Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/124458
DSEA-Retired - the commitment continues. . . Retirement is looking better in Delaware - by Rich Phillips, president, DSEA-Retired Did you know that…. • 40% of State employees are eligible to retire at this very moment? • 25,607 retirees are in Delaware's State Employee Pension Plan (SEPP)? • 35,427 active state workers contribute to the SEPP? • There is $6.9 billion in the SEPP? • Unlike many state pension systems, Delaware's is very wellfunded, at 91.5%? SEA-Retired held the largest Pre-Retirement Workshop ever on Saturday, March 16. It was held in the lecture hall of Delaware Technical and Community College in Georgetown with 138 DSEA members and guests in attendance. Kristen Boehmer, human resources specialist from the D Pension Office, gave an excellent presentation and answered many questions. Her presentation can be found among the many resources on the Pension Office website. Check out www.delawarepensions. com/pdf/2012FallPre-Retire WorkshopPresentation.pdf. At the end of the Pre-Retirement Workshop, I spoke to the attendees about the return of "Lifetime Membership" in DSEA-Retired. Additional information will be forthcoming. The cost will be a onetime fee of $550, and will cover your membership in DSEA-Retired for as long as you live. Of course, if you remain with annual dues, they can still be deducted from your pension as well as paid by cash and check. The retired fees, beginning September 1, will be $65/year. If you were not able to make the March 16th workshop, the Pension Office is holding its own annual workshops during the next three months. There is no pre-registra- Premiums to go up This applies to all, both active and retired state workers t will cost the state $37.2 million more next year to keep your health care benefits at the same level as they are this year. At its March 11 meeting, the State Employee Benefits Committee* voted to use some of the reserves in the state's Group Health Fund to make up the difference in health care costs. They will, therefore, be able to keep plan benefits at current levels and limit the increases in costs to employees and employers (state agencies and school districts). Cost increases are allocated to employers (state agencies and school districts) at 57.3%; the fund surplus at 33.6%; and state employees at 9.1%. I What will this mean to you? In addition to no changes to health care benefits, the committee voted not to increase co-pay amounts for state employees, with the following monthly increases for employees to health care plan premium amounts: tion required and there is no cost. Individual retirement estimates will not be distributed at these workshops. Participants will learn, however, how to prepare their own estimated pension amount using the Pension Office website. All workshops are held from 7 to 9 p.m. • March 28 - Brandywine High School - Auditorium • April 16 - Stanton Middle School - Auditorium • April 24 - Stanton Middle School – Auditorium • April 30 –Delaware Tech Owens Campus, Georgetown - Conference Center • May 2 – Delaware Tech Terry Campus, Dover - Corporate Training Center Why join DSEA-Retired? We encourage active DSEA members to continue their membership in the Association by joining DSEARetired, before or when they retire, in order to: • Continue any NEA insurance you may have. If you do not join DSEARetired, you will lose your discounts. This is NEA policy . • Continue receiving the discounts offered by DSEA and NEA when you were active BlueCARE HMO Employee $2.22 Employee and spouse $4.72 Employee and child(ren) $3.42 Family $5.88 Comprehensive PPO Plan Employee $4.96 Employee and spouse $10.30 Employee and child(ren) $7.64 Family $12.88 First State Basic Plan Employee $1.32 Employee and spouse $2.72 Employee and child(ren) $2.00 Family $3.40 Port POS Plan Employee $0.00 Employee and spouse $0.00 Employee and child(ren) $0.00 Family $0.00 CDH Gold Employee $1.70 Employee and spouse $3.52 Employee and child(ren) $2.60 Family $4.48 Medicfill rates with EGWP Offset effective Jan. 2014 for pensioners retired prior to July 1, 2012 Subscriber $0.00 Subscriber no Rx $0.00 Aetna HMO Employee $2.22 Employee and spouse $4.70 Employee and child(ren) $3.40 Family $5.86 14 March/April 2013 DSEA ACTION! Medicfill rates with EGWP Offset effective Jan. 2014 for pensioners retired after July 1, 2012 Subscriber $1.16 Subscriber no Rx $0.66 • Attend workshops provided by DSEA, DSEA-Retired and NEA for free or at reduced rates (This includes the Defensive Driving workshops held each year by DSEA.) • Receive personal legal assistance through DSEA legal services. As a member of DSEA-Retired you are still entitled to two FREE 15-minute consultations with participating attorneys with reduced rates if you decide to engage them further Check the DSEA calendar or DSEA-Retired's website (www.dsear.org) after September 1 to see when the fall and spring Pre-Retirement Workshops will be held. If you have any questions about DSEA-Retired, please don't hesitate to contact Debbie Weaver at the DSEA Dover office by email at debbie.weaver@dsea.org or phone at 1-866-734-5834. You can also contact me at 302-8349245 or email me at retengteach05@ comcast.net. DSEA-Retired is the only Delaware retired state-employee organization affiliated with NEA, DSEA and NEARetired. * The SEBC has control and management of all employee benefit coverage including health care insurance and blood bank, state employees group life insurance; and all other currently existing and future employee benefit coverage, including all forms of flexible benefits, dental, vision, prescription, long-term care and disability coverage. The SEBC is composed of the insurance commissioner, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, the state treasurer, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, the controller general, the secretary of Finance and the secretary of Health and Social Services, or their designees. The director of the Office of Management and Budget chairs the Committee. On March 20, Senate Bill 21 was introduced which will "...provide Delaware public employees with representation on the Committee." See page 9. www.dsea.org