HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL OF US AT THE RMA.

It's been a long year of health and pension topics. We hope we did a good job of keeping you up to date on all the issues. We will continue to bring you news when it happens concerning all that affects you. Please pass on to fellow retirees our information. We need to recruit more members so that they too, can be informed at a moment's notice. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year. See you at our first Meeting on 2/22/22 in New Hyde Park...

Medicare Advantage Update 12/15/2021

This morning the UFOA was notified that the Court issued a decision pertaining to the Medicare Advantage Plus Plan.

The Plan is allowed to go forward with a NEW EFFECTIVE DATE of

April 1, 2022. The dates to make the initial choice have been extended to March 31, 2022.

After the plan takes effect, retirees will be able to opt out until

June 30, 2022.

The City will send updated communications about the Plan to all retirees before the end of the year and during 2022.

Additional virtual educational sessions will be held by the Alliance. The UFOA will also schedule additional sessions in 2022.

In the interim period, all participants will remain in their current plans.

In Senior Care, $15 co-pays go into effect on 1/1/22. The 2022 Medicare deductible is now $233 and the Senior Care deductible remains $50.

Any amount a member pays toward their 2022 deductible in their current plan will carry over to the Medicare Advantage Plus Plan.

The City will provide regular updates to the Court detailing efforts made to educate providers and retirees about the Plan.

Please check the NYC Office of Labor Relations website regularly for updates and educational session dates. www.nyc.gov/olr

The UFOA will email additional information when it is available. Please keep your email address up to date. Please send changes to your email address to administrator@ufoa.org

MEDICARE ADV. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION DELAYED UNTIL APRIL 1st

Judge Orders City to Delay Retiree Health Care Switch Until April 1

A New York state judge Tuesday ordered that a proposed cost-cutting change in city government retirees’ health insurance be delayed until at least April 1, 2022. Retired city workers will have until June 30, 2022 to opt out of the plan. The ruling also listed several steps the city must take to provide more public information about the plan before the judge will allow it to move forward.The ruling represents a setback for the de Blasio administration, which had originally sought to implement the change shifting retired city workers from Medicare plans to cheaper, privately-managed Medicare Advantage plans, on January 1, 2022. Retirees were to be automatically enrolled in the new plan unless they opted out by October 31, 2021.Despite the delay, a spokesperson for the New York City Law Department, Nick Paolucci, said that the plan was a victory for the city. “We are one step closer to offering this enhanced health plan to our retirees in the near future. We are pleased the Court has ruled the City can move forward with the plan under certain conditions. We are carefully reviewing the order,” he said in a statement to New York Focus.The plan has its roots in a 2014 agreement between de Blasio and the major municipal unions, which promised billions in health care savings in exchange for pay raises for current employees. Many retirees have voiced skepticism that the private plan, which will be run by insurance giants EmblemHealth and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, will provide health care as good what they currently receive through Medicare and supplemental coverage that the city provides free of charge.In September, the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees—a group formed in opposition to the shift in care—filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the plan’s implementation. On October 22, Judge Lyle Frank of the New York Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction against the plan, which prohibited the city from moving ahead with the switch.In a three-page order issued at about 5 P.M. on Tuesday, Frank laid out a series of conditions that the city must comply with before implementing the new Medicare Advantage plan. He specified that retirees must be allowed to opt out of the plan until at least June 30, 2022—three months after the plan is scheduled to go into effect.In addition to mandating that retirees be able to opt out until the end of June 2022, Frank also ordered the city to take steps to make sure that retirees are fully informed about what treatments and procedures are included in the new plan, and which doctors will and will not be participating. Confusion about what services will be included in the plan has been rampant among retirees, especially after the city mailed them a guide to the plan that contained numerous errors–and then refused to mail out a correction, citing a “global paper supply shortage.”Frank ordered that the city send retirees a letter correcting the errors in its initial plan by January 7, 2022. The letter “must contain information on how a retiree can obtain a corrected Enrollment Guide free of charge, and the specific web addresses where the corrected Enrollment Plan may be seen,” Frank wrote.Frank’s ruling also addressed another of the retirees’ main concerns: that many of their doctors have not heard of the plan, and thus don’t know whether or not they will accept it. Dozens of retirees have submitted affidavits or testified at public hearings that their doctors will not be participating in the plan, or have not heard of it at all.Frank ruled that from January 7, 2022, until the plan becomes active, the city must submit biweekly reports detailing its efforts to contact providers and inform them about the plan, and a schedule for how and when it will contact additional providers.Steve Cohen, the lawyer representing the retiree organization, said that the ruling was a win for retirees. “I think we got everything the retirees wanted,” Cohen said. “Retirees have to have accurate information about doctors, and accurate information about the plan. The judge is laying that out really clearly.”The order leaves the overall structure of the plan in place: in the October injunction, Frank wrote that he “does not intend to disturb” the city’s choice to move retirees to private insurance.Nonetheless, Frank’s ruling said that the Organization of Public Service Retirees’ underlying case seeking to stop the move outright is still in play. That case “will be decided when the preliminary injunction has been lifted,” Frank wrote.Marianne Pizzitola, the president of the Organization of Public Service Retirees, said that she was encouraged by the judge’s promise to hear arguments on the underlying suit. “He’s giving us an opportunity to fight the rest of our case,” Pizzitola said. “I’m taking this as a win.”The office of Mayor-Elect Eric Adams, who will have assumed office by the time the plan is set to take effect, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.

