Dear UUP- represented employees,

I am writing to inform you of the additional resources available for Empire Plan enrollees.

Cost Sharing Waivers for COVID-19 Testing

Enrollee cost-sharing requirements for COVID-19 testing at approved locations are waived. In addition, copays, coinsurance, and deductibles for visits associated with COVID-19 testing are waived, whether the testing is provided in a health care provider’s office, an urgent care center, or an emergency department. This cost-share waiver applies to all active Empire Plan enrollees, early retirees, and Medicare-eligible retirees.

Early Prescription Refills
To ensure enrollee access to medications, enrollees will be allowed one emergency prescription refill of up to a 30-day supply for three prescriptions of retail medications and one prescription of specialty medications during a 90-day period. Normal copay rules apply.

Managing Coronavirus Anxiety
Visit the Beacon Lens at beaconlens.com for advice and tips on managing stress and anxiety due to coronavirus. Additional online resources on this topic are available in a guide from the NYS Office of Mental Health and at the Centers for Disease Control.

Nurseline
The Empire Plan Nurseline is fully prepared to share information with enrollees on the COVID-19 virus and triage them to the appropriate level of care as necessary based on the severity of their symptoms. As a reminder, the Empire Plan Nurseline number is 1-877-769-7447, Option # 5.

UUP will keep you posted as any new information regarding the coverage of the COVID-19 virus by the Empire Plan becomes available. Keep apprised on COVID-19 by visiting https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home. Here you can also sign up for email updates on the coronavirus.

In Solidarity,
Tom

Thomas Tucker
Vice President for Professionals
(800) 342-4206
ttucker@uupmail.org

Over 12 million people in the United States are struggling to make their monthly student loan payments, and millions more see economic and personal opportunities pass as they prioritize paying down their debt. Does this sound like you or someone you know?

Many of these people may qualify for free federal programs that can help reduce their monthly payments and eventually lead to student loan forgiveness, but these lifeline programs are significantly under-enrolled. In an effort to help our members get access to these programs, United University Professions and the American Federation of Teachers are proud to host a Student Debt Clinic which will provide information on how to enroll in Income-Driven Repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

We will be offering a Student Debt Clinic on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, at SUNY Binghamton, UUW 325 from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

To attend a Student Debt Clinic, you must pre-register here: http://go.aft.org/StudentDebtClinicRSVP. From the “student debt clinic” drop-down menu, please select the UUP clinic that you are interested in attending – they are labeled “UUP [Campus Name] [time] [date].” In the affiliate field, type in the full name of our local (United University Professions), and it will autofill after a few keystrokes.

Registration is first-come, first-serve, and we must cap attendance for a single clinic at 50 participants in order to ensure that we are able to provide maximum assistance to attendees. [If you can’t make one of these clinics, don’t worry – we’re planning on offering them again. If you want to help host a clinic at your worksite, please let us know!]

Managing your student loan debt is the first step in taking on the inequities which plague our system of higher education, and we look forward to seeing you at the Student Debt Clinic and working together to find a collective solution to the problems of student debt and college affordability!

Register now!

Have the cold, gray days got you down?

United University Professions (UUP)
Binghamton Chapter
invites faculty and professional staff to

“Beat the Winter Blues”

Wednesday, February 19
4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Mandela Room
University Union

Join us for hot hors d’oeuvres, mini pastries, cold beer, wine, soda, water, and good company.
Music will be provided by the
Harpur Jazz Conspiracy.

There will be a short discussion of membership issues as part of the festivities.

Please RSVP to Linda O’Branski, Chapter Assistant by
Wednesday, February 12 at
777-4382 or email uup@binghamton.edu.

Applications for the 2019-202 NYS/UUP Joint Labor-Management Committees, Individual Development Awards (IDA) are now available.  Awards up to $1000  are assigned on a competitive basis.

The deadline for applications is 5:pm, Saturday, February 1, 2020, with decisions about funding made by Friday, March 6, 2020.

Link to Binghamton’s NYS/UUP IDA information and application.