Regarding the Medicare Part 'B' reimbursement, when a member passes away, his or her beneficiary must file a form obtained from the City of New York Health Benefits Program, located at 40 Rector Street, 3rd Fl New York, NY 10006.
If the member passes away before the checks are sent out, the surviviving spouse would get approximately $2500 from the previous year plus every month in the present year the spouse was alive.
You have 3 years to file the application form.
If you actually had more monies taken out of your Social Security check because of increased income (IRMAA), you are entitrled to have that extra monies refunded. Please go to this website at NYC Health Benefits 2016 IRMAA Medicare Part B Reimbursement (Instructions & Form) - Reimbursement will be issued in October 2017
I will be amazed if the City acted that fast. In the past, it took a year to get that refund - Tony
August 21. 2016 THE DOCTOR'S CORNER
The following articles are from our Association's Police Surgeon Dr. Gerald Ente entedoc@aol.com
ZIKA VIRUS UPDATE
Mosquitoes spread all sorts of diseases around the world.It is estimated that 700 million people are infected annually internationally by mosquito-borne diseases.
Mosquitoes do not actually bite. The adults have a mouthpart called a proboscis through which they feed on nectar + other plant juices.The adult female needs blood sources to produce eggs.Mosquitoes have a variety of methods to find their prey, including chemical, visual + heat sensors.
The female pierces the skin of the blood source (that’s us), injects her saliva, finds a capillary and withdraws her blood meal. Her saliva contains an amazing group of chemicals including anticoagulants and other substances to prevent clotting of the blood, pathogens, viral, bacterial or parasitic agents (which cause disease), and an analgesic to prevent the person from feeling the “bite”.
Most mosquitos feed at dawn or dusk, although there are lots of exceptions including the Asian Tiger mosquito, which is at home in Florida. Most mosquitos can fly only 100-200 yards. The Aedes Aegypti mosquito is the main vector of Zika Virus, a native of Florida, and can also spread yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya virus. She feeds on several blood sources [4 or 5] to obtain enough blood protein to produce her eggs. This mosquito lives happily indoors as well as outside and “bites” during the day as well as at night. [Go figure].
As of beginning of August, there are over 1,700 reported cases of Zika in the U.S.A, 14 cases by sexual contact, 400 cases in pregnant women, 5 cases Of Guillain Barre Syndrome and 15 home grown cases in South Florida. There are almost 500 reported cases in the New York area.
Now Zika is an interesting disease because it is usually benign. Four out of five people contracting it have no symptoms. The other twenty percent may have typical viral symptoms plus pink eye and a nondescript reddish rash on their body. A rare person may develop an unusual, serious neurological condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (or ascending paralysis) which is like polio. The only other people to whom Zika is a major problem are pregnant women. The chances of having a baby with Microcephaly and other major neurological defects and diseases is less than 1%. This statistic is problematic because when it occurs, the 1% chance becomes a 100% lifelong fact.
So lets talk about what young fertile women can do to avoid Zika infection.
1) Avoid unnecessary travel to areas where these mosquitos are rampant.
2) Wear long sleeve shirts and long pants as protective clothing.
3) Avoid outdoors whenever possible around dawn or dusk.
4) Use EPA recommended mosquito repellants as directed on the label.
5) Use mosquito netting where possible (for babies).
6) Keep screen doors and windows in good repair and closed.
Health departments and governments all over the world are working on ways of preventing Zika with chemicals and biologics, but there are things that each of us could do.
1) Clean up stagnant standing water on your property. Empty flower pots, old tires, bird baths, saucers under flower pots, clogged gutters, puddles of all sizes, and even up turned soda bottle caps can act as nurseries for mosquito larvae.
2) Because mosquitos may be in your home, aside from sprays use a mosquito bed net.
3) Use standing water treatment tablets when you can’t empty the water.
