Dear UUP represented employees,

I am happy to report that the telemedicine benefit is now available to enrollees in the Empire Plan, SEHP, and the Excelsior Plan. The Department of Civil Service has posted the message below on NYSHIP Online. In addition, they will send a notice to your Health Benefits Administrators for distribution and will send a postcard to UUP enrollees at their homes.

To access the telemedicine program, LiveHealth Online, enrollees must go to www.empireblue.com/nys to access the link and obtain the coupon code. The coupon code will be entered as the payment. Instructions are attached for signing up. Enrollees should follow the instructions and provide the information as it is requested.

UUP and the Empire Plan is doing all they can to support you and your family through this unprecedented time and is introducing a new telehealth benefit to help you access health care services remotely. LiveHealth Online lets you stay home and have a video visit with a board-certified doctor or licensed therapist on your smartphone, tablet or personal computer.

If you are concerned about leaving your home to receive medical care or your ability to access care, The Empire Plan will cover telehealth visits at no cost to you. Register or login at www.empireblue.com/nys to get a coupon code to cover the full cost of your LiveHealth Online visit.

Please see the attached pdf for instructions and coupon code.

In Solidarity,

Tom

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

Dear Visionworks Patients,

In accordance with recommendations from the CDC, as well as Federal and State authorities, we are temporarily closing all Visionworks’ locations due to the COVID-19 virus, but we will preserve access to our doctors for emergency eye care needs. With this temporary pause, we can protect the health and safety of our associates, doctors, and the communities we serve. While our storefronts are closed to the public, we are still safely working to ensure we meet each patient’s needs:

• If you recently purchased glasses or contacts with us, we will ship them directly to you
• If you have an exam scheduled during the closure, we will call or email you to reschedule your appointment

If you have lost or broken glasses or just need a new pair of glasses or contacts, and you have an existing prescription, we have several options for you at visionworks.com where you can utilize many insurance plans. In addition, we will work to assist you if you have an expired prescription

If you have an essential eye care need or an emergency, you can call us at 1-800-784-7427 and we will work to connect you to one of our doctors

We have implemented significant procedures to ensure the safety of our patients, our doctors, and our associates. When we reopen our locations, we will continue with the appropriate procedures to ensure the safety of our community. For more information visit visionworks.com/safety-protocol.

In the past few weeks, we have put policies in place to help our associates, including: flexible schedules, supplemental pay for reduced hours, advanced paid time off and continuing pay for those associates directly impacted by COVID-19. As we close all of our stores, we will continue to care for our associates by extending these policies through April 3rd.

We apologize for any inconvenience this unexpected closure may cause you. Thank you for being our patient and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

Pete Bridgman
President, Visionworks of America

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.