Dues Transfer Program for Actives Underway

With the support of a NEA grant, AERA has redesigned the dues transfer form and is working in conjunction with UniServ Directors to get the word out to actives. This form allows active AEA members who are retiring this year to complete the form for a smooth membership transfer.

Last fall Janice Charlesworth, AERA Executive Secretary, met with Mary Bruce Ogles, AEA Assistant Executive Secretary for Field Services, to review the dues transfer form. The previous form was not being utilized at a high rate. Mrs. Ogles determined that since an active membership is in place for the entire year, those who were retiring were not completing the form. The dues transfer form has been redesigned to allow the soon-to-be retiree to sign up for payroll deduction retired membership to begin as of September 1. This form will allow the retiree to remain as an AEA active member followed by a smooth transition into the retired division.

This form is available online at the AEA website and by clicking here.

Currently AERA Membership Coordinators, Jo Smith; Alma Wyatt Jones and Otis Brunson are coordinating recruiting efforts with UniServ Directors. If you are retiring or know someone who is retiring and has not received a Retirement Packet from their UniServ Director, please click here (info@aerainc.org) and we will see that you receive this valuable packet of information.

With membership in AERA, you are protecting your future!
 

As consumers we are bombarded with products and services to buy. Advertising experts try every angle to entice us to use their product. In Advertising 101 students learn to use the words “new and improved” to persuade consumers to respond. During the summer, letters are sent to education retirees to persuade them to join the Alabama Education Retirees Association, Inc. The letters are a joint effort between AEA Executive Secretary Dr. Paul Hubbert and me. A lot of time and effort goes into these letters. Our goal is to convince all education retirees that they need to belong to AERA.

Is AERA “new and improved?” Yes and no. AERA is over 50 years old so we are not new. However, each year the staff, the board of directors, committee members, and local unit leaders work to improve the association and to improve the benefits provided to education retirees. Here are the improvements AERA has made for you:

Ř   Lobbied with AEA to secure a 7 percent cost of living allowance (COLA) for all education retirees. Education retirees who retired prior to October 1, 2005* will receive this COLA effective October, 1, 2006, in their benefit check by the first of November. (*Note: AEA/AERA did not include this cut-off date in the bill nor did we support the cut-off date as approved by state legislators.)

Ř  Lobbied with AEA to protect your PEEHIP allowance. This allowance is not a guaranteed retirement benefit. Without the allowance, monthly benefit costs would be over $500. In some states education retirees do not receive an allowance and to obtain health insurance in retirement they must pay the entire monthly cost or forego the insurance. Could you afford $500 to $600 a month for your health insurance?

Ř     Lobbied to protect the Education Trust Fund. Diversion of funds will lead to a weakened retirement system.

Ř      Works with national associations to protect Social Security and Medicare.

Ř     Offers opportunities to earn continuing education credits (CEUs,) which will allow teachers to keep their teaching certificate current. This opportunity is free to all members.

Ř  Publishes a magazine, The AERA Voice!, for members only. This publication is designed to provide needed information for education retirees. Members also received The Alabama School Journal that keeps all education personnel informed on legislative issues.

AERA works to maintain and improve education retirees’ lifestyles. We offer membership to everyone covered by the Teachers’ Retirement System. I will continue to urge, persuade and hopefully convince all education retirees to join AERA. Our strength is our members and we need you! Please respond positively when your invitation to join arrives in your mailbox. Ed McMahon will not appear at your door with a million dollar prize, but your membership will pay dividends in the future!
 

Membership in the Alabama Education Retirees Association, Inc. (AERA), is open to anyone who receives retirement benefits from the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama. Currently, AERA has over 24,000 members.

AERA Membership Form

Membership is a great investment for you because it yields hundreds of dollars in benefits. Listed below are some of the many benefits offered to our members.

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Absolutely NO membership dues are used to market this program.
 

In a continued effort to help protect the financial interest of our members, AERA is announcing the roll out of our new Critical Illness Benefit.  This new Critical Illness Benefit is offered through a special arrangement with National Security Group in cooperation with our exclusive agents of record at Countryman & Smitherman Inc. located in Prattville, Alabama. National Security Group is also an Alabama company and the underwriting, administration and service of the plan will be done locally in Elba, Alabama.

