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Election Notice — 2018 AFSCME Delegates Election
Medicare to replace cards; remove Social Security numbers
The AFSCME Convention is scheduled for July 16 – July 20 in Boston, Mass. As a result of the nomination meetings held on Feb. 10, 2018, CSEA’s Long Island, Metropolitan, Southern, Capital and Central Regions have elected/unopposed candidates and will require no election.
There will be an election for AFSCME Delegates in Western Region 6 only. The ballot count is scheduled for May 7, beginning at 10 a.m. at CSEA Headquarters in Albany. Results of the elections will be printed in the June edition of The Work Force. The Board
of Directors’ approved election schedule is as follows:
April 9 April 16
May 7 May 7
10 days after SEC Certifies Results
May 25 July 16-20
Ballots Mailed
Replacement Ballots Available
Ballots Due (9:00 a.m.)
Tally Commences (10:00 a.m.)
Close of Protest Period
Results printed in The Work Force
AFSCME Convention (Boston, MA)
To help protect your identity, Medicare will remove Social Security numbers and begin mailing new cards to everyone who receives benefits through the federal program.
Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services
(CMS) has been
directed to remove
Social Security
numbers from all
Medicare cards by
April 2019. A new
Medicare Beneficiary
Identifier (MBI) will
replace the Social
Security number-based
Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) on new Medicare cards.
Beginning in April 2018, CMS will start mailing the replacement Medicare cards with the MBI to existing Medicare enrollees.
Each MBI is a unique, randomly- generated, 11-character number
made up only of numbers and uppercase letters. The characters are “non-intelligent,” which means they don’t have any hidden or special meaning.
The new MBI will help protect private health
care and financial information and will be
coordinated with the U.S. Social Security Administration
and health care providers. The state
Department of Civil Service, administrator
of the New York State Health Insurance Program
(NYSHIP), is looking at any impact the new MBI numbers will have
for NYSHIP enrollees and will communicate any new information in future periodicals.
Medicare enrollees may start using their new Medicare cards and MBIs as soon as they get them.
Break in membership affects eligibility for union office, voting privileges
Abreak in union membership status can have long-term future implications. Your membership status affects your eligibility to:
• Seek or hold union office;
• Sign nominating petitions for
potential candidates;
• Vote in union elections; and • Vote on collective bargaining
contracts.
Only members “in good standing”
can participate in these activities. To be in “good standing,” your dues cannot be delinquent.
If you go on unpaid leave or for any other reason have a break in your employment status, your dues will not continue to be paid through payroll deductions. You must make arrangements to pay your dues directly to CSEA to continue your membership status. If you are either laid off or placed on leave without pay status due to becoming disabled by accident, illness, maternity or paternity, you may be
eligible for dues-free membership status for a period not to exceed one year. If you are called up for active military duty you may also apply for dues-free status.
Note, however, you must continue to pay dues to run for office. Dues-free or gratuitous membership allows members to continue their insurance coverage while out of work. It does not protect your right to run for or hold office. This does not apply to members who are on leave due to being called up for military duty. Members on active duty, upon return, are considered to have had continuous membership status for all CSEA election purposes.
Please notify the CSEA Membership Department at 1-800-342-4146, ext. 1314, of any change in your status and what arrangements you are making to continue your membership in CSEA.
New Medicare card
16 The Work Force
April 2018
For more information, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048. You can also visit the CMS website for more information on the distribution of new cards: go.medicare.gov/newcard.