Retired Member's Association of the NYC Fire Dept.

Retirees accuse NYC of lying to judge in battle over health benefits

City lawyers lied to a state judge in a “shameful” bid to cheat them out of health insurance benefits, according to a retired group of firefighters, cops, teachers and other public servants. The lawyers have argued in court filings and before a Manhattan Supreme Court judge that NYC retirees must accept a new, privately administered plan or pay $191.57 monthly to maintain current coverage.

However, The Post obtained a Feb 16, 2016 letter from Stephen Louis, a top city Law Department attorney, to then-Labor Commissioner Robert Linn which appears to confirm the city is required by law to pay for all retiree health plans up to a price cap. “They misled the court,” fumed Marianne Pizzitola, who heads the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, when shown the letter, calling it “shameful.”

Louis wrote that the Administrative Code requires the city to pay for any plan “up to the full cost of the health care package offered” by NYC.

Assistant Corporation Counsel William Fraenkel told Judge Lyle Frank on Feb. 28 that making every plan premium-free would

“run contrary” to the law.

Frank ruled in favor of the retirees in March. The city appealed. The ruling will affect 250,000 ex-workers. “The city did not mislead the court,” said a Law Department spokesman, adding that critics are “selectively quoting” Louis’ letter.

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New information and updates regarding the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus Plan:

On March 3, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lyle Frank ruled on a lawsuit brought by the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees. The ruling said that the city could not charge retirees who wanted to opt out $192 a month to keep their current health coverage. Judge Frank said the city administrative code requires it to “pay the entire cost of health insurance coverage for city employees, city retirees and their dependents.” On March 4, the city corporation council filed a notice that it plans to appeal the decision. The appeal has been placed on the Appellate Court’s calendar for the September 2022 term. A letter from OLD Commissioner Renee Campion stated that all retirees will remain on their current plans until further notice. We will inform our members as more information becomes available.

For additional information, you can call the special Alliance call center at 1-833-325-1190, Monday to Friday,

8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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LATEST COVID INFO: GET BOOSTED!

Details Below:

[FREE COVID TEST KITS>CLICK HERE TO GO TO OUR COVID PAGE< ]

FDNY-Logo Missing BHS FDNY - COVID-19 & FLU Vaccines

Battle Omicron by Boosting Now

FDNY's Moderna Booster appears to provide the highest level of protection from Covid-19. Breakthrough infections do occur but, those boosted report only mild illness. Nearly everyone hospitalized or who has died has NOT been vaccinated.

All active members must be fully vaccinated. Healthcare workers in NYS are now required to be boosted. While a booster is not yet required for FDNY, it is the prudent medical choice.

The Moderna booster is available at FDNY to all adults (active, retired or family members):

2 months after receipt of the J&J Jansen vaccine.
5 months after receipt of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine.
If you are immunosupressed (cancer, autoimmune disease, on certain medications such as oral steroids, methotrexate, Humira, Remicaid, etc.), you only need to wait 2 months from your last Moderna or Pfizer shot.
If you are recovering from COVID-19, you only need to wait 10 days from onset or 90 days if you were treated with monoclonal antibodies.

FDNY still offers Moderna vaccine for adults not yet fully vaccinated in need of 1st or 2nd dose. At your option, the Flu vaccine can be given on the same day.

FDNY sites schedule – NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED (WALK-INS ONLY)

Available at all locations
9 Metrotech (Auditorium) OPEN 10am to 4pm
Saturday and Sunday - 9 Metrotech ONLY, Open 10am-4pm

Remember your best defense is vaccination, booster, flu shot, masks during normal encounters and respirators (half-face elastomeric or

N-95) during patient care.