4) Use DEET or permethrin mosquito spray.According to Consumer Reports, the three best bug sprays are:
1) Ben’s 30% DEET tic & insect wilderness formula (safe for pregnant women and children)
2) Sawyer Picaridin (not safe for children under 3 years old)
3)Repel lemon eucalyptus( not safe for children under 3 years old)
Babies under the age of two moths old should not have any of these used on them. Use only mosquito netting. Remember to apply insect spray after applying sunscreen and wash it off with soap and water when returning indoors.
Zika is present in all states in our country. Since mosquitos love heat and moisture, Florida is a favorite. Most U.S. cases are picked up while traveling to South and Central America and the Caribbean. Now our local mosquitoes are beginning to carry the virus in their mid gut and are infective.
In all probability, Zika viral infections are most dangerous to the fetus early in pregnancy. It seems like infection in the third trimester may be safe. While mosquitoes are the main transmission, cases of sexual transmission can and have occurred in any form either male to female, female to female, or female to male. So the best advice from the CDC is for pregnant women to abstain or when having sex to use condoms. Any pregnant woman who thinks she has been exposed is advised to seek testing and call her OB doctor.
If anyone has any further questions about mosquitoes or the Zika virus, feel free to contact me = Jerry Ente, MD at entedoc@aol.com
SALT - DO YOU REALLY NEED IT?
From a health point of view, the less salt you eat each day, the healthier it is. But as we age we lose taste buds for discrimination for all other tastes except salt. So as we get older we prefer more salty foods. In the New England Journal of Medicine in August of 2014, a consensus of articles about salt intake agreed that excessive salt was unhealthy and contributed to heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and kidney disease.
The World Health Organization and the American Heart Association recommend 1500-2500 mgs of sodium daily. They pointed out that less than 1% of our worldwide population consume less than 2 grams (2,000 mgs) daily. The average American eats 5 or more teaspoons of salt each day, which is twenty times the recommendation. Our body needs only a quarter teaspoon of salt daily. A common target for a low salt diet is 1500-2000 mgs daily. Salt regulates fluid balance in our bodies and maintains blood volume and pressure. Too little salt will create a lack of energy.
Foods high in salt include;
Smoked, canned, cured or salted meats
Regular or processed cheese, spreads and sauces, cottage cheese Pizza, croutons Olives, pickles, sour kraut Canned vegetables Soy sauce, seasoning salt and marinades Bottled salad dressings Salted butter or margarine Instant pudding Soups… Canned soups are a wealth of salts. A tip to lower the salt if you are a soup lover like I am is to add water. If you don’t like the thinned out soup you can than add thin cut potato or eggplant slices and after they absorb salt you can either throw them away, give them to a skinny friend or eat them. Remember, soup is like liquid salt. For example, a can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup contains 2,030 mg of salt. You can get reduced-sodium soups that contain 120-150 mg of salt.
Cereals… Cereals are amazing. Kellogg’s shredded wheat minis have 0 sodium. Corn grits have 1 mg per serving. Kellogg’s puffed wheat has 3 mg. Health Valley Fiber 7 has 53 mg. Special K has 220 mg. General Mills Total Raisin Bran has 446 mg. Cheerios, which advertises as heart smart, had 300 mg in 2007, and according to the box now has 120 mg. Kraft Post Toasties Corn Flakes have 1,020 mg, while for hot cereals Quaker’s instant grits product/ham ’n’ cheese has 1,930 mg of salt.
So what is my message… EAT SMART… READ THE LABELS… START YOUR ENGINES!
DIETING
Are you dieting? Aren't you trying to lose weight? Everybody is. One of the latest fads is low carbohydrates. The thing is that carbs are an important part of your diet. But there are good carbs and bad carbs. The “bad” carbs are the weight producing, simple sugars, low in fiber, often time white in color. They include sugar, syrups, white rice, white bread, white pasta, white potatoes, cakes, cookies and sweet desserts. The “badies” also include soda and candy.
The “good” carbs are formed by complex sugars and starches, which require more time for the body to break them down. “Goodies” are less processed, more natural and more healthy. Good carbs include fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains, yams and legumes (which are beans, peas, lentils and nuts). Good carbs have low to moderate calorie density which fill you up, are high in nutrients, and are devoid of refined sugars and grains. They are full of fiber, low in sodium, saturated fat, trans fats and cholesterol.
