More than 40 retired teachers enjoyed the Civil War presentation on November 17th at the Thunderbay Grill. To see more pictures, click on photos above. 
Celebrate the Christmas Season with the WCRTA Chicago Bus Trip
December 15, 2022 Check out the flyer under Unit Information above and cursor down to WCRTA Chicago Bus Trip to make your reservation. Cost $45 ********************************************* Click on photos to see the Dubuque, Iowa Galena bus trip. 
Scholarship Presentation June 16, 2022 WCRTA presented $1500 each in scholarship awards to future teachers at Gerry's Pizza and Italian Restaurant in Rockford. The Blanche J. Martin scholarships were given to college students pursing a degree in Elementary Education. Blanche was a retired elementary school teacher, principal, assistant superintendent of elementary education and regional superintendent of Boone and Winnebago Counties. She requested WCRTA to award these scholarship in her name. The 2022 recipients are Annah Dulaney graduate Pecatonica H.S., attending Judson University and Kylee Semenchuk graduate Harlem H.S., student Marian University. Fred Kunz Memorial scholarships were given to students planning to be teachers with an emphasis on Volunteerism. Fred taught 47 years and was an active WCRTA board Co-President. The Kunz scholarships were presented to Sarah Peterson graduate Hononegah H.S., attending University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Lyndsie Haak graduate Guilford H.S., will attend Olivet Nazarene University and Holly Janowski graduate Hononegah H.S., starting senior year at Western Illinois University. Pictured aloe are the scholarship attendees and WCRTA officers left to right: Scholarship Chairman Michael Cannariato, Scholarship Winners: Sarah Peterson, Kylee Semenchuk, Annah Dulaney and WCRTA President Gayle Haab. *************************************** Teacher Health insurance Security Fund under attack! Click on Pension/Legislative News above, January 24th **************************************************** Donate To The Legal Defense Fund Legal action is very expensive which is the reason IRTA started the Legal Defense Fund in 2012. The outpouring of support from our membership has been fantastic for the fund and it continues to grow. The amount needed will be large, especially if repeated legal battles must be fought such as this. So, we thank everyone who has contributed and ask those who have not to do so. This money is in a dedicated fund and cannot be used for any other purpose. Here is the address for sending donations to the Legal Defense Fund. IRTA, 828 S. Second St., 4th Floor, Springfield, IL 62704 Please make your check payable to IRTA and write "Legal Defense Fund" on the check memo line. ************************************************************************* Click on Schedule of Events 2022 above to see what's planned. *************************************** *************************************** WEP/GPO Bill Click on Legislative News above for important information! *************************************** *********************************************************** If you are curious about what happens at our Board meetings, or you would like to join the Board, feel free to attend one of the Board Meetings. Due to the COVID-19 virus, board meetings have taken place via ZOOM. We welcome new Board Members who will bring fresh ideas to the planning table! Please fill out a contact form if you would like to join the board or attend a ZOOM meeting. You can find the contact form under Unit Info above. ************************************************************ Thank you for your Membership! Not a member? Join Right Now. HI, I’M MIKE SCHMIDT THE IRTA MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIR, AND I’D LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT TODAY IS FEBRUARY FIRST AND ALL OF US RETIREES KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. YES, IT’S JUST NINE DAYS TO THE 56th ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST BEATLES APPEARANCE ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW! OH, NO, NO, NO, I MEAN TODAY IS THE DAY THAT IF WE ARE AT LEAST 62 YEARS OLD, THIS YEAR’S PENSION PAYMENT INCREASES BY A COMPOUNDED 3%. HOPEFULLY YOUR 3% INCREASE WILL MAKE 2020 THAT MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE THAN 2019 WAS. BUT JUST REMEMBER THAT WE WOULDN’T HAVE THAT INCREASE IN OUR BANK ACCOUNTS IF THE IRTA’S INSTITUTED LAWSUIT, HEATON VS. QUINN, HADN’T SUCCEEDED. YOUR MEMBERSHIP IN OUR ASSOCIATION MADE THAT SUCCESS POSSIBLE, SO PLEASE SHARE THE VALUE OF THE IRTA WITH YOUR RETIRED COLLEAGUES WHO AREN’T YET MEMBERS. ASK THEM TO JOIN THE ONLY STATE-WIDE ORGANIZATION THAT IS DEDICATED SOLELY TO PROTECTING THE BENEFITS OF RETIRED EDUCATORS. IT’S EASY TO DO IF YOU JUST DIRECT THEM TO OUR WEBSITE AT IRTAONLINE.ORG 1 THEY’LL LOVE US - YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. |
Health Insurance Update
