs. MAPers have received such prizes as admission tickets to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, 100 free gallons of heating oil from HEAT USA, a Bose Wave® Music System, a digital camera and a GPS device.

Since MAP messages are sent from Member Benefits, a member’s e-mail address is not shared with any outside parties. Member Benefits oversees the content, as well as the frequency of e-mail communications to ensure members will not be bombarded.

To join, simply complete a brief sign-up form on the Member Benefits Web site at www.memberbenefits.nysut.org. MAP Alerts will begin within three weeks.

For information about contractual expense reimbursement/endorsement arrangements with providers of endorsed programs, please call NYSUT Member Benefits Trust at (800) 626-8101, e-mail benefits@nysutmail.org visit www.memberbenefits.nysut.org or refer to your NYSUT Member Benefits Trust Summary Plan Description. Agency fee payers to NYSUT are eligible to participate in NYSUT Member Benefits Trust-endorsed programs.

NYSUT members can go online for personal benefit info

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Bargaining unit members who participate in NYSUT Member Benefits Trust-endorsed voluntary insurance and legal programs have a new online capability available.

Over the last year, Member Benefits has been working with NYSUT’s information technology and communications departments to produce a benefits look-up feature on the union’s Web site.

This service, called My Program Participation, allows members to look up information about the NYSUT Member Benefits Trust-endorsed programs in which they participate.

Information will include the payment methods for which members are eligible, as well as the method used (payroll/pension deduction or direct bill); deduction amounts; premium amounts and coverage information if provided by the vendor to Member Benefits; and phone numbers for the vendors.

Participation in AFT and NEA benefits is not included in this service, nor are any benefits provided by UUP, the UUP Benefit Trust Fund or New York state.

Look for the My Program Participation navigation bar on the left side of the home page at www.memberbenefits.nysut.org.

Members will need to do an initial login to establish an account.

Due to privacy issues, members will also need to create their own enhanced security code to access the look-up service. Instructions will be on the Web site.

For assistance, call Member Benefits at (800) 626-8101, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., ET.

For information about contractual expense reimbursement/endorsement arrangements with providers of endorsed programs, call NYSUT Member Benefits Trust at (800) 626-8101, visit www.memberbenefits.nysut.org, e-mail benefits@nysutmail.org or refer to your NYSUT Member Benefits Trust Summary Plan Description. Agency fee payers to NYSUT are eligible to participate in NYSUT Member Benefits Trust-endorsed programs.