Yesterday I almost had my first casualty. A retiree who had wintered in Florida came back a little early for the sole purpose of having surgery only to discover some of his mail had not been forwarded and a medical plan premium (contribution) was due immediately. Luckily, in this case, he was able to make an on-line payment to save the day, but…. that may not always be the case.


Here’s the deal… Pass the Word… ATT is not kidding.

Mistakes were made on some 900+ Retiree Health Reimbursement accounts.
Single deposit amounts ($850) were made to what should have been family amounts ($1700). Not everyone was affected. Those who are affected will be notified via mail (from SHPS/the HRA administrator) of the corrected deposit. NOTE: Eligibility for an HRA is dependent on the “Non-Medicare retiree’s” enrollment and in cases like a split family (generally meaning one dependent is Medicare eligible) where dependents are permitted to make a separate medical plan election, the “Non Medicare Retiree” and dependent (whether Medicare or Non Medicare) elections must be with a Company-offered Medical Plan in order for the family HRA Amount to be paid.

There has also been some confusion with regard to the new voluntary Marsh Plan Insurance options (re; pet, cancer, legal, and other insurance’s). These are only available to future retirees and NOT current retirees.

Unfortunately I was wrong and I am so sorry for the inconvenience. Pre-1993 Retirees will NOT be allowed to participate in the CVS maintenance prescription trial. ATT decided to exclude pre-93 retirees. We are asking for the rationale behind this decision and will continue to press for inclusion.

We recently had several questions regarding new medical cards and who should get them. The answer is that not all retirees will receive new cards. Only retirees who had their Medical Plans change as a result of bargaining or as a result of a different enrollment choice will get new cards.

Dear Colleagues:

This is a reminder that applications are now being accepted
through March 31 for the CWA Joe Beirne Foundation's annual scholarship offerings for the 2010-2011 school year.

The Robert D. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund, administered by the
Cleveland Foundation, is now accepting applications for the 2010-2011
academic year. Applications must be postmarked by April 30, 2010.
Awards will be announced by June 15, 2010.

The official announcement is made and the calculators are programed at Fidelity. The 2010 GATT rate is 4.31% and is obviously an increase from our current 2009 rate of 4.0%.

From: "CWA/NETT Academy

Now is the time. Are you ready?

* Networking skills are in demand and in short supply
* Take the next step to stay ahead of the curve
* Through 2010 CWA will pay your exam fees

1)With the new contract will we still have the ability to designate a portion of our pay into a Health Care Reimbursement account as we do now?
2) Considering the latest IRS ruling will we be able to split HRA funding between Pre-Tax and Post-Tax?