The Voice

The UUP Member Services Trust Fund offers dental and vision plans for part-time SUNY employees represented by UUP who are ineligible for health benefits.

All active employees in the Professional Services Negotiating Unit (PSNU) who are not eligible for enrollment in the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) are eligible to purchase dental and vision coverage through the UUP Member Services Trust Fund. The quarterly and annual rates are listed in the chart below.

It’s very easy to enroll. Just go to www.uupinfo.org, click on Benefits and then select Part-Timer. There you will be able to review all part-time benefit program information, as well as rates for dental and vision coverage.

Should you choose to enroll in either program, simply complete the relevant enrollment form and send the corresponding premium payments for the plans and payment schedules (quarterly or annually) you’ve selected. Make your check or money order out to UUP Member Services Trust Fund and send it to: UUP Member Services, PO Box 15143, Albany, NY 12212-5143.

NYSUT Member Benefits is offering some new financial education services. Here are brief recaps of these services. For more information, visit www.memberbenefits.nysut.org or call (800) 626-8101.

• 403(b) Field Guide. This booklet covers all aspects of 403(b) plans and includes information pertinent to bargaining unit members not yet contributing to a 403(b) plan, those who are contributing, those nearing retirement, and those already enjoying retirement.

To get the guide, print a copy from the Member Benefits website, use the “Contact” option on the site to send an e-mail request, or call for a copy to be sent free of charge. Chapter leaders can request a supply for their membership.

Mark Agnello, a graduate student at UAlbany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, was hired in January as a John M. Reilly legislative intern. He joins intern Matt Annis to help handle UUP’s political action and outreach efforts.

Agnello is working 20 hours a week tracking proposed legislation, researching and analyzing issues for potential legislation, arranging visits to lawmakers’ offices, and handling other duties associated with the union’s Legislation Department.

Agnello is pursuing a master’s degree in public adminis-tration, with concentrations in homeland security and public finance. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history, with a minor in political science, from UAlbany. He spent his junior year at the University of Nottingham in England, completing coursework in international political and security studies.

A FT Advantage is a valuable benefit that gives UUP members and their families exclusive access to an online shopping program.

Members can save up to 70 percent on electronics, apparel, home furnishings, flowers, gifts, and tickets to movies, sporting events and the theater.

AFT Advantage includes everyday savings on some of the most recognized brands nationwide, including Target, Ann Taylor, Blue Nile Jewelry, Panasonic, RedEnvelope, Petco, Blackberry and Hewlett-Packard. (Please note that these partners may or may not have an offer on any given day.)

UUPers also have access to other discount programs through the AFT, including books, magazine, hotels and travel programs.

For more information, go to www.aft.org.

With all the endorsed insurance, financial, legal and discount plans, it’s hard to keep track of what is available through NYSUT Member Benefits.

Bargaining unit members with access to e-mail may wish to consider joining MAP, the Member Benefits’ Member Alert Program. It is an easy, convenient way to keep informed. Once every three weeks, a brief e-mail message is sent. It may be an advance notice of a change in an existing plan, an announcement of a new endorsement or a reminder about an endorsed program.

MAP participants are eligible to win quarterly drawing prizes. Past prizes included digital cameras and GPS navigation systems.

Since MAP Alerts are sent from Member Benefits, e-mail addresses are not shared with any outside parties.

To join, simply complete the brief online sign-up form at www.memberbenefits.nysut.org . Within three weeks, you’ll receive a MAP Alert.

The UUP Benefit Trust Fund wants to help you kick off the holiday season and ring in the New Year with another discounted offer for our members from Hewlett Packard (HP).

HP has teamed up with UUP to offer you the opportunity to purchase Hewlett Packard and Compaq consumer products at discounted prices.

As an HP Academy customer, you and your eligible dependents can take advantage of exclusive education discounts and HP Academy-only deals at up to 10 percent below starting price.

HP offers you several ways to select and purchase your HP and Compaq consumer products:

• Online at the HP Academy Store at www.hpdirect.com/academy/uup. You will need to fill out the sign-in information with your name, e-mail address, a password of your choice, and the UUP PIN code: AP5077.

• By phone at (800) 632-8251, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. EST; seven days a week. Identify yourself as a UUPer and provide the UUP PIN code: AP5077.

A dedicated Save My Home hotline staffed by HUD-trained counselors is available free to all UUP members to discuss mortgage issues.

The AFT+ benefit is provided through the nonprofit Money Management International, which is accredited to provide counseling for union members facing foreclosure.

Hotline counselors are available 24/7 at (866) 490-5361.

Members wishing to speak to a counselor in person should call the hotline to schedule an appointment. There are more than 100 local offices in 22 states and the District of Columbia.

Counseling sessions will consist of a review of circumstances, including income, expenses, debts and mortgage terms. Be prepared to share account numbers and other information.

Bargaining unit members have many sources for obtaining financial advice, but can they be trusted to steer you in the right direction?

Members can trust the advice they’ll receive from the Financial Counseling Program endorsed by the NYSUT Member Benefits Corporation.

Provided by Stacey Braun Associates Inc., an independent investment advisory company, members will receive unbiased, objective advice geared to their financial situation. Stacey Braun’s planners and advisors are fee-based and prohibited from selling investment or insurance products. As a result, they receive no commissions from mutual funds, brokerage firms, insurance companies or any other third party.

The plan provides financial advice on a variety of topics, from pre- and post-retirement planning, mutual fund questions, mortgage and refinancing, estate and inheritance planning, insurance coverage, budgeting, education funding and much more.

Payroll deduction of NYSUT Member Benefits-endorsed programs eliminates check writing and late payments. This payment option is available to eligible bargaining unit members.

Pension deduction is available to retirees collecting a monthly pension benefit from the New York State Teachers' Retirement System or New York State Employees' Retirement System. It's also an option for retirees who receive income from a monthly lifetime annuity from TIAA-CREF.

Annual premiums are easier to budget, since they are divided into smaller payments deducted from 26 paychecks or from 12 monthly pension benefits.

Payroll and pension deduction also yield reduced premiums or additional coverage at no cost for these NYSUT Member Benefits-endorsed programs: term life insurance; catastrophe major medical insurance; long-term care insurance; disability insurance; automobile, homeowners/renters, boat, personal excess liability (umbrella) and other personal property insurance; financial counseling program, legal service plan; and retiree dental plan.

Did you know that you could save money with a Delta Dental PPO dentist?

Although you can visit any dentist, you will usually pay less when you visit a Delta Dental PPO dentist because these dentists agreed to accept Delta Dental PPO contracted fees as full payment. That means your share of the bill will likely be lower than when you visit a non-Delta Dental dentist.

To find a current listing of Delta Dental's in-network providers, follow these steps:

• Visit www.deltadentalins.com and click on Find a Dentist.

• Select Delta Dental PPO as your plan network.

• Make sure to ask specifically if your dentist is a contracted Delta Dental PPO dentist. Simply asking if a dentist "accepts Delta Dental" does not guarantee he or she is a contracted PPO dentist.

If you cannot find a PPO dentist in your area, the next best option is the Delta Dental Premier network. The Premier network is Delta's larger network, consisting of nearly 80 percent of dentist locations nationwide.