Question & Answered
FAST ANSWERED QUESTIONS
FAQ
QUESTION: I have a Medicare as my primary and GHI as my secondary for health coverage. GHI recently denied approval for a foot procedure that I thought should have been accepted. Can you offer and comments?
ANSWER: GHI will not pay for any treatment that Medicare does not approve or accept. If the treatment has already been completed the GHI statement ( explaination of Benefits) will contain that comment.
QUESTION: When I pass away what will happen to my spouse as far as medical coverage?
ANSWER: This will have to be a two-part answer that we will try to explain. Incidentally, yhour questions is one that comes up most frequestly at our meetings. If the retiree has retired on 3/4 and dies from the condition that mandated the retirement *heart bill tetirees included) the City will continue the same medical coverage that was in effect with the retiree. This will also include Health and Welfare benefits (dental, eyeglass, and prescription). If the retiree has retired for regular service or ordinary disability, the spouse will be able to continue the medical coverage but must pay for it at the group rate. The group rate is a bargain and is calculated at the cost of 102 percent of the amount that the City was paying. Due to special legislation that we were able to achieve several years ago this coverage does not expire after 36 months. This applies only to New York City Police and Fire retirees. Upon learning of the death of a police retiree the Retiree Benefits Section of the Office of Labor Relations sends the spouse an application that is referrewd to as "Cobra For Life". The surviving spouse fills it out and sends it to the medical plan of choice and is thereafter billed and covered by thaat health carrier. The survivor also can continue the Health and Welfare coverage with the respective Union, PBA, DEA SBA, SOC ( based on retirement rank) only for a period of 36 months, but they must pay for that continuing benefit for 36 month period. The Health and Welfare coverage is no longer available after the 36 months but it does not affect the Medical coverage which is for life.
QUESTION: I am a police widow. My husband was a service retiree and I have continued my medcal coverage with GHI. I also took the Health and Welfare 36 month coverage from the Union that I pay for each month. My 36 months will be up soon, what should I do for prescription coverage.
ANSWER: You can contact GHI and enroll in their prescription plan by paying for that rider. The Union will be sending you a termination notice when the 36 months are up. You can also shop for other prescription plans and if you are Medicare age they will be partially subsidized by Medicare. For the Medicare eligible, we recommend that you go to you local pharmacy with a list of your medications and they will tell you which availble plan is best for you.
QUESTION: Do i have to notify the Pension Bureau when I become eligible for the pension COLA?
ANSWER: No. They have all the information on you in their database, however you should be knowledgeable about the qualifications, just in case that there is a computer snafu.
QUESTION: What is the current status of the HIP/GHI merger?
ANSWER: The application for permission from the New York State Dept. of Insurance for them to operate as a "for profit" publicly held corp, is not resolved as of this writing. We, as well as the Unions, and the City are opposed to allowing them this change since it will doubt results in increased costs to all. Unfortunately the Governor apparently will favor the change since he has already included anticipated proceeds from the sale of the stock in the state budget planning. This is one of the rare times that the City, the Unions and the Retirees are all in agreement that this is not a good thing. Let us hope that the temptation of enjoying the spoils of the publice stock sale offering does not over ride the decision outcome.
QUESTION: On the same subject, what if they are given the green light to go ahead, who will get the proceeds.
ANSWER: If they cannot be stopped there is a mad scramble and confusion as who can participate in the millions of dollars raised. The Gobvernor wants it to go to the State, the City wants a piece, some of the Unions indicated they ought to benefit and we retirees firmly believe that a substantial portion should go towards the active and retiree health and welfare funds. This issue may be a long and drawn ouit sturggle and could very likely end up in the courts.
QUESTION: I retired in 2006 as a Patrolman and still have not been finalized. What is the dalay and who should I call?
ANSWER: The PBA recently sent out the contract vote for membership approval. The ballots were due back Sept. 26. No doubt the memb ership will approve the contract that will cover the period of Aug 01, 2006 to July 30, 2010. It should be implemented shortly thereafter by the payrool dept. and the Pension Bureau. The good part is that you are covered by the Death Gamble until finalized. The Death Gamble term means that your beneficiary or estate would be paid the total sum that would haveen expended had you not died but live a normal life expectancy. We are talking about hundred of thousands of dollars depending on your age at death.
QUESTION: I have been notified that I will be paying more than the usual rate (96.40) per month in 2009. Hoe Come?
ANSWER: Several years ago congress passed legislation placing a "surcharge" on the premium rate for persons having taxable earning over and above specified levels. The amounts are printed in the 2009 Medicare booklet on page 124. A booklet was sent to every Medicare recipient. In this current age of computers it is apparent that Medicare is monitoring the tax returns and using the information to notify those Medicare recipients with larger incomes as to their increased premium charges.
Each August when the Retiree Employee Benefits section sends out the rebate checks, included in the laetter, are the instructions for applying for the additional rebate. Most recipients just cash the check without reading the enclosed instructions. If you qualify and submit the required documentation, you will receive a second check in the following months of March or April. This benefit applies to both the retiree and spouse and they must apply separately.
QUESTION: I am considering relocating to another state. What health plans are recommended for any particular states?
ANSWER: It is necessary for you to contact the Retired Health Benefits Section at 40 Rector Street, 3rd floor New York, Ny 10006 and request the booklet. It will explain which plans can be provided in your selected state. I would then recommend that you contact other New York City retirees in that area and confer with them as to their experiences with the City provided health plans before you make the selection. Unfortunately, in some states the choices are somewhat limited.
QUESTION: On my monthly pension check statement there is a separate line as follows: "ANTY RES. FND" and an amount indicated, that is part of the total of the monthly check, please clarify?
ANSWER: Including that as a separate item is confusing. It is an indication of the amount your excess contributions to your pension has added to the monthly payment that you are receiving. It is not something that you can withdraw or that will change.
QUESTION: Will the VSF be continued or paying the 12.000 as it did in Dec. 2008?
ANSWER: The VSF which was changed to a Defined benefit reached a level of $12.000 and will continue at that level until the Trustees of that Fund decide to make any changes. A modification of the current Defined Benefit would require state-approved legislation. To the best of our knowledge, no changes in eligibility or amounts are being considered.
QUESTION: HR 218 Regarding Retired Police Officers qualification for carrying their guns out of state?
ANSWER: The Federal Law presented a problem in respect to the documented proof of annual training in use of firearms that was equal to the retirees "ACTIVE COUNTERPART". Many states and Municipalities were unable or willing to provide the necessary trainin due to cost and time required. The new change in the Federal law no allows the retiree, at their own expense, to qualify, by undergoing the annual training at a State certified law enforcement recognized firearms facility. The retired P.O. must have their ID card and Annual Firearms certificate in their possession. All restrictions apply such as no carry on airplanes, medical facilities,. The retired P.O. must have their ID card and Annual Firearms certificate in their possession. All restrictions apply such as no carry on airplanes, medical facilities, schools, public buildings, etc. In other words, the same as applies to active PO;s wherever they happen to be. Be aware of the fact that whatever action you may take it will be with your own financial responsibility.
BOARD OFFICERS
Founder President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Sgt at Arms Chaplain Health & Welfare Trustees | John R. Goedel Salvatore Pepitone Catherine Cobb Jim Kelley Jill Killeen Jack McGuirk Harry Valez Father Bill Lago Patty Lyons Paul Corey Billy Rath Vincent LoGelfo John Elefante Richard Shenton William Doheny |
PAST PRESIDENTS ATTORNEY IN MEMORY | JOHN R. GOEDEL FRANCIS J. MAHON DENNIS J. FITZGERALD Rober Annitto PETER VAN DYKE William P. O'Sullivan James Biddiscombe John Zanetti John Goedel Al Benaducci Charles Inguilli Francis J. Mahon |
Health and Retirement Services