LATEST UPDATE ON THE BOOSTER:

The FDNY is providing Moderna COVID booster shots at all WTC Satellites - FRIDAYS ONLY, 10am-2pm (Walk-Ins only, no appointment needed). This includes Fort Totten (WTC Bldg 413B), Staten Island, Commack, and Middletown. Shots are also available at FDNY Headquarters, 9 Metrotech Center in the Auditorium, Monday-Friday 10am -4pm (Walk-Ins only, no appointment needed) A booster is one-half the original dose and is available at these FDNY locations to all adults (active, retired or family members). You are qualified for a booster if you meet one of the following: 1st Booster - Age 18 or older and it has been at least 5 months since your 2nd Moderna or Pfizer vaccine and you have not yet received a booster. 2nd Booster - Age 50 or older and it has been at least 4 months from your first booster (you received a third shot and this would be your 4th). If you are recovering from COVID-19, you only need to wait to receive a booster for10 days from onset or 90 days if you were treated with monoclonal antibodies. If you originally received a J&J Jansen single shot vaccine, you can still be boosted with the Moderna vaccine as above.

MEDICARE PART B REIMBURSEMENT INFO

(REIMBURSEMENTS COMMENCED MONDAY MARCH 23rd, 2021, EITHER THRU A CHECK IN THE US MAIL OR THRU A DIRECT DEPOSIT INTO YOUR ACCOUNT.)

TO WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT THE REIMBURSEMENT,

CLICK> https://www1.nyc.gov/site/olr/health/retiree/health-retiree-medb-irmaa.page

APRIL 2021 UPDATE:

Medicare Part B Reimbursements

Medicare Differential Payments were sent out by the NYC Office of Labor Relations (OLR) on or about Monday, March 22, 2021. These differential payments are only applicable to members on Medicare prior to 2016 who did not receive the full amount that they were entitled to.

The actual reimbursements for Medicare Part B will be sent to members in mid-April. If you have direct deposit for your pension check, it will be direct deposited. If you receive paper pension checks, you will be mailed a check.

Please refrain from contacting the NYC Office of Labor Relations until after you receive your Medicare Part B Reimbursements in mid-April.

Medicare Part B Reimbursements Incorrect Amounts

Retirees who believe they received the incorrect amount on their Reimbursement should submit the differential form along with the Social Security 1099s for the year(s) you feel you were shortchanged, using the Leapfile Website.

Form:
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/olr/downloads/pdf/health/med-b-differential-form-2019.pdf

Leapfile Website (Select IRMAA/Differential, then upload the FORM and 1099s):

https://nycemployeebenefits.leapfile.net/

If you did NOT receive a Medicare Part B Reimbursement from the NYC Office of Labor Relations, it is probably because you have not yet submitted the Medicare Part B Reimbursement Application (along with a COPY of your Medicare Card). Alternatively, if you are not currently enrolled with the NYC Health Benefits / Medical Plan, you would not be eligible for the Part B Reimbursement.

If you have already uploaded the necessary Medicare Reimbursement Forms to OLR using the Leapfile Website, and/or if you have any follow up questions with the NYC Office of Labor Relations regarding your Medicare Part D Reimbursement, you can email healthbenefits@olr.nyc.gov.

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To all Retirees,

The following notice is to inform retirees on Medicare that your 2019 Standard Part B reimbursement from OLR (Office of Labor Relations) may not have been for the full amount you and/or spouse paid. This applies ONLY to those who were enrolled in Medicare PRIOR TO 2016. If you enrolled in Medicare in 2016 or later, the reimbursement amount

should have been accurate.

If affected, you will be required to fill out a Medicare Differential Form found in a link with this e mail. The reimbursement is scheduled for some time in the 1st quarter of 2021. Follow the instructions and return with the supporting paperwork stated in Section III of the form.

***SEE LINK FOR FORM BELOW ***

ALSO those recipients and/or spouse who are subject to IRMAA and were enrolled in Medicare prior to 2016 may not have received the full reimbursement for their standard Part B. IRMAA recipients do not need to file for the differential as long as they have submitted the IRMAA reimbursement form. When the IRMAA reimbursement is paid, (October 2020) the differential for the Standard Part B will be included. The form for IRMAA reimbursement is in the link below.

Note that if you had not filed for IRMAA reimbursement in the past but had paid IRMAA you can submit for 2018 and 2017 using the form below.