Remember, we’re not even mentioning the amount of salt, calories, diabetes type two and fats in this discussion, there is always tomorrow. In most supermarkets, the foods found in the outer aisles are the natural foods which include the good carbs, while the foods in the inner isles contain processed, boxed, and refined items, including the bad carbs.
Your grandma and your momma may not have known these facts and they may not have had a choice, but they still did eat better and everyone knows “Momma knows best.”
July 9, 2015 COURT DECISION IN FAVOR OF CAPTAINS ASSOCIATION
Thanks to Alan Berkowitz for this news:
Dear CEA Member,
We have received a copy of a favorable court decision from the NYS Supreme Court Appellate Division – First Department. The case involved the standards utilized by the Police Pension Fund Medical Board in determining whether uniformed members were disabled from police work and qualified for a disability pension. Under an arcane law called the “Safeguards Statute” the City, with the advice and support of the Law Department, had moved to have the Pension Fund Medical Board apply a new medical standard to injured officers seeking a disability pension to determine if the officer was disabled from ANY gainful employment. This unprecedented action would have led to officers disabled from police work, but not completely disabled, being placed in other City service outside of the Police Department instead of being granted a disability pension.
The CEA, along with the other police unions, objected to this action as contrary to past practice and authority of the pension fund. The City sought to bypass the police union objections by opining that the Law Department interpretation of the Safeguards Statute supersedes the Pension Fund Board of Trustees. The CEA, as a Trustee of the Pension Fund, commenced a lawsuit in NYS Supreme Court challenging the Law Department’s opinion and its authority to direct action of the Police Pension Fund. The initial Court ruled against us and the CEA appealed to the First Department Appellant Division who has now sided in our favor.
In the lawsuit titled “Roy T Richter, etc. –against- Michael A. Cardozo, etc.” the Appellant Division reversed the lower court and found the Board of Trustees is “empowered to differ with its counsel on matters of statutory interpretation and reach its own position on such questions.” “Indeed, the Board implicitly interprets the governing statute with each of its individual determinations in the regular course of business.” “[T]he proposition that [the Law Department] interpretation of any statute always trumps the interpretation of an agency is untenable and inconsistent with the basic role of counsel.”
It is unknown if the Law Department intends to appeal this decision to the NYS Court of Appeals. I will keep you updated on any developments.
Fraternally, Roy
Roy T Richter President NYPD Captains Endowment Association (212) 791-8292
October 19, 2014 IMPORTANT TAX NEWS FOR 9/11 VICTIMS
Lou Hollander received this information from Rick RottkampRH1040@aol.com
Hello all:
After several years of delays,the IRS has finally indicated that compensation received as a direct result of 9/11 is tax free.
Please be advised that last month (September 2014) the IRS updated Publication 3920 and included the following:
Payments to Survivors
The following section discusses the tax treatment of certain amounts received by survivors of the attacks and survivors of people who died as a result of the attacks.
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Payments from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 are not included in income.
Disability Payments For tax years ending after September 10, 2001, disability payments (including Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments) are not included in income if they are for injuries incurred as a direct result of a terrorist attack (including the September 11 attacks, anthrax attacks, and Oklahoma City attack) directed against the United States (or its allies). However, you must include in your income any disability payments you received or you would have received in retirement had you not become disabled as a result of a terrorist attack.
Disability payments you receive for injuries not incurred as a direct result of a terrorist attack or for illnesses or diseases not resulting from an injury incurred as a direct result of a terrorist attack cannot be excluded from your income under this provision but may be excludable for other reasons. For details, see Publication 907, Tax Highlights for Persons with Disabilities.
If you know anyone receiving disability payments due to 9/11 please make sure they are aware of this as it effects the taxability of both past and future disability payments.
Rick
Richard H. Rottkamp, EA 466 Ashland Avenue Baldwin, NY 11510-2534 (516) 868-0023 Fax (516) 377-7712
Our thanks to Lou and Richard for forwarding this important information.
