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It’s that time of year when the UUP Benefit Trust Fund (BTF) welcomes our new and returning members. It is very exciting when the fall semester begins and we see our membership continue to grow.
The BTF staff spent the summer revising the Welcome and New Hire kits that contain all the necessary information for the upcoming year. In these packets, you will find a BTF enrollment card. If you have not already filled one out, please do so and mail it back to us.
For our new members who may not be familiar with the BTF, let me explain who we are and what we do. Here at the UUP Benefit Trust Fund, we administer dental, vision, life insurance and dependent scholarship programs. We are able to do this through the gains of the negotiation process; UUP receives money from the state for each eligible member, throughout the life of the agreement.
We also have the Member Services Trust, which offers retail discounts from such companies as AT&T, Apple, Liberty Mutual, Verizon and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.
The BTF also offers vision benefits and dental benefits to retiree and non-eligible part-timer members.
But it doesn’t stop there. Our main purpose is to improve our members’ understanding of how to obtain the most from their benefits package.
The BTF assists our members who may have issues with health claims (Empire Plan) or with any of our programs. BTF representatives are here to advocate for you to make sure you are getting proper information and the service you deserve.
Campus visits in the fall semester and Voice articles are intended to keep you apprised of existing benefits changes or to report on new benefits. You can also check out our programs and services at www.uupinfo.org and click on Benefits.
The BTF Board of Trustees works very hard to offer our members the richest benefits package the BTF and Members Services Trust can afford.
I urge you to call us at (800) 887-3863 if you are having any issues with your benefits. Let us do the work for you.
Remember, here at UUP, it’s all about the members!
— Doreen Bango, Manager of Member Benefits and Services