Why Critical Illness protection?  It has come to our attention that there are the possibilities of substantial financial hardships that our members can experience if they or one of their family members contract a serious disease or have a serious accident.  Maybe you need the additional money to help cover your deductibles and co-pays or to help with the travel expenses associated with going back and forth to the doctor or to travel to seek the best treatment available.  The money will come in handy to help offset the bills you or your family might incur for lodging and meals to stay near a loved one while they receive treatment away from home.  Maybe you need the money just to offset the pay you could lose from being away from work for an extended time while you or a family member are recovering or for a nursing home or other extended care facility.  You decide how best to use the money because this plan pays directly to you in addition to any other benefits you might have.

This new Critical Illness Insurance pays a lump sum amount directly to you if you are diagnosed with one of a long list of covered illnesses.  You decide how much or how little you want the benefit to be at the time of purchase in $5,000 units.  You can choose to have cancer coverage with this plan or you can buy the benefit at a reduced charge excluding cancer coverage from the list of covered illnesses.  You can also choose to have on-the-job accidents covered at a small additional premium for those of you who are still actively working a full or part-time job.  The premiums are very reasonably priced and offer the convenience of deduction directly from your retirement check.

If you would like more information about this plan, please call National Security Group at 1-800-239-2358, ext. 201 (Tommy Skinner) or ext. 208 (Renee Kelley).  You may also visit their website at www.nationalsecuritygroup.com. 

Thank you very much for your attention to this exciting new benefit and for being a member of AERA.
 

Member Benefits Offered

Sometimes it can be difficult to find good life insurance protection at an affordable price after age 50, and final expenses can be a real burden for loved ones. This whole life policy builds cash values and provides a relatively inexpensive way to help with the financial responsibilities related to death. This is a "permanent" protection -- guaranteed for the rest of your life. You can't be cancelled no matter what happens to your health! This plan of insurance is available to AERA members and their spouses, ages 49 through 80, who are in good health. You need a whole life plan you can trust. This plan is designed for -- and the choice of -- many former educators just like you.  AERA has worked closely with the insurance company to meet the needs of its members by offering affordable, permanent life insurance protection.

*Underwritten by Fidelity Security Life Insurance Company, Kansas City, MO

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Yes, we have solved the problem of being "too old" to get good life insurance! The AERA Senior Whole Life Insurance program is the kind that accumulates cash value for you beginning the second year. Unlike term life insurance, your Senior Whole Life rates will not increase as you get older. Your rate is guaranteed to stay just the same as it is when you apply, regardless of your age or health. Acceptance is guaranteed to every applicant age 45 through 75 -- your past or present health problems are no obstacle! There are no health questions and no medical exam required.

The Senior Whole Life Insurance plan offers up to $20,000 in valuable modified whole life coverage and pays two times the face amount if death is due to an accident. If death is due to natural causes, the plan is limited to 125% of the annual premium during the first certificate year, 250% of the annual premium during the second certificate year, and the full-face amount during the third coverage year and beyond. Your benefits do not reduce or terminate due to age.
 

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Young Adult Life Insurance

As an AERA member, you can give your children or grandchildren the gift that grows throughout their life. . .the Young Adult Life Insurance plan. This plan is a lifetime gift protection and a guarantee that your loved ones can secure more coverage in the future -- no matter what their health or occupation. Children are special. When you buy them a gift, you want it to be special and you want it to last. As time goes by, your children outgrow the clothes, the toys, and the books you give them. Why not give them a gift that will last... One they won't outgrow? The Young Adult Life Insurance plan.

Just $6.00 a month can provide $20,000 of life insurance for your grandchildren! The money you spend now means that special child in your life can be covered with solid, reliable life insurance protection today and tomorrow. The Young Adult Life Insurance plan gives your child a "head start" in life. After five years, the Young Adult Life Insurance plan begins accumulating cash values. Plus, when your child needs more coverage during the adult years, he or she can have it. . . regardless of health. At age 21, your child or grandchild becomes the owner of the policy. At ages 28, 31, 34, 37, and 40, your child can purchase additional protection -- equal to the original coverage amount or to a maximum or $15,000, whichever is less -- with no evidence of insurability.