July 25, 2014 IMPORTANT BENEFIT FOR RETIRED DETECTIVES
We received the following from Paul DiGiacomo, NYC DEA Vice President. The benefit is available to all retired detective members for a co-pay of only $25 and for all others, the price is discounted to $199.
NEW ENHANCED BENEFIT FOR DEA RETIREES CARDIOVASCULAR AND THYROID NODULE SCREENING $25 COPAY EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2014
The DEA is proud to offer a new enhanced benefit to all our retirees who would like to participate in the Heartscan Services cardiovascular and thyroid nodule screening program. THE COPAY FOR OUR RETIREES WILL BE $25, WITH THE DEA PAYING THE DIFFERENCE OF $174. The DEA has discounted pricing for all DEA active members and all DEA families of $199 (normally the price is $300). This preventive screening program focuses on identifying early stages of heart, carotid (stroke), thyroid (nodules), and peripheral arterial disease (early diabetes and hypertension ).
Recent clinical findings show an increase in thyroid cancer and heart disease for 911 responders. Clinical findings show thyroid cancer as the fastest increasing cancer in the US and heart disease remaining as the #1 disease. Every 60 seconds someone in the U.S. dies of a heart attack and every 40 seconds someone has a stroke. These diseases are preventable if detected and treated early. Most people are symptom free and therefore most insurance companies will not cover the screens that identify their risk factors.
Heartscan Services is a mobile company making it convenient for all to take advantage of this program. For our retirees, designated screening locations throughout the Metropolitan and the Long Island areas will be assigned. Retirees can contact Heartscan Services directly to inquire about the various locations at 1-866-518-1112.
Heartscan Services is HIPAA compliant and all results are strictly confidential.
The DEA is excited to bring this valuable program to our retired members and hope you will take advantage of this potentially lifesaving screening. Please contact Heartscan Services directly at 1-866-518-1112 to schedule appointment or our Health Benefits office at 212-587-9120 if you have any questions.
Fraternally, Warm Regards, Michael J. Palladino Marilyn Martinucci, MBA DEA President CEO/Founder HeartScan Services Inc.
ABOUT THE SCREENING:
The preventive screening program is a simple, painless, non-invasive, ultrasound assessment that can evaluate your risk for early stages of heart, carotid (stroke), thyroid (nodules), and peripheral arterial disease (early diabetes and hypertension ).
Echocardiogram or ECHO
An echocardiogram is a test that uses sound waves (no radiation exposure) to create a moving picture of the heart. It shows the function, size, shape and movement of the heart muscle. This test can also show how the heart valves are working and how blood is flowing through your heart, evaluating the pumping action of the heart. Heart attacks a rising deadly weapon among cops- July 29, 2013 (our data shows 55% of retired members needed follow up) /Law Enforcement Officers More Likely to Suffer from Heart Disease July 2013.
Carotid Doppler
The major goal of carotid ultrasound is to screen patients for blockage or narrowing of their carotid arteries, which if present may increase their risk of having a stroke. #3 disease for men and women/ on average, one American dies from stroke every 4 minutes.
Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI)
ABI is a simple, reliable means for diagnosing PAD (Peripheral arterial disease). Individuals with a high Ankle-brachial index are three to five times more likely to be at risk of heart attacks. Identifies hypertension -67 million American adults (31%) have high blood pressure—1 in every 3 American adults- hypertension is extremely high among law enforcement and increases their risk for heart disease and stroke.
Thyroid Ultrasound
This test uses sound waves to determine if a nodule is solid or a fluid-filled cyst. (The risk of cancer is higher in solid nodules.)This test also monitors the growth of nodules and it helps find nodules that are difficult to feel. National data- thyroid cancer fastest increasing cancer in the US / New York cops’ cancer rate soaring in wake of 9/11. Sept. 30, 2013
Paul DiGiacomo Vice-President
Detectives' Endowment Association, Inc. Police Department, City of New York 26 Thomas Street New York, NY 10007
Our thanks to Alan Berkowitz for forwarding this impoartant information:
New York City Administrative Code(NEW)
§ 13-252.1 Accidental disability retirement; World Trade Center presumption.
