Plans are currently underway for the 2008 Annual Meeting being held on Tuesday, March 18th at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center in Birmingham. For directions, please click here.
 

ZOSTAVAX®

Effective January 1st, 2008 Zostavax® will be covered under the Prescription Benefit for Alabama Public Employee Education Health Insurance Plan.  Zostavax® is available to the member for 50% member co-pay.

WHAT IS ZOSTAVAX®?
®Zostavax is a single dose vaccine used to prevent shingles in patients 60 years and older.

WHERE DO I GO TO GET THE VACCINE?
Zostavax® is now covered under both the Medical and Prescriptions Plan for Alabama PEEHIP.  While most vaccines are administered in the physician’s office, this product is unique in that the vaccine must be administered within ½ hour of removal from storage.  Check with your physician office first.

If the prescription is obtained from the pharmacy, it should be administered by a health professional, physician, or pharmacist licensed by the state of Alabama to administer vaccines within 30 minutes of dispensing.

The state of Alabama has a link to identify pharmacists in the state that are authorized to administer vaccines.

http://www.adph.org/pharmacyunit/assets/Immunizing%20Pharmacists21007.pdf.

WILL THE MEMBER BE CHARGED A MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION FEE FROM THE PHARMACY?
If the pharmacy is charging an administration fee for the vaccine, the plan will reimburse the member for incurred costs up to $20.00. The member will need to submit a manual claims form with all supporting receipts to the following address:

Express Scripts
328 Varden Hill Drive
Birmingham, AL 35214

A manual claim form is available on the ESI website (member registration required):

www.express-scripts.com

or the member may contact the Express Scripts Customer Service by calling 1-800-233-8065
Please allow 2 weeks for processing.

ALL Pharmacy submitted claims for medication administration fee reimbursement will be denied.

IS THE MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCLUDED IN THE CO-PAY?
No, the 50% member co-pay includes the cost of the medication. The administration fee, if any, is determined by the pharmacy.  The plan will reimburse the member up to $20.00.

IS THERE ANY OTHER VACCINE/IMMUNIZATION SERVICES COVERED UNDER THE PRESCRIPTION PROGRAM?
No. Not at this time.

Professional Development for Retirees

Are you aware that web-based professional development is available for Alabama retired educators?  It’s an excellent way to fulfill requirements for teacher certificate renewal and to stay engaged in a community of learners.  Alabama’s implementation is part of a project funded by a federal Ready to Teach grant and multi-state collaboration between eight state education agencies and associated public broadcast stations (Alabama Department of Education and Alabama Public Television).  Tom Dreilinger is the Alabama State Project Director.

These FREE online classes take six (6) weeks to complete and you will earn 3.0 CEU’s (30 hours).  There are a broad range of topics and retired educators should have much to offer to the discussion boards.  The “user-friendly” format makes these classes doable and enjoyable.  It is also possible to access the classes from a local public library if you do not have a home computer.

Please visit the website http://elearning.alsde.edu for additional information and a course listing.  There are two ways to enroll.  If you have access through STI PD, you can follow those procedures.  If not, please contact Tom Dreilinger at tdreiling@troy.edu and he can enroll you.
 

Do you read the dictionary... for fun?
Are you known to correct others' spelling mistakes... because you just can't help it??

You may be the perfect candidate for the Word Cup, a new online competition, quizzing vocabulary and spelling skills in a time-restricted environment.
Trying out is free, and all three rounds of the event take place online.
This is a global event for all ages, and over $75,000 in prizes are awarded to the top contestants and participants of varying skill levels.
At the Word Cup, everyone can win!
Future years will also reward those who show the largest improvement.

Please visit www.WordCupCafe.org to register. You will be invited when your age category tries out. eSpindle Learning, the nonprofit hosting the event, also provides free, regularly updated practice quizzes year round.
 

Volunteers are needed to collect some quick data and share information about a River Trail - the longest in one state - the Alabama Scenic River Trail - 631 Miles - which will be media announced next June 6th.  This River Trail is from where the Coosa enters Alabama, to it's connection to the Alabama River, and that to the Mobile delta and onward along the East shore of Mobile Bay to the Gulf.  Similar much shorter trails in other states produce over $100 million in tourism dollars every year.  We want to do even more here.

We have 'divided' the Trail essentially into 4 equal sections and are producing 4 full color, waterproof paper, Trail Guidebooks, between December 15, 2007 and March 31, 2008, to have motor boaters and paddlers to use enroute.  I have already obtained $76,000 in a Grant to produce them.

We are in the process of establishing a web page.  Currently our office address is 60 Sunset Drive, Anniston, AL 36207; my email address is Fredcanoes@aol.com.  Some of our working partners thus far represented are the Alabama Bureau of Travel and Tourism;  Army Corps of Engineers; Alabama Power Company; Alabama Alliance of the Resource, Conservation, and Development Commissions; Ala. Dept of Conservation and Natural Resources; U. S. Fish and Wildlife; National Park Service; Bama Back Paddlers Club, and we have been endorsed by Governor Bob Riley, Senator Jeff Sessions, Senator Richard Shelby, and Senator Del Marsh.

To announce the ASRT, next May a famed long distance paddler, Richard Grove, will begin and paddle the entire length, interviewing with media daily.  On June 6th he will arrive in Montgomery for a 'Grand Opening' Ceremony with Governor Riley, and other dignitaries at Riverwalk.  You and anyone you know are welcome to paddle, or motor near him, for any distance.  He will be charging a small leadership fee.  I need the volunteers of each Retired Teacher's District to coordinate for the River section they choose and send their findings to me before Dec. 15 on the lower section, which we will print first, and the upper three sections by Jan. 15, 2008.  You may call me at any of the numbers below; the fax is where I work.  My business card with my color picture on it is attached below as well.  People interested in joining Richard may email or fax me as well, until March 31, 2008.

Have a wonderful day, Fred Couch, President, ASRT

Fred Couch, Jr., President        www.couchs.com
Couch's Jewelers, Anniston and Oxford, Alabama
work 256-237-4638 or 256-831-4628 or 1-800-844-4128
cell 256-591-0437,    fax 256-237-4626 or 256-841-4612
 

Volunteers Needed for Meals On Wheels

The Montgomery Area Council on Aging needs volunteers to drive Meals On Wheels routes. A route of approximately 10 people takes an hour, from food pick-up to delivery. Volunteers can deliver from as often as every day, to one day a month. We also have a need for substitute volunteers. A friendly smile and a check on the senior’s well being are as important as the hot, nutritious noon meal they receive. Contact: Bonnie Harris 263-0532.
 

Click on the link below for more information about brain research and staying sharp at all ages.  The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives has a great website with information on brainy kids and brain resources for seniors.

The DANA Foundation
 

Retirees Beware of Scam Artists!

The Alabama Education Retirees Associations, Inc., staff and Board of Directors urge all retirees to beware. No one should contact you regarding any services offered to retired educators unless you initiated the action first. If anyone shows up at your door, please be careful. AERA does not release membership information to any type of salespersons.  Should someone contact you and try to pressure you to act that day, please don’t do anything until you investigate the matter further. The offer could be a legitimate offer but it could also be a scam.

If you have questions regarding your AERA member benefits, please contact AERA at 1-800-537-6867. Scam artists are good at what they do – stealing from trusting, honest people. Please be very careful. Remember the old saying, “that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” It is better to be cautious than to lose money to these people.