Page 8 - Work Force October 2024

Garden City Unit member's heroic efforts saves dog’s life
WANTAGH — CSEA Village of Garden City Unit member and longtime animal lover Ray Quinones is being recognized for saving the life of an abandoned dog.
Quinones was on his way to work when he saw Roxi, a Mastiff who was tied to a pole on the side of the Southern State Parkway.
Alarmed by what he saw, Quinones pulled over and approached the pole and Roxi, who was left with food, but no water.
Noticing the dog was skittish, Quinones stayed a few feet away from the dog while he looked for any sign of her owners.
“The pole she was tied to was only about 15 to 20 feet away from the parkway,” said Quinones. “What bothered me the most is that the dog had on a very short leash. She could only stand or sit; she couldn’t lay down.”
Not seeing anyone nearby, Quinones called the state police for help.
After