Newsletter

Since this is the Labor Day edition, we wanted to know what you all considered to be the quintessential work-related song. You know, the song you will not only have on rotation over the long holiday weekend, but the one song you have on more than one play list, but it just happens to be a work themed song.

The general consensus is that if you want to know if you owe a shortage of hours payment or when it’s due, you read the shortage of hours’ notice that the Fund Office mailed out.

However, did you know that there are people who neither read their mail nor open their mail in a timely manner?

Yes.

For those that may have not noticed, Community Healthcare System has rebranded their non-acute location based and/or hospital-based health centers, as well as their Stroke and Rehabilitation center to, …..., drum roll please ……. “Powers Health.”

With that said, Community has reported that their hospital facility, specifically, Community Hospital, St. Mary Medical Center and St Catherine Hospital will not be part of their rebranding initiatives.

1 - The day of a U.S. citizen’s sixty-fifth (65th) birthday month that they become eligible to receive Medicare benefits.

2 – The annual percentage of the Health and Benefit Plans population that lose their HRA debit card privileges for either no substantiation, untimely substantiation or improper substantiation of their debit card usage.

Moises (Mo) Flores, an Empower Retirement Plan Advisor (RPA), will be conducting another round of in-person, one-on-one reviews of DC Plan participants’ investments, retirement plans and/or retirement goals.

By the way, for those of you who have yet to establish either, Mo can assist you in flushing those out.

THE 2024 BENEFIT FUND EDUCATIONAL SEMINAR FOR ACTIVE AND EARLY RETIREES.

Will occur on Wednesday, October 3rd. It will begin at 6:00 P.M. Space is limited so you must reserve a seat by calling the Fund Office at 219-4940-6181.

THE 2024 BENEFIT FUND EDUCATIONAL SEMINAR FOR MEDICARE ELIGIBLE RETIREES.

Will take place at the Local’s Union hall at 8:00 A.M. on Wednesday, October 9th, 2024. Similar to the aforementioned meeting, space is limited, and you must call the Fund Office to secure your spot.

As you read within this months “By The Numbers” only forty-five percent (45%) of all Defined Contribution participants have secured and/or established their preferences for their account at Empower. Simply put, that’s a horrible percentage rate.

Honestly, there is no reason why that figure is not already encroaching 100%. We are, after all, Local 697 and we don’t do half-assed!

Just to be clear, you’re not doing this for us.

The loyal readers of the Funds monthly newsletters know that there is not much that could be written or spoken about on this benefit that has not been written and spoken about previously and several times over.

So, I will just leave it at this:

If you have not read the HRA provision within the Plans SPD in its entirety, you need to do so BEFORE using your HRA debit card.

We should note at the onset what a difference a month can make.

July was wild! History was made, and guess what? We all had a front row seat! Pretty cool!

Suffice it to say, for a large part of the nation, there is fresh cause for optimism. For the others, well, they continue to show a remarkable willingness to overlook the apparent danger their candidate is to our democracy.

19 – Days until the August Membership meeting. Remember, stepping-up is showing up! When was the last time you stepped up?

37 – That is percentage of Defined Contribution participants that have protected their Defined Contribution account by registering with Empower.