1. (a) Notwithstanding any provisions of this code or of any general, special or local law, charter or rule or regulation to the contrary, if any condition or impairment of health is caused by a qualifying World Trade Center condition as defined in section two of the retirement and social security law, it shall be presumptive evidence that it was incurred in the performance and discharge of duty and the natural and proximate result of an accident not caused by such member's own willful negligence, unless the contrary be proved by competent evidence. (b) The New York City Police Pension Fund (NYCPPF) board of trustees is hereby authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this paragraph. 2. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter or of any general, special or local law, charter, administrative code or rule or regulation to the contrary, if a member who participated in World Trade Center rescue, recovery or cleanup operations as defined in section two of the retirement and social security law, and subsequently retired on a service retirement, an ordinary disability retirement, an accidental disability retirement, a performance of duty disability retirement, or was separated from service with a vested right to deferred payability of a retirement allowance and subsequent to such retirement or separation is determined by the NYCPPF board of trustees to have a qualifying World Trade Center condition, as defined in section two of the retirement and social security law, upon such determination by the NYCPPF board of trustees, it shall be presumed that such disability was incurred in the performance and discharge of duty as the natural and proximate result of an accident not caused by such member's own willful negligence, and that the member would have been physically or mentally incapacitated for the performance and discharge of duty of the position from which he or she retired or vested had the condition been known and fully developed at the time of the member's retirement or separation from service with vested rights, unless the contrary is proven by competent evidence. (b) The NYCPPF board of trustees shall consider a reclassification of the member's retirement or vesting as an accidental disability retirement effective as of the date of such reclassification. (c) Such member's retirement option shall not be changed as a result of such reclassification. (d) The member's former employer at the time of the member's retirement shall have an opportunity to be heard on the member's application for reclassification by the NYCPPF board of trustees according to procedures developed by the NYCPPF board of trustees. (e) The NYCPPF board of trustees is hereby authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this paragraph. 3. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter or of any general, special or local law, charter, administrative code or rule or regulation to the contrary, if a retiree or vestee who: (1) has met the criteria of subdivision one of this section and retired on a service or disability retirement, would have met the criteria if not already retired on an accidental disability, or was separated from service with a vested right to deferred payability of a retirement allowance; and (2) has not been retired for more than twenty-five years; and (3) dies from a qualifying World Trade Center condition, as defined in section two of the retirement and social security law, as determined by the applicable head of the retirement system or applicable medical board, then unless the contrary be proven by competent evidence, such retiree or vestee shall be deemed to have died as a natural and proximate result of an accident sustained in the performance of duty and not as a result of willful negligence on his or her part. Such retiree's or vestee's eligible beneficiary, as set forth in section 13-244 of this subchapter, shall be entitled to an accidental death benefit as provided by section 13-244 of this subchapter, however, for the purposes of determining the salary base upon which the accidental death benefit is calculated, the retiree or vestee shall be deemed to have died on the date of his or her retirement or separation from service with vested rights. Upon the retiree's or vestee's death, the eligible beneficiary shall make a written application to the head of the retirement system within the time for filing an application for an accidental death benefit as set forth in section 13-244 of this subchapter requesting conversion of such retiree's service, vested right or disability retirement benefit to an accidental death benefit. At the time of such conversion, the eligible beneficiary shall relinquish all rights to the prospective benefits payable under the service or disability retirement benefit, or vested right to such benefit, including any post-retirement death benefits, since the retiree's or vestee's death. If the eligible beneficiary is not the only beneficiary receiving or entitled to receive a benefit under the service or disability retirement benefit (including, but not limited to, post-retirement death benefits or benefits paid or payable pursuant to the retiree's option selection), or that will be eligible under the vested right, the accidental death benefit payments to the eligible beneficiary wil l be reduced by any amounts paid or payable to any other beneficiary. 4. Notwithstanding any other provision of this code or of any general, special or local law, charter, or rule or regulation to the contrary, if a member who: (1) has met the criteria of subdivision one of this section; (2) dies in active service or after separating from service with a vested right to deferred payability of a retirement allowance, but prior to the payability of that retirement allowance; and (3) dies from a qualifying World Trade Center condition, as defined in section two of the retirement and social security law, as determined by the applicable head of the retirement system or applicable medical board to have been caused by such member's participation in the World Trade Center rescue, recovery or cleanup operations, as defined in section two of the retirement and social security law, then unless the contrary be proven by competent evidence, such member shall be deemed to have died as a natural and proximate result of an accident sustained in the performance of duty and not as a result of willful negligence on his or her part. Such member's eligible beneficiary, as set forth in section 13-244 of this subchapter, shall be entitled to an accidental death benefit provided he or she makes written application to the head of the retirement system within the time for filing an application for an accidental death benefit as set forth in section 13-244 of this subchapter.
