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Next Monday, Nov. 9 there will be a hearing at the Gardner Auditorium regarding the outcome of the Pension Commission recommendations. It is expected shortly after that hearing that bills will be either filed or moved along that will affect present and future retirees. One minor change that has already occurred is that with those retiring beginning this past July, the choice is no longer available as to if the new retirees want direct deposit or to receive their checks mailed to their home. Moving forward from July all pension checks will be direct deposited.
 
Another issue that I think will affect all those not yet retired, and the purpose of this email is to please get the word out to your membership that if they have creditable service they have not yet applied for to please begin the process immediately. Presently the interest put on the service is known as regular interest and can be anywhere from two to about five percent. One of the bills I saw stated that buy-back would be ½ of whatever the amount that our investments made in a given year. This year, according to testimony I heard last week, our investments have made fourteen percent (and remember this is a bad year for the market). There were years we were in the 20% brackets so you see how much more people would be paying for their buy-back service.  Anyone who has their application in before a new measure is adopted will be under the present interest rate so please tell people to get their applications in ASAP for any service they are eligible and wish to purchase.
 
Another reason for this email is to ask all of you to get your membership behind getting our MA Congressional Delegation to sign on co-sponsor HR1413.  We heard it was AFT that was responsible for getting this bill filed by Congressman Joe Crowley of NY but outside of Massachusetts Retirees United we have not seen the real push or work necessary to get co-sponsors to the legislation.
 
HR1413 will allow those who retire with a public service pension to subtract up to $3,000 of their healthcare premiums/long term care premiums from their pensions before their pensions are federally taxed. You who are still working get to subtract ALL of your healthcare premiums from your salary before it is federally taxed. Once you retire you will pay taxes on all the money that you pay for your health insurance . HR1413 is known as HELPS 11 because the original HELPS Bill gave the benefit to those that retired on a Public Safety Pension. Because their union leadership, both active and retired, pushed this bill they got it through in record time. To date we only have a House version of the bill and only Crowley and two other co-sponsors have signed on to the measure. What a disgrace.
 
NARFE the federal union has 197 members of Congress signed on to their bill that would allow those retiring with a federal pension to subtract ALL of their healthcare premiums from their pension before it is federally taxed. Four of our MA group, Lynch, Capuano, Delahunt, and McGovern are signed on as co-sponsors to that bill but we have yet to get our first MA Congressman on. Are you telling me those 4 gentlemen have more constituents retired on a federal pension than on a public service one? I doubt it, it is just that active and retired federal are working harder than we are.  Please, please, please help us with this. Most of you have more years ahead of you as a retiree than as an active member in education. It is important that you help us with this. We need your help and that of those still working to get co-sponsors on HR1413.
 
Finally, I am available to do preparing for retirement seminars for your school district. It is two hours and there is no cost to you nor to the participants. If you are interested in more information or want to schedule a seminar all you have to do is provide a place to hole it and a two hour time block in which it can be held.
 
Thank you and we are counting on you for your help and support.
 
Marie Ardito
Information Coordinator Massachusetts Retirees United =