This plan also includes a waiver of premium feature for total disabilities occurring prior to the owner/payor, age 60, and a death waiver premium in the event of the death of the owner/payor until the child reaches age 21.
 

*Underwritten by Fidelity Security Life Insurance Company, Kansas City, MO

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Why do you need cancer coverage? As we get older, our risk of getting cancer increases significantly. Cancer treatment can be long, complicated, and expensive -- so expensive that the costs might go beyond your medical insurance limits. That's why it's so important that you supplement your medical coverage with the AERA Cancer Protector plan, exclusively for AERA members. This plan pays in addition to any other medical coverage you may have.

The plan provides benefits for you and your family for expenses both in and out of the hospital for the treatment of cancer, and includes benefits for cancer screening procedures such as mammography and annual PAP examinations. All AERA members and their spouses are eligible, regardless of age, as long as they have been cancer-free for the last ten years. Unlike many other cancer plans, your benefits will not reduce or terminate due to age.

In addition, this plan now features a "first occurrence" cancer benefit, which is available only through a special offer one-time per year during a special enrollment period. This benefit pays a $1,000 lump sum benefit for the first diagnosis of internal cancer (skin cancer is excluded).
 

*Underwritten by Fidelity Security Life Insurance Company, Kansas City, MO

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*Underwritten by Fidelity Security Life Insurance—Kansas City, MO

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This plan pays a daily benefit for hospital confinements due to a covered sickness or injury. It also includes benefits for confinement in an intensive care/cardiac care unit of a hospital and nurse-at-home benefits.

*Underwritten by Fidelity Security Life Insurance Company, Kansas City, MO

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Annuities accumulate funds on a tax-deferred basis during the accumulation phase. Annuities can also provide lifetime income options.

*Underwritten by New York Life Insurance & Annuity Corporation

* The benefits stated generally describe the insurance programs. Benefits, exclusions, and limitations are further described in the plan brochures. Payroll deduction is also available.

All Previous Mentioned Programs Are Offered By
Countryman & Smitherman, Inc., Prattville, Alabama
Call Toll Free 1-877-777-4301 or 1-334-365-5055

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Your VisionChoice® Vision Care Plan is a great benefit, free of charge to you as part of your AERA membership. The plan includes: 

• $45 comprehensive eye exam
• $40 credit toward purchase of VisionChoice® frames
• $20 credit toward purchase of already discounted lenses
• $250 allowance per eye for laser vision correction
• Eyewear packages available at significant savings
• No limited selection of frames
• No maximum benefit, no deductible, and no preexisting condition clauses

To learn more about the VisionChoice® Vision Care Plan and to get a listing of Authorized Providers, call your One Source, One Solution Member Services Hotline at 1-866-322-2244, or visit our website at www.collateralbenefits.com.

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American Hearing Benefits, Inc. and AERA have partnered together to offer members and their family an exceptional discount on hearing instruments manufactured by the only major hearing aid manufacturer which is American owned, and is the leading producer of custom hearing instruments worldwide.  In this program, AERA members will save up to 60% off the purchase of hearing instruments, including the latest in digital technology.  To learn more about this program, call 1-866-925-1287 or email questions to ahb@earthlink.net.

• Free annual hearing screening for all members and their spouses
• Special discounts on hearing instruments
• Two-year warranties on hearing aids, which includes loss and damage insurance
• No-charge office service for cleaning and programming hearing aids
• Special discounts on hearing aid batteries

How The Plan Works: A member or spouse calls the American Hearing Benefits customer service department. After verification of membership, the customer service representative will refer the member to the approved hearing center in their area. Both the member or spouse and the hearing center will receive written confirmation of the referral. The participating provider will determine your hearing needs following a hearing screening and consultation. If hearing correction is indicated, the provider will assist the member or spouse in choosing the appropriate hearing aids at special discounted prices.

American Hearing Benefits
Call Toll Free 1-866-925-1287 OR
www.ahbbenefits.com

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