Find out more

FIND YOUR DOCTOR

Not sure if your doctor is part of the

New Medicare Advantage Plus Plan?

Well now you can find out, click on the 'FIND OUT MORE' tab

and follow this procedure:

HIGHLIGHT THE "GUESTS BOX", then scroll down to:

SELECT TYPE OF CARE-use the scroll bar\/

Click on MEDICAL

NEXT SELECT YOUR STATE-use scroll bar\/

Click on "NEW YORK"

NEXT SELECT TYPE OF PLAN-use scroll bar\/

Click on "MEDICARE"

NEXT SELECT NETWORK-use scroll bar\/

Click on NYC MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLUS

Once you attain the page, insert

CITY or COUNTY or ZIP CODE of your Doctor, then put in

your doctor's First and Last Name, then hit the SPACE BAR,

NOT the ENTER BAR.*

Once the name appears, click on it, and see if "IN NETWORK" shows up under the doctor's name. If you see that then he or she is in the MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLUS Plan.

*If the name doesn't appear, you should contact your Doctor to ask him if he/she will be in the Network at a future date.*

Find out more

THE THIRD INNOCULATION-

Latest COVID Information as of 11/14/21:

COVID-19 Vaccine and Flu Vaccine

OPEN TO ALL Active and retired employees - Including all adult family members (age 18 or older).

For those already vaccinated we offer the COVID-19 Moderna Vaccine BOOSTERS (third shot at half dose) if it has been at least 6-months from 2nd dose.

Eligibility for booster includes:

An essential worker (includes first responders & healthcare workers)
If not an essential worker, you are eligible if:
- Age 65 or older
- Under age 65 with major medical condition (ex. cancer, immunocompromised, cardiopulmonary disease, liver or kidney disease, diabetes, smoker, ex-smoker, obese, pregnant, etc.). If immunocompromised by disease or medication, you can request a full dose rather than half-dose Moderna
- Any adult living with someone at risk

Mixing and matching: You can receive Moderna Booster 6 months after Pfizer or 2 months after J&J Janssen. If you have the option, sticking with the original vaccine type is preferred.

FDNY still offers Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for adults not yet vaccinated in need of 1st and 2nd dose.

FDNY can give you the Flu vaccine on the same day as the COVID-19 vaccine. Getting the flu vaccination is critical as it is possible to be infected with COVID-19 and flu, simultaneously or sequentially – leading to potentially life-threatening illness.

Please call 718-999-2683 Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm for an appointment at 9 Metrotech Center, Fort Totten or Randall's Island.

You can also call any of our WTC Satellites Mon-Fri 8am to 3:30pm for an appointment at:

Fort Totten: 718-281-7955
Commack: 631-858-2190
Orange County: 845-695-0695
Staten Island: 718-448-2391

Additional information on COVID-19 or Flu vaccination

It is NOT recommended that you get vaccinated if you ever had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or suffered from Guillain-Barré Syndrome. If you have concerns, please speak to your healthcare provider, or call FDNY BHS or satellite to discuss with a clinician.
Follow this link for more information about the COVID-19 vaccine: here
Follow this link for more information about the flu vaccine: here

MEDICARE UPDATE

What you should know about the COVID-19 vaccines

As vaccines become more widely available, it's important to keep taking steps to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Limit gatherings with others.
Practice social distancing.
Wash your hands frequently.
Wear a mask in public.

Once the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available to you,

here's what you should know:

You will need 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for it to be effective. When you receive your first dose, make sure to schedule your second dose.
Medicare covers the COVID-19 vaccine, so there will be no cost to you.
State governments are handling the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Look for updates from your state and local officials as more doses of the vaccine become available for additional priority groups.

Visit CDC.gov for additional trustworthy information on the COVID-19 vaccines.

