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Insurance information for retirees
If husbands and wives are police officers, and the hus- band retires, he may go on his wife’s policy, or vice versa, to save money. However, when the one who was riding on the other’s policy turns 65, he or she must apply for his or her own policy.
eases: Our brief is in. The city’s brief was due April
1 but it asked for another two weeks. We have not agreed, and will oppose any further extensions.
Our third amended complaint was filed in Jan-
uary. Despite our requests for the court to make
its decision on an appealable order, Judge Cohen
has us all briefing on the city and fund motions to h
dismiss the third amended complaint. Our brief will be filed; the city and fund have until May to reply, with a de- cision expected soon after that.
We are also filing a motion for the Supreme Court to take all of these cases directly. This is rare but possible, and would bring all of this to a head as soon as possible. Noteworthy
• The next meeting of the Retired Chicago Police Associa- tion will be on May 22 at 1 p.m. in the 1st District Com- munity Room at 1718 S. State St.
• Every month we receive calls from the spouses of retir- ees asking what can be done because their husbands or wives forgot to change the beneficiary forms at the pension board if they had been previously married. The first spouse got the money. The pension board has to pay whoever is listed as the beneficiary. If you are not sure who you have as a beneficiary please check with the pension board.d
This should be done at least 60 to 90 days before the 65th birthday. The only exception to this rule is if the current policy holder is covered by the city through the labor contract until the age of 65.
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It currently takes 30-to-90 days for the city to transfer the information, so if you wait until the last minute, you are without immediate coverage during that time. If you incur expenses during that period, you will have to file for reimbursement on your own.
Also take note, when you call the Benefit Management office on State Street: You are actually speaking to some- one in Georgia. If you go down there in person you would have the opportunity to speak with a human being. The city privatized Benefit Management a few years ago but that information may not have been received by all retir- ees.
Also, Medicare goes into effect on the first day of the month that you turn 65, so beware and make plans ahead of time. Do not wait until the last minute to do things that apply to your medical benefits, otherwise you may be up the creek without a paddle.
Retiree Healthcare update
Attorney Clint Krislov provided the following informa- tion regarding Retiree Healthcare Insurance:
Regarding the appeal seeking an audit and reconcilia- tion of the last six months of 2013:
We are fully briefed, awaiting argument. Our appeal seeking preliminary injunction against the city’s 2016 in-
THE RCPA REPORT: News from the Retired Chicago Police Association
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