Click on TRIP/TRAIL Information above for the latest information on the change to Aetna. More Information About Changes to TRAIL Dave Davison’s previous email sent to you by WCRTA regarding the decision of the Illinois CMS to change our health insurance carrier from United Health Care to Aetna came as a surprise to some of our members. Below, Dave shares additional information about that change provided by our parent organization, IRTA. It is long, but well-worth the read. The decision to change TRAIL insurance providers was made in Springfield by Central Management Services (CMS). It is function of the Governor’s Office. CMS provides the following explanation of why the change was made and the process involved in making the decision of what insurance program to use: Why Are We Changing Providers? On December 31, 2022, the current MAPD contracts will expire. Because of this, the State of Illinois was legally required to enter a request for proposal (RFP) process. During this process, we reviewed all the documents provided by each bidder, and found that Aetna offered the richest, low-cost plan, tailored to the needs of you—our retirees. Several factors contributed to our decision to change MAPD providers: • The Aetna MAPD PPO Plan offers lower premiums for coverage—saving both you and the State of Illinois money. In other words, you’ll pay lower monthly contributions for coverage. You’ll see these lower costs in your Open Enrollment Decision Guide. • In addition, the Aetna MAPD PPO Plan has been designed specifically for State of Illinois retirees—offering another wellness benefit. This new plan will offer wellness programs, through Be Well Illinois and SilverSneakers. The decision was not made by the Winnebago County Retired Teachers Association nor the Illinois Retired Teachers Association. WCRTA agrees that it would be better to not have to go through the process of changing. We all wonder what we are getting into. Many people are bound to be concerned. The email I put out was designed to alleviate some of the concern while emphasizing neither IRTA nor WCRTA knows for sure at this time if the change will ultimately be good or bad. It would be much better if we did not have to be worried about it. The Illinois Retired Teachers Association (IRTA) forwarded the following message from CMS to its members. If you are a member of IRTA, you should already have received this. IRTA is putting out a lot of information to try to help its members with this change. I hope the information I’ve provided is helpful. David Davison Dear TRAIL Participant: September 2022 Beginning January 1, 2023, your new medical and prescription drug plan will be the Aetna Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) PPO Plan. This new plan will replace your current plan, whether you’re currently enrolled in the UnitedHealthcare MAPD Plan or one of the MAPD HMO Plans (Aetna, Health Alliance or Humana). While your carrier for medical and prescription drug coverage is changing, your dental carrier—Delta Dental—and vision carrier—EyeMed, if applicable, will remain the same. No action is required unless you want to opt out of the Aetna MAPD PPO Plan. If you and your Medicare-eligible dependent(s) are currently covered under the UnitedHealthcare MAPD Plan or a MAPD HMO Plan, you and your Medicare-eligible dependent(s) will be automatically enrolled in the Aetna MAPD PPO Plan with coverage beginning January 1, 2023. Why Are We Changing Providers? On December 31, 2022, the current MAPD contracts will expire. Because of this, the State of Illinois was legally required to enter a request for proposal (RFP) process. During this process, we reviewed all the documents provided by each bidder, and found that Aetna offered the richest, low-cost plan, tailored to the needs of you—our retirees. Several factors contributed to our decision to change MAPD providers: • The Aetna MAPD PPO Plan offers lower premiums for coverage—saving both you and the State of Illinois money. In other words, you’ll pay lower monthly contributions for coverage. You’ll see these lower costs in your Open Enrollment Decision Guide. • In addition, the Aetna MAPD PPO Plan has been designed specifically for State of Illinois retirees—offering another wellness benefit. This new plan will offer wellness programs, through Be Well Illinois and SilverSneakers. How Will the Plan Change? Before making this decision, the State of Illinois compared all requests for proposal. We found that with the Aetna MAPD PPO Plan, there should be little to no disruption with your current providers: • It’s unlikely you’ll have to change providers under the new the Aetna MAPD PPO Plan. You’ll be able to use any doctor, hospital, or specialist in or out of the Aetna Medicare Advantage network, without paying more for out-of-network services, as long as the provider has accepted the plan and has not opted out or been excluded from Medicare. • If you’re currently undergoing ongoing treatment, please reach out to Aetna at 1-855- 223-4807 from 8am to 8pm CST to discuss transition of care. To view the list of covered prescription drugs, visit Aetna’s formulary online at StateofIllinois.AetnaMedicare.com About the Aetna MAPD PPO Plan The Aetna MAPD PPO Plan is a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan that delivers benefits beyond Original Medicare (Parts A and B) and includes basic prescription drug coverage (Part D). There are several important things to understand about all MAPD plans. The items below are no different than your current plan. • The Aetna MAPD PPO Plan is not a supplement plan and does not pay secondary to Medicare. All claims are submitted directly to Aetna for payment, not Medicare. • You can only be enrolled in one Medicare program at a time. This means that you cannot enroll in both the Aetna MAPD PPO Plan and any other Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. This means that