PENSION AND TAXES
New York Pension Taxation by State
In response to the many inquiries we have received, we have prepared the following table of important information.l While our main focus was NYS pension taxation, we have also noted other types of taxation we thought might b e of interest to our New York retirees. The following taxability information was obtained from each state's web site. We hope you find it informattive and use it as a starting point.
If you are reviewing this information to seriously contemplate a move to a particular state, you should be mindful of the fact that states often enact, amend, and repeal their tax laws; please contact their Revenue Agency yourself to verify that the information is up to date.
We also strongly recommend that you do some further preparation -- such as discussing the matter with your tax adviser -- before making important decisions that may affect the taxation of your pension and other retirement income.
The information in the table below was reviewed and found to be accurate, as of 5/14/2008
(PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW THE TABLE)
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Taxes on 3/4 Pension
We can report to 3/4 disability retirees that the City and Internal Revenue have reached a tentative settlement that remains to be finalized. The expected settlement is that anyone retired prior to Jan 1, 2009 will continue the same federal tax exempt treatment and anyone retired thereafter will have a partial federal taxation.
Charities
Associations has formed the
"John Goedel" Scholarship
consisting of three (3) $1000.00
scholarships for the college given
to the child, grandchild or
greatgrandchild of a member of
Jersey Shore 10-13 Association
for at least two years.

MEDICAL
Medicare Rebate
Upon reaching the age of 65 you must call the employee relations section Tel: 212-513-0470 and request the Medicare Rebate Form. They will mail you the form. You then must fill out the form and include with it a copy of of your Medicare Card and mail it back to them. After complying with the above you will receive all of your Medicare Payments back in the form of a check during the month of August. This check is for the payments made during the preceeding year (Jan. to Dec.)
Example: If you become 65 during the month of June, you will receive a check the following year in Auug. for 7 months. (July to December.) The above also pertains to the spouse. If your spouse reaches the age of 75 you must do the same as stated above. Checks are mailed out in Aug. For both parties. It is one check in the name of the Retiree.


Notice to GHI Subscribers
It is strongly recommended that when you are being treated, where ever the process is taking place, that the Doctor performing the service is GHI enrolled. If not, you should request one that is. It will avoid complications when it comes to settling the billing.
John R. Goedel, Founder
Salvatore Pepitone President
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