Shelby County Retired Teachers Association
An Affiliate of Illinois Retired Teachers Association
UPDATE: We last met on November 3, 2021 at the Chautauqua Building in Forest Park for the first half of the meeting for a fantastic presentation by Mark Shanks, Commissioner of Parks & Public Properties for the City of Shelbyville. The Chautauqua Auditorium was built in 1903 and has undergone extensive renovations recently. We retreated to the heated Senior Center to the latest IRTA news from Larry Pfeiffer, Vice President of IRTA & TRS Trustee & Shelbyville High School Graduate. We also heard from Oliva Koester, Director of Development and External Relations at Eastern Illinois University College of Education. It was a great privilege to see several of you there! Thank you Lana Pancoast, Barbara Tice, Sylvia Miller, Norma Walters, Tammie Vickery, Sandy Shaffer, Jim Shaffer, Maude Hartman, Julie Gloede, Bud Wilhelm and SCRTA officers Ginnie Hostetler, Nancy Wilhelm, Kim Sparks and your's truely.
from President Jim Sparks as quoted from LaVonne Chaney
IRTA SUES STATE OVER STATE HEALTHCARE REDUCED FUNDING
https://youtu.be/RLywCuPzb68
PLAY the link above for Bill Funkhouser, President of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association Message.
"As you may be aware, the Illinois Retired Teachers' Association has filed a lawsuit in Springfield on Monday(1/24/22). They filed a suit against the Teacher Retirement Board of Directors, Illinois Central Management. Governor Pritzger, Comptroller Mendoza, .Treasurer Frehrichs, Speaker of the House Welch and President of the Senate Harmon. The lawsuit is based on the underfunding of the health insurance that retirees have as a benefit. Before you read all of this, I want to reassure you that your TRS TRIP and TRAIL insurance will continue. It is protected by the Illinois Constitution so don't panic and go out and get a different policy.
Here is what happened. The state approved the amount to go to the insurance. Then Central Management tells the TRS Board how much money they need for insurance and the TRS Board certifies that amount. That board does this every year and probably pays little attention to the amount. Central Management reduced the rates from 1.3% to .9% which would in effect make the fund insolvent during 2023. This also reduces the amount school districts pay but not what active teachers pay to support the insurance. Central Management seemed to base this amount on the amount of claims for the previous year. Well, retirees due to COVID were not going to the doctor nor were procedures being done by hospitals and doctors. The number is false due to covid. They did not do an actuarial report to our knowledge to show the effects of this reduction, but the Illinois Retired Teachers Association did. This is how IRTA determined that this reduction could have grave consequences.
The consequences are that your claims would be paid but they would not be paid in a timely manner. The result of this is some providers could refuse to take your plan because of waiting 30-90 days for payment, they may have to wait 280 days. Or your provider may say that you have to pay up front then they will reimburse you when the state does pay. Another consequence is for those active teachers....they are still paying in their usual amount to help support the plans and the question becomes will those plans be there when needed.
Add this to the mix! No other state pension insurance rate was reduced...just retired teachers. Plus we are the only one of the five state pension systems where we pay a portion of our insurance. All I can say is GO IRTA!"
IRTA SUES STATE OVER STATE HEALTHCARE REDUCED FUNDING
https://youtu.be/RLywCuPzb68
PLAY the link above for Bill Funkhouser, President of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association Message.
"As you may be aware, the Illinois Retired Teachers' Association has filed a lawsuit in Springfield on Monday(1/24/22). They filed a suit against the Teacher Retirement Board of Directors, Illinois Central Management. Governor Pritzger, Comptroller Mendoza, .Treasurer Frehrichs, Speaker of the House Welch and President of the Senate Harmon. The lawsuit is based on the underfunding of the health insurance that retirees have as a benefit. Before you read all of this, I want to reassure you that your TRS TRIP and TRAIL insurance will continue. It is protected by the Illinois Constitution so don't panic and go out and get a different policy.
Here is what happened. The state approved the amount to go to the insurance. Then Central Management tells the TRS Board how much money they need for insurance and the TRS Board certifies that amount. That board does this every year and probably pays little attention to the amount. Central Management reduced the rates from 1.3% to .9% which would in effect make the fund insolvent during 2023. This also reduces the amount school districts pay but not what active teachers pay to support the insurance. Central Management seemed to base this amount on the amount of claims for the previous year. Well, retirees due to COVID were not going to the doctor nor were procedures being done by hospitals and doctors. The number is false due to covid. They did not do an actuarial report to our knowledge to show the effects of this reduction, but the Illinois Retired Teachers Association did. This is how IRTA determined that this reduction could have grave consequences.
The consequences are that your claims would be paid but they would not be paid in a timely manner. The result of this is some providers could refuse to take your plan because of waiting 30-90 days for payment, they may have to wait 280 days. Or your provider may say that you have to pay up front then they will reimburse you when the state does pay. Another consequence is for those active teachers....they are still paying in their usual amount to help support the plans and the question becomes will those plans be there when needed.
Add this to the mix! No other state pension insurance rate was reduced...just retired teachers. Plus we are the only one of the five state pension systems where we pay a portion of our insurance. All I can say is GO IRTA!"