*** CONTINUE TO LINK BELOW ***

An explanation has been provided by OLR regarding this issue: As Part B premiums have increased, the amount of the increase has, at times, been more than what the social security COLA increase provided to some recipients. Had the full increase of the Part B premium been applied to all, a social security recipient could have had a net reduction in their monthly benefit.

Because of Medicare's "hold harmless” provision, the monthly increase to an individual's Part B premium could vary in order to avoid a reduction in that person's monthly Social Security benefit. This results in variable amounts being paid for Part B premiums that are specifically unique to each individual. The increase in Part B premiums could vary from $1 to $318 per person. Since, the City has no way of verifying what each person pays for their Medicare Part B premium, documentation of what an individual actually paid in Part B premiums is needed.

Medicare Part B reimbursements were issued for the calendar year 2019 for Medicare-eligible retirees and

Medicare-eligible dependents in April 2020.

Any retirees who were Medicare eligible on or after calendar year 2016 are eligible for $134.00 per month

(12 months= $1,608 per each eligible person).

They receive this amount automatically.

Any retirees who were Medicare eligible prior to the calendar year 2016 must complete the Medicare Part B differential Form (see below link) and provide SSA-1099 for the calendar year 2019. Those retirees who submit this form may receive an additional amount up to $300 under the Medicare Part B differential.

This payment will be issued in Spring 2021

>>>*CLICK HERE FOR THE UPDATED FORM FOR THIS YEAR'S ADDITIONAL PAYMENT OF $300.00 AND WHERE TO SEND IT*<<<

IT MUST BE SENT ELECTRONICALLY FOR

US MAIL IS NOT BEING ACCEPTED AT THIS TIME.

Due to the pandemic OLR’s offices were closed on March 17, 2020. Correspondence arriving after March 11 was not processed. Please review the following if you were impacted by this. You will have to resubmit forms and documentation electronically if you filed forms by U.S. Mail for the following:  2019 Medicare Part B Differential, or  2019 Medicare IRMAA reimbursement, or  Initial Enrollment for you or spouse in the Part B reimbursement plan Please visit the OLR website for instructions, step-by-step video and the needed forms to complete this task. OLR home page: healthbenefitshome (nyc.gov) Medicare Part B reimbursement information forms and links to submit via e mail. health-retiree-medb-irmaa (nyc.gov) Submitting instructions health-retiree-leapfile-instructions (nyc.gov) If you are submitting paperwork for future reimbursements such as 2020 Part B differential (Form will be available in April 2020) , IRMAA 2020, (Form not yet available) or initial Part B reimbursement enrollment, (Form is available on line) it is recommended to continue with the electronic filing unless instructed differently. Please monitor the OLR homepage for guidance.

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VCF NEWS:

On July 29, 2019, the President signed into law The Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. The VCF Permanent Authorization Act extends the VCF’s claim filing deadline from December 18, 2020, to October 1, 2090, and appropriates such funds as may be necessary to pay all approved claims. The VCF recognizes that claimants will have many questions about) the impact of the legislation on their claims. The VCF is committed to processing claims without interruption and issuing full payments to those who received a reduced award. Additional details about the VCF Permanent Authorization Act can be found here.

Please check this website frequently for updates.

-FOR MORE ABOUT THE VCF GO TO OUR HEALTH CARE PAGE-

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We are Retired NYC Firefighters of all ranks. We meet five times per year at two locations; 901 Lakeville Road in New Hyde Park and 3051 Nostrand Ave in Brooklyn, NY. Through our Newsletter and this website we hope to keep you informed about your pensions.

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Retirees accuse NYC of lying to judge in battle over health benefits

New information and updates regarding the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus Plan:

LATEST COVID INFO: GET BOOSTED!

Details Below:

Bill Prohibits Dimunition of Health Care Benefits

TWO BILLS IN THE NYS ASSEMBLY WOULD PROTECT OUR HEALTH CARE

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VCF UPDATE:

NEW LOCATION AND PHONE NUMBER FOR FIRE PENSIONS

MEDICARE PART B REIMBURSEMENT INFO

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