Page 16 - Work Force March 2019

Celebrating 40 years of success, service to you
Look who turns 40 this year! The CSEA Employee Benefit Fund (EBF) has been proudly serving CSEA members since 1979.
Originally established 40 years ago to provide dental benefits to New York State Employees, the EBF now provides dental, vision and other benefits to more than 125,000 state employees and their families.
In addition to the state workforce, EBF provides benefits for 134,000 CSEA-represented employees
of local governments and their dependents. The EBF serves 614 local government groups, including counties, towns, villages and school districts.
The EBF processes almost a half million dental claims each year. Since our establishment, we have paid out nearly $2 billion in dental claims. Turning 40 never looked so good!
Over the last 40 years, a great deal has changed at EBF. Advancements in the way we use technology have improved the way we process
claims and have made the EBF more
accessible to our members.
In 2017, we launched a state-of-
the-art service for those who are deaf and hearing impaired, making it easier for these participants
to access their EBF benefits. Our website and mobile site have brought information and tools right into the hands of our members. Our Live Chat feature connects you directly to the EBF
no matter where you are.
More recently, we have
created a
new tool
on our
website
to make
it easier for members to find dental and vision providers near their home or work locations. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter provide members an opportunity to connect directly with the EBF. It is easier than ever before to connect with our EBF team, learn
about our benefits, view important announcements, and participate in promotions.
This year, in celebration of our 40th anniversary and as a part of our commitment to making our benefits meaningful to our membership,
we are launching a series of informational video guides on our website. The first installment of the
video series is already available
at cseaebf. com.
This video helps guide members in searching for a dental or vision
participating provider. More videos will be added soon, so be sure to check our website often.
The benefits we offer have also grown to meet the needs of our members. Our flexible Solstice benefits were created for local government units once considered
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
inaccessible. These dental and vision plans add value to your CSEA membership, promote a healthy lifestyle and save our members money. Our trustees also approved an upgrade to many of our dental plans that included an allowance for implants. Our dental plans were among the first in the nation to offer such coverage.
In 2018, our services expanded to offering an additional enhancement for implants that increased allowances and added related services providing greater coverage for this specialized procedure.
The last 40 years at the EBF have seen changes involving technology, the way we process claims, interact with our members and improve the benefits we offer. Our motivation to innovate has always been you — the hardworking members of CSEA.
We are proud of what we have built here at the EBF.
We will do whatever we can to make the EBF even better.
Happy 40th EBF. Your Union. Your Benefits.
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.
Procedure protects rights
AFSCME’s constitution includes
a rebate procedure to protect the rights of 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 1 and April 16, 2019, 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, 2019. 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
16 The Work Force
March 2019
15