if you enroll in another Medicare Advantage plan after enrolling in the Aetna MAPD PPO Plan, you’ll be automatically disenrolled from the Aetna MAPD PPO Plan. How to Learn More We’re committed to keeping you informed and making this a smooth transition process. In the coming weeks, there will be many opportunities to learn more about this change: • We will offer pre-open enrollment virtual seminars and in-person seminars during open enrollment for those that are unable to attend a virtual seminar or have additional questions and provide a medical plan decision guide that provides the details of your new plan. Be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks. • You’ll receive a welcome kit in the mail from Aetna with more information about the Aetna MAPD PPO Plan. You’ll also receive new member ID cards from Aetna, which can be used for medical and prescription drug services. • You’ll receive materials from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as required by law. We know that retirees get a lot of promotional materials about Medicare plans. Please note that all communications with specific information about this plan change will include the familiar TRAIL logo. What You Need to Do As stated above, no action is required unless you want to opt out of the Aetna MAPD PPO Plan. If you and your Medicare-eligible dependent(s) are currently covered under the UnitedHealthcare MAPD Plan or a MAPD HMO, you and your Medicare-eligible dependent(s) will be automatically enrolled in the Aetna MAPD PPO Plan with coverage, beginning January 1, 2023. Questions? If you have questions, contact: • Aetna at 1-855-223-4807 from 8am to 8pm CST or by visiting StateofIllinois.AetnaMedicare.com to learn about plan benefits, find providers, and look up prescription drugs. • MyBenefits Service Center at 1-844-251-1777 from 8am – 6pm CT or by visiting mybenefits.illinois.gov to ask about eligibility, make changes to your coverage, or opt out of the Aetna MAPD PPO plan. • Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 or by visiting www.medicare.gov to ask questions about Medicare Parts A and B. Your health and well-being are a priority for the State of Illinois. You’ve spent years working and we want you to enjoy retirement knowing that your retiree benefits are here to protect you. We are confident that this change will provide the quality coverage that you expect and deserve ********************************************************* Stay informed! Update on Teacher Health Insurance Security Fund Litigation Our lawsuit challenging the underfunding of the Teacher Health Insurance Security Fund is proceeding in the Circuit Court for Sangamon County. The defendants, who include the TRS Board of Trustees, the Director of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, State Comptroller Susana Mendoza and State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, have answered our complaint, and they responded to our requests for discovery shortly before the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Our attorneys and expert witness will carefully analyze the data they have produced about the current fiscal status of the Fund. The answer and discovery responses have pointed to one key legal dispute in this case. The defendants acknowledge that “retired teachers have a constitutionally protected right to the benefits specified in sections 6.5 and 6.6 of the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971 (5 ILCS 275/6.5, 6.6),” but they disagree that retired teachers have a constitutionally protected right “to a particular program of benefits that CMS has established under that authority at any given time.” This appears to mean that the defendants believe you have a constitutionally protected right to participate in some type of health insurance program, but not to any particular level of benefits. We strongly disagree with that argument and will continue to advocate for the full extent of your constitutional rights in this litigation. S *************************************** Trail Insurance Information: Please click on TRIP/Trail Information above. ************************************** Message from IRTA President John Flaherty Click on Pension/Legislative News Above *************************************** To contact the Winnebago County Retired Teachers Association: Click Contact form under Unit Info above. ***************************************** TRS Position on Pension Funding Click on Pension/Legislative News above **************************************************** We need your help to continue to keep our pensions safe! Illinois Retired Teachers Association Political Action Committee $1/month Enrollment Illinois Retired Teachers Association Political Action Committee is a statewide, nonpartisan Political Action Committee (PAC) organized by members of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association to benefit the entire retired educator community through political contributions to state candidates. To donate using your credit card, go to the LINKS above and click on IRTA. Cursor down to Political Action Committee. On the right, click on the DONATE button. You can donate using your credit card or fill out the $1 per month TRS deduction form. You can also send a check to Illinois Retired Teachers Association PAC, 828 S. Second St., 4th Floor, Springfield, IL 62704. *************************************************** |
