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EBF: Valuable vision benefits that work for you
The CSEA Employee Benefit
Fund (EBF) is proud to provide vision benefits for CSEA members employed by the state and numerous local governments across the state.
New York State employees, Unified Court System employees and several hundred local government units (counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts) have negotiated valuable EBF vision benefits into their contracts. Check with your employer, refer to
your contract or visit cseaebf.com and use our Benefit Search Tool to find out exactly what benefits you may be eligible for.
Our vision benefits provide eligible members and dependents with an eye exam and glasses (including lenses and frames). Standard lens selection for all
of our plans includes plastic, polycarbonate, or glass, bifocals, trifocals, cataract lenses, fashion tints and scratch guard coating. Some of our plans allow for a second pair of visual display terminal (VDT)
or occupational glasses for specific job duties. Other vision plans expand the frame collection and include more lens choices such as progressive or transition lenses.
Our contact lens allowance consists of soft, planned replacement or disposables. Benefits allow for an initial supply of the most popular and commonly prescribed brands of soft contact lenses.
Additional lenses and coatings not part of your plan can be purchased at a set co-payment resulting
in substantial out-of- pocket savings.
Participating vision providers accept
EBF payments as full
payment for covered services and all plan materials. Substantial out- of-pocket costs can be avoided by selecting a provider in your area. A full listing of our more than 10,000 nationwide vision providers can be viewed on cseaebf.com.
For questions about your vision benefits, you can call 800-323-2732 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. An operator
will transfer you to the correct department. You can also access our Live Chat feature on a computer or mobile device by visiting our website at cseaebf.com.
Whatever EBF vision plan you have, these tips will help you get the most value out of your plan:
P Use a provider — find one you are comfortable with.
P Try to keep your selections within the frame and lens collection.
P Politely inform the provider you would like to try to stay within the plan limitations.
P Recommendations for fancy
lenses and coatings are not mandatory — they are just recommendations.
P Bring a plan booklet with you or pull it up on your phone — refer to the fixed co-payments if you are planning on upgrading your lenses or lens coatings.
P Browse for frames before your date of service if it takes a while for you to decide. Remember, your glasses have to be ordered the same date as your exam. Materials not ordered on the same date as the exam will not be covered.
Procedure protects rights
AFSCME’s constitution includes a rebate procedure for members who disagree with how the union spends money for partisan political or ideological purposes.
Article IX, Section 14 of the International Constitution, which establishes the procedure for dues rebates for members who object to AFSCME’s partisan political or ideological expenditures, was amended at AFSCME’s 33rd International Convention.
The amended language requires those persons who object to the expenditure of dues for political or ideological purposes to submit their objection in writing to both the International Union and CSEA Local 1000 by certified mail between April 1st and April 16th, each year for the prior year ending Dec. 31.
The timing of the steps in the procedure is tied to the International’s fiscal year. The procedure, including the requirements for submitting a proper rebate request, is spelled out in Article IX, Section 14 of the International
Constitution. THESE REQUIREMENTS WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED.
Here’s how it works. Members who object to the expenditure of a portion
of their dues for partisan political
or ideological purposes and want to request a rebate must do so individually in writing. Written requests must be postmarked between April 1 and April
16, 2018. That request must be timely filed by registered or certified mail with: the International Secretary-Treasurer
and the CSEA Statewide Treasurer. The requests must contain the following information: name, CSEA ID number, home address, email address, if available, and the AFSCME local (CSEA Local 1000) to which dues were paid during the preceding year. This information must be typed or legibly printed. The individual request must be signed by the member and sent by the individual member
to: International Secretary-Treasurer at AFSCME Headquarters, 1625 L St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-5687; and CSEA
Statewide Treasurer, Empire State Plaza Station, P.O. Box 2611, Albany, N.Y. 12220-0611. Requests for more than one person may not be sent in the same envelope. Each request must be sent individually. Requests must be renewed in writing every year the member wishes a rebate.
Upon receipt by the International of
a valid rebate request, an application for partisan political or ideological rebate
will be sent to the objecting member. The objecting member will be required to complete and return the application within 30 days of its issuance. In accordance with the constitutional amendment adopted
at the 1998 International Convention,
the application will require the objecting member to identify those partisan or political or ideological activities to which objection is being made, and no rebate
will be made to any member who fails to complete that portion of the application. In determining the amount of the rebate to be paid to any member, the International
Union and each subordinate body shall have the option of limiting the rebate
to the member’s pro-rata share of the expenses for those activities specifically identified in the application.
Upon receipt by CSEA of the valid, certified request, the constitutional maximum of 3 percent rebate will be processed. No phone calls or email correspondence will be accepted.
Any member who is dissatisfied with the amount of the rebate paid by the International Union may object by filing a written appeal with the AFSCME Judicial Panel within 15 days after the rebate check has been received. Appeals should be
sent to the Judicial Panel Chairperson at the AFSCME International Headquarters
at the address listed above. The Judicial Panel will conduct a hearing and issue a written decision on such appeals, subject to an appeal to the full Judicial Panel.
If dissatisfied with the Judicial Panel’s ruling, a member can appeal to the next International Convention.
March 2018
The Work Force 17