Sincerely,

The Medicare Team

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR NEAREST TESTING SITE IS LOCATED

click>FIND A VACCINATION SITE NEAR YOU<click

Find out more

You Can Now Wait Until 72 To Take Required Minimum Distributions. But Should You?

The Secure Act increased the required minimum distribution (RMD) age from 70 1/2 to 72, marking the first change to the RMD age since first becoming law in 1986. The age increase will only apply to anyone born on or after July 1, 1949. Now that some taxpayers will be able to defer distributions from retirement accounts until age 72, should they? It turns out, tax-deferred growth isn’t always a no-brainer.

First, as a practical matter, many retirees can’t actually afford to hold off on using their retirement savings until they’re 72. Even for those who can wait until they reach RMD age, it might not make sense to. The ‘right’ withdrawal strategy will depend on multiple factors, which change over time along with the laws, tax code, and the individual’s personal financial situation.

Here are some of the important considerations to discuss with your financial and tax advisor as you draft a retirement income strategy.

Taking advantage of low tax brackets

Especially for investors who have already retired, tax planning can really pay off. If you’ve already retired and don’t need income from retirement accounts before age 72, you could be living off funds from a taxable brokerage account and perhaps Social Security, too. Depending on your finances, this could land you in some of the lowest tax brackets.

In 2020, married couples filing jointly are in the 12% marginal tax bracket until $80,250 of taxable income before progressing into the 22% rate on the next dollar of income. For couples with less than $80,000 in taxable income, they may pay no tax at all on long-term capital gains!

In this type of situation, it could be advantageous for taxpayers to consider accelerating the realization of income to ensure they’re able to take full advantage of a favorable tax bracket. With some planning, you could calculate how much to take from tax-deferred accounts to stay under the next marginal tax bracket increase (or whatever metric makes sense for your tax and financial situation).

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.

~~~~

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.

******************************

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-

About Us

Who We Are

Get Involved

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.

Get Involved

Are you passionate about what we're doing? Let us know! We are always looking for volunteers to help us make our organization better for our members. We'll help you find a way to volunteer that best suits you. We're excited to have you join the team!

Thank You

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Whether you help through monetary donations, volunteering your time, or spreading our mission through word-of-mouth, thank you. We couldn't accomplish our goals without the help

of supporters like you.

JOIN US THE OLD FASHION WAY :

HERE'S HOW TO JOIN:

RETIRED MEMBER'S ASSOCIATION, INC
Fire Department, City of New York
ORGANIZED JANUARY 1ST, 1946

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
We offer two types of Membership.

Life Membership- one time payment of $250.00 gives you a gold RMA Membership Card and our periodic newsletters.

Annual Membership-Annual dues of $25.00 gives you 1 year of membership with associated Card, and one year of issued Newsletters.
Once you have decided on
the type of Membership you desire,

download the PDF Application above,

fill out and send with your check
made payable to the RMA
and send via US Mail to:
The RMA
PO Box 1332

Baldwin, NY 11510

[Add Payment for the Lapel Pin(s) with your Dues Check]

(see Lapel Pin above-right)

Both Life and Annual Members will receive Critical instant Updates as

long as New Member provides a credible E-mail Address.

Lapel Pin, pictured above available for sale: PRICE: $6.00 for one pin or two for $10.00

Retired Member's Association,
Fire Dept.City of NY

Retired Member's Association,
Fire Dept.City of NY

Welcome to The RMA.-Our next meeting: 2/22/22 at 11:00am

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL OF US AT THE RMA.

Medicare Advantage Update 12/15/2021

MEDICARE ADV. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION DELAYED UNTIL APRIL 1st

Judge Orders City to Delay Retiree Health Care Switch Until April 1

FIND YOUR DOCTOR

VIDEO LINK TO THE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PRESENTATION

THE THIRD INNOCULATION-

Latest COVID Information as of 11/14/21:

Bill Prohibits Dimunition of Health Care Benefits

TWO BILLS IN THE NYS ASSEMBLY WOULD PROTECT OUR HEALTH CARE

CLICK ON "FIND OUT MORE"

VCF UPDATE:

ELSASSER FUND BENEFIT-

MEDICARE UPDATE

What you should know about the COVID-19 vaccines

You Can Now Wait Until 72 To Take Required Minimum Distributions. But Should You?

Taking advantage of low tax brackets

NEW LOCATION AND PHONE NUMBER FOR FIRE PENSIONS

MEDICARE PART B REIMBURSEMENT INFO

About Us

Who We Are

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Thank You

Get Involved

Thank You

Download The 2022 RMA Application:

JOIN US THE OLD FASHION WAY :

HERE'S HOW TO JOIN: