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March 6, 2023 Retiree Newsletter
January 31, 2023 Retiree Newsletter
September 26, 2022 Retiree Newsletter
June 21, 2022 Retiree Newsletter
March 29, 2022 Retiree Newsletter
October 13, 2021 Retiree Newsletter
July 1, 2021 Retiree Newsletter
February 12, 2021 Retiree Newsletter
Social Security Announces 1.3 Percent Benefit Increase for 2021
*Press release from the Social Security Administration
October 13, 2020
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for approximately 70 million Americans will increase 1.3 percent in 2021, the Social Security Administration announced today.
The 1.3 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 64 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2021. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 31, 2020. (Note: some people receive both Social Security and SSI benefits). The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the increase in the Consumer Price Index as determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Some other adjustments that take effect in January of each year are based on the increase in average wages. Based on that increase, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) will increase to $142,800 from $137,700.
Social Security and SSI beneficiaries are normally notified by mail starting in early December about their new benefit amount. Most people who receive Social Security payments will be able to view their COLA notice online through their personal my Social Security account. People may create or access their my Social Security account online at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.
Information about Medicare changes for 2021, when announced, will be available at www.medicare.gov. For Social Security beneficiaries receiving Medicare, Social Security will not be able to compute their new benefit amount until after the Medicare premium amounts for 2021 are announced. Final 2021 benefit amounts will be communicated to beneficiaries in December through the mailed COLA notice and my Social Security’s Message Center.
The Social Security Act provides for how the COLA is calculated. To read more, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/cola.
Mark Hinkle, Press Officer: press.office@ssa.gov
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October, 2020 Retiree Newsletter
June, 2020 Retiree Newsletter
April, 2020 Retiree Meeting
Retiree Newsletter – February, 2020
Medicare and You
Nancy Olumekor
January 23, 2020, from APWU.org
(This article first appeared in the January/February 2020 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)
Medicare is health insurance for people 65 and older, people under 65 with certain disabilities, and people of any age with End-Stage Renal Disease.
What is Original Medicare?
Medicare Part A and Part B is referred to as “original” Medicare.
Medicare Part A is hospital insurance. It covers inpatient care in hospitals; it also includes coverage in critical access hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. It covers hospice care and home health care, though you must meet certain conditions to get these benefits. Medicare Part A is free for most people.
Medicare Part B is medical insurance. It covers medically necessary services like doctor’s visits, outpatient care, and other medical services that Part A doesn’t cover, such as lab work and durable medical equipment. Part B also covers many preventive services. Medicare Part B has a standard monthly premium for most people. The 2020 Part B premium is $144.60. People with higher incomes may pay a higher premium.
Original Medicare has deductibles for inpatient hospital stays, medical coverage and coinsurance. Medicare usually pays 80 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for medically-necessary care. The coinsurance is usually 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount. Original Medicare does not pay for prescription drugs, long-term care, routine dental services, routine vision care, and other services.
Most postal and federal retirees also keep their Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan (FEHB) which covers the co-pays and deductibles that Medicare Parts A and B doesn’t cover. Medicare Parts A and B along with your FEHB plan should keep most out-of-pocket medical costs down.
When Can You Enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B?
There are three (3) possible enrollment periods for Medicare A and B: the Initial Enrollment Period, General Enrollment Period and Special Enrollment Period.
Medicare Initial Enrollment Period (IEP)
If you get Social Security retirement or disability benefits before age 65, the Social Security Administration will automatically enroll you in Medicare Parts A and B the month you turn 65. You’ll get a “Welcome to Medicare” booklet and your Medicare card about 3 months before your 65th birthday.
If you aren’t getting Social Security benefits or Railroad Retirement benefits you will need to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B during your Initial Enrollment Period. This is the period during the seven months surrounding the month you turn 65, when you’re first eligible for Medicare. This period begins 3 months before the month you turn 65, it includes the month you turn 65 and ends 3 months after the month you turn 65.
Medicare General Enrollment Period (GEP)
The General Enrollment Period is the time period from January to March 31 of every year when you can enroll in Medicare Part B for the first time.
If you enroll during the General Enrollment Period your Medicare Part A and B coverage will begin on July 1. In most cases, you’ll have to pay a late enrollment penalty.
Medicare Special Enrollment Period (SEP)
If you are turning 65 or over 65 and you or your spouse is still working and covered by an employer or union group health plan through your or your spouse’s current or active employment, you can enroll in Medicare Part A and B during the Special Enrollment Period. There is usually no late enrollment penalty.
This is the eight (8) month period from the month you retire or the employer/union group health plan ends to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B. There are other circumstances that will allow you to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B during the Special Enrollment Period.
For additional information, contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or visit your local Social Security office. You may also go online at socialsecurity.gov.
Stay Involved as a Retiree Member
JOIN THE APWU RETIREES DEPARTMENT TODAY
You helped build the union. You were there when the APWU fought for — and won — better wages, benefits, and working conditions. Now, as a postal retiree, you rely on the retirement benefits and healthcare coverage the union negotiated to enrich the quality of your life. Although you have moved on to a new chapter in your life, we hope you will remain involved with the union as an active member of the APWU Retirees Department.
For only $36 per year (which can be deducted in $3 increments from your monthly annuity check), your membership entitles you to a voice in union affairs and to participate in:
- The APWU Health Plan
- The APWU Mastercard
- Voluntary Benefits Plan programs
(Including Group Legal Services, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, and the Basic Care Hospital Plan). - APWU Accident Benefit Association protection against temporary disability, dismemberment, or death as a result of a covered accident. Remember, Accidents Never Retire!
- Union Plus discounts and services
You will also receive a certificate for a free $5,000 Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance policy, a continuing subscription to The American Postal Workermagazine, and access to the Members Only pages on the APWU Web site.
Joining the APWU Retirees Department is also a great way to stay in touch with old friends and make new ones! Participating in union activities is a great way to get involved. Click here for a list of chapters and information about how to form a chapter.
HOW TO JOIN
Any former member of the American Postal Workers Union — or of any of the five predecessor unions that merged in 1970 to form the APWU — is eligible for membership in the APWU Retirees Department.
To join, click here to download a membership form, or call or write to the APWU Retirees Department at the address given below. Send a copy of the form to:
APWU Retirees Department
1300 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 842-8584
RETIREE Q & A CENTER
Decisions about retirement are among the most important you will ever make. Knowing how to navigate the paperwork and make the calculations to understand your retirement plan can be daunting.
The APWU Retirees Department is here to help.
If you have questions regarding military buy-back, disability retirement, Social Security, Medicare, part-time regular calculations, supplemental annuity, cost-of-living adjustments, reporting death claims, Windfall Elimination and Government Pension Offset, or any other questions pertaining to planning your retirement, please email us at RetireeQandA@apwu.org. We will gladly assist you in every way possible.
USPS Retiree Quarterly Newsletter: “Hit” or “Miss”
Nancy Olumekor
September 12, 2019
(This article first appeared in the September/October 2019 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)
The USPS Retiree Quarterly Newsletter Spring 2019 issue, the first mailed to all USPS retirees, was both a “Hit” and a “Miss.” The “Hit” was that we now know that the USPS can reach out to all USPS retirees by mail at their current addresses (unless retiree says not to contact). The “Miss” was that the first issue included disturbing misinformation regarding Medicare Advantage Plans (MAP) and Federal Employee Health Benefits Plans (FEHB).
The USPS Retiree Quarterly Newsletter did not include the bold warning to SUSPEND your FEHB coverage, do not cancel your FEHB coverage, if you decide to enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan.
When FEHB coverage is suspended to enroll in MAP, retirees can always re-enroll in a FEHB plan. However, if a FEHB plan is cancelled to enroll in MAP, retirees are out of FEHB forever. If a retiree decided to switch back to traditional Medicare Part B from MAP and have cancelled their FEHB plan, there will be no FEHB plan available to cover those remaining balances of co-pays, deductible and other medical expenses not paid by Medicare Part B.
Medicare “DIS” Advantage Plan
Why is the USPS promoting MAP in newsletters and in webinars that do not feature all FEHB plans?
Could it be that the USPS is looking to use the retiree health benefits to generate savings by any means? When a retiree cancels their FEHB coverage and enrolls in Medicare Advantage Plan, that’s one less premium for the USPS to pay in the future – because you can’t come back to FEHB.
The USPS shared the above “bold warning” with those retirees who received their monthly USPS Retiree Newsletter to suspend instead of cancelling their FEHB plan when enrolling in MAP, but did not include the warning in the hard copy quarterly newsletter mailed to retirees. Why not? The answer given to APWU was that the information was covered in a webinar.
APWU reminded management that we are retired postal workers and many retirees prefer to receive hard-copies in their mailbox; many retirees are not tech-savvy and may not know how to participate in a webinar, or don’t check their emails regularly (if they have email). We emphasized that the information in the hard-copy newsletter should be at least as comprehensive as the e-newsletter.
We don’t know whether improvements will result from our discussion. Open Season is here. Our message to retirees is to approach any changes with CAUTION. Read, discuss with your family, and ask questions before you make any decisions affecting your health benefits.
Tell Congress to Pass the Social Security Fairness Act
Now that the 116th Congress is back in session, we continue to work to ensure that this Congress passes The Social Security Fairness Act – H.R. 141 and S. 521 – to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provisions (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).
The WEP/GPO are penalties imposed on CSRS annuitants, in 1983 and 1977 respectively, who worked more than one job and paid into CSRS as well as Social Security. The WEP adversely affected retirees who receive a CSRS pension and also qualify for Social Security benefits from other employment by denying an equitable benefit for those Social Security contributions.
The Congressional Research Service published a Social Security report indicating that as of December 2017, more than 1.8 million Social Security beneficiaries were affected by the WEP, which included 1,687,542 retirees. Reach out to both the House and the Senate on both sides of the aisle – by telephone, email, mail, or in person and ask them to support H.R. 141 and S. 521, The Social Security Fairness Act.
July, 2019 Newsletter
January, 2019 Newsletter
Local Chapter Information and Dues
