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United University Professions
159 Wolf Rd.
Albany, NY 12205
Phone (518)458-7935
Fax (518)459-3242
Email input@uupmail.org		 The Voice
February 2002

UUP secures family-friendly benefits

When UUP leaders and volunteer lobbyists go to the bargaining table or meet face-to-face with members of the Legislature, they are thinking about the health and welfare of the dedicated SUNY employees they represent.

There’s no question about it.

But UUP is also thinking about the entire union family — spouses and domestic partners, dependent children and students, parents, grandparents and in-laws. The proof is in the benefits package UUP has secured — and continues to enhance — in contract talks with the state and in discussions with legislators.

The latest example of this commitment is the new long-term care program the state is offering its employees, the result of legislation supported by UUP and its statewide affiliate NYSUT. The state will be mailing information on the plan — available to employees eligible for the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) — during the next couple of months.

Long-term care insurance can be a vital part of a member’s insurance portfolio and, as such, UUP is urging members to request information about the new state program and compare it closely to the NYSUT Benefit Trust-endorsed plan that members are also eligible to purchase. Both plans offer a “special” open enrollment period where members can purchase a policy without medical underwriting.

Long-term care is assistance with routine activities of daily living — such as eating, bathing and dressing — for an extended period of time. The need for long-term care can occur at any time and at any age due to an unexpected accident or serious illness. It covers the cost of long-term care services that often are not provided under other insurance programs, such as nursing home care. For instance, medical insurance and HMOs cover traditional medical services, such as hospital care, doctor visits and medications. Disability insurance is designed solely to replace a portion of lost wages for those unable to work. Medicare provides only limited coverage for long-term care services and members may have to be of a certain age to qualify. Medicaid generally won’t provide assistance for long-term care until most of a person’s assets and income have been used to pay for the cost of care.

For more information on the state’s new long-term care plan, call (800) 474-5824 or visit the Web at www.nyperl.net. For more on the NYSUT-endorsed plan, contact MetLife at (800) 638-0133. (More highlights of NYSUT benefits programs are found on page 14.) Also, check out the UUP Web site at www.uupinfo.org, where links to UUP’s affiliates and most benefits carriers are provided.

Benefit Trust Fund

UUP Benefit Trust Fund benefits are available to SUNY employees eligible for enrollment in NYSHIP, as well as the members’ eligible spouses/domestic partners and dependent children.

For more information, call the Fund Office at (800) 887-3863.

  • Dental Plan — The Fund offers two dental programs: the Traditional Dental Plan and DentalCare HMO. Both plans are administered through Delta Dental of New York. More information and a list of participating dentists, which differ between the two plans, can be found at www.deltadentalny.org.
  • Vision Care Plan — This plan, which is administered through Davis Vision, offers quality eye-care services at no cost from any of the plan’s participating providers, once every 24 months (12 months for dependent children under age 19). For more details, go to www.davisvision.com.
  • Scholarship program — The scholarship program applies to eligible dependent children enrolled in the Fund.

    Under the program, $500 per semester will be paid for each dependent child attending a state-operated SUNY school on a full-time basis and who earn 12 undergraduate credits with a semester grade-point average of at least 2.0. Applications must be received at the Fund Office within 60 days following the last day of class. For more details, go to www.uupinfo.org/benefits/scholar.html.

  • Group Life Insurance — All bargaining unit members on the SUNY payroll are eligible for $6,000 in life insurance. There are stipulations that apply to members on leave; contact the Fund office for full details prior to leaving the payroll.

Negotiated benefits

In addition to salary enhancements — ranging from lump-sum payments to increases in base salary, on-call pay and location stipends — the 1999-2003 bargaining agreement between UUP and the state also includes a number of family-friendly benefits. Among the major victories: year-round health insurance for part-time employees represented by UUP.

Questions about any of the following benefits should be directed to chapter UUP/NYSUT labor relations specialists:

  • Contractual benefits related to leaves — Eligible members are entitled to vacation, sick, holiday, sabbatical and disability leave time.
  • Flex Spending Account — This benefit includes the Dependent Care Advantage Account (DCAAccount) and the Health Care Spending Account (HCSA).

Members can open a DCAAccount to put aside pre-tax money to pay for child or elder care. DCAAccount members will also receive a separate, annual employer contribution of between $200 and $600, depending on income. For more details, visit the Web at www.flexspend.state.ny.us/2002/dcaa.asp.

HCSA allows members to set aside pre-tax money to pay for unreimbursed medical expenses. For more information, visit www.flexspend.state.ny.us/2002/hcsa.asp.

  • Sick Leave Exchange Program — In each year of the contract, any full-time employee with 15 days of accrued sick leave may choose to exchange three days of sick leave for $300 to be applied toward health insurance premiums. Part-time employees may exchange 1.5 days for $150 applied toward premiums. More information can be found at www.esc.edu/UUPbenefits.
  • Group Long-term Disability Insurance Program — Full-time employees who have suffered total disability for at least six consecutive months will get 60 percent of their salary, up to $5,000 a month, for a specified time depending on age. Contact the college’s human resources department for further details.
  • Survivor’s Benefit Program — Beneficiaries of eligible members can receive $2,000 or $3,000, depending on retirement date, age and other circumstances.

Labor/management awards

UUP bargaining unit members can apply for individual or campus grants through any of the New York State/UUP Joint Labor/Management Committees. Go to www.albany.net/~nysuup for more details.

  • Retraining Fellowship Program — These awards provide retraining for employees who have been notified of retrenchment or those at high risk of retrenchment. This program has funded retraining in new subject areas, as well as tuition for course work at accredited institutions and completion of certificate programs.
  • Nuala McGann Drescher Affirmative Action Leave Grants — These leaves are intended to aid minorities, women, persons with disabilities and Vietnam-era veterans in preparing for permanent or continuing appointment.
  • Grants for Employees with Disabilities — These grants provide funds for employees with disabilities to cover out-of-pocket costs for professional, work-related activities.
  • Individual Development Awards Program — This grant program is designed to assist eligible SUNY employees in developing their full professional potential and in preparing for advancement.
  • Dr. Herbert N. Wright Memorial Safety and Health Training Awards — These awards provide funds for training those employees with safety, health and environmental responsibilities, such as safety- and health-related workshops on hazardous waste-disposal management.
  • Technology — These awards were established to identify and review technology issues affecting employees’ terms and conditions of employment and to explore issues related to the application of technology to work performed by bargaining unit members.

(NYSHIP: Empire Plan or HMO) Empire Plan enhancements

UUP was able to successfully negotiate myriad new programs and benefit enhancements in the 1999-2003 contract. For more details, go to www.uupinfo.org/contract.html or link from www.uupinfo.org; click on Benefits.

Among the Empire Plan enhancements:

  • Complementary and Alternative Medicine Program (CAM) — This plan offers Empire participants discounted rates when using participating acupuncturists, massage therapists, dieticians and nutritionists. Administered by the Managed Physical Network, CAM participants will receive 25 percent off the providers’ regular fees. For more details, go to www.empireplancam.com.
  • Home Care Advocacy Program — This plan covers home care services, durable medical equipment and certain supplies.

    Call (800) 638-9918 for more information.

  • NurseLine — Members can call this 24-hour hotline — (800) 439-3435 — to receive health and medical information, education and support.
  • Infertility treatment — Infertility treatment includes “couple” coverage that pays for the infertility treatment no matter which member of the couple has the medical problem.
  • Voluntary Disease Management Program — This benefit was created to assist members with heart disease, asthma and diabetes.

— Karen L. Mattison

(UUP Director of Member Benefits and Services Gail Maloy contributed to this article.)