Chair Talk
September 2018
State Retirees will see a “bump” in their pension checks on October 25. The increase will be $25 per month/capped at $300 per year.
State Employees and Retirees have a new Vision Care provider as of October 1, 2018. The new provider is EyeMed. Vision Care will no longer be provided by Blue Cross/VSP. In early September, the Civil Service Commission/Employee Benefits Division mailed a Retiree Benefits Bulletin to Defined Benefit Retirees notifying us of any changes in our Health Benefits. The major change was the vision care provider. EyeMed mailed ID cards to Employees and Retirees in mid-September. Many retirees have notified SERA that they never received either the Benefits Bulletin or the EyeMed ID cards. If you did not receive the ID cards you can call EyeMed at 833-279-4355 to request new ID cards. I would recommend that you contact your vision care Dr. and ask if they participate with the EyeMed network. There are no changes in vision cared benefits or the vision care plan design. The only change is the change from BCBS/VSP to EyeMed.
I have invited an EyeMed representative to the November 2 CC meeting to present a program and answer questions that delegates want answers for.
Editor’s note: Bob Kopasz is Chair of the Michigan SERA Council. He may be reached at P.O. Box 692, Mt. Morris, MI 48458; phone 810/240-8380.