April 7, 2012 NYPD DEA DENTAL BENEFITS UPGRADED FOR FLORIDA RETIREES
In case you haven't received the letter from the NYPD PBA dated February 23rd, the announcement is that the prescription drug plan lifetime cap for eligible retirees of $120,000 has been eliminated. Any eligible member who has exceeded the lifetime cap in the past is now eligible for prescription drug coverage as of March 1, 2012.
The annual cap still remains in effect and any questions can be answered at Caremark Customer Care at 877-722-7911 or at the PBA Funds Office at 212-349-7560.
December 8, 2011 INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DD-214
This info just came to me from my good friend Mike Maurer. Ret. NYPD & US Army. It may help someone out there, so forward it to your friends.
Ret. Sgt. Tom Moriarty.
Please pass on to other vets. It's official: DD-214 discharge papers are NOW ONLINE. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided the following website for veterans to gain access to their DD-214s online:
This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy of his/her DD-214 for employment purposes. NPRC is working to make it easier for veterans with computers and Internet access to obtain copies of documents from their military files.
Military veterans and the next of kin of deceased former military members may now use a new online military personnel records system to request documents.
Other individuals with a need for documents must still complete the Standard Form 180, which can be downloaded from the online web site. Because the requester will be asked to supply all information essential for NPRC to process the request, delays that normally occur when NPRC has to ask veterans for additional information will be minimized. The new web-based application was designed to provide better service on these requests by eliminating the records centers mailroom and processing time.
Please pass this information on to former military personnel you may know and their dependents.
October 16, 2011 STEPS TO TAKE UPON DEATH OF RETIREE
We received this useful information from Lou Hollander:
As you are well aware of, I, unfortunately have been sending out obituary notices for retired and active MOS. This unpleasant task seems to be happening more often. It seems when this happens, the family is so overwhelmed they don’t realize what notifications have to be made.
With the assistance of Bobby Ganley, NYPD SBA, Bill Larney, NYPD LBA and the NYPD SOC, I compiled some information that may be very helpful to your loved ones should the situation arise. If I have overlooked something of importance, please let me know and I will update this list. I have attached the list as a .doc file. You will need to have MS Word installed on your PC to open it to view or print. If you don’t have MS Word, you can download a free MS Word viewer http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=4 With this program you can view and print Word documents. If you want, I can send you the file in .pdf format, which will allow you to view and print as long as you have Adobe Reader installed on your PC. It may be a good idea to print this out and store with your important papers.
Click here for the attachment Lou sent describing the procedures to follow.
October 4, 2012 20 YEAR GUARANTEED PENSION BILL SIGNED INTO LAW
This was taken from the LBA web page. A letter written by LBA President Tommy Sullivan, (Proud to call one of our own), to his membership regarding the guaranteed 20 year pension. Please click on the link below.
Guaranteed Pension Bill
I am pleased to report that Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has signed the "Guaranteed Pension after 20 Years of Service" bill into LAW!
This new law amends the New York City Administrative Code to protect uniformed police and fire officers, with 20 or more years of service, from losing their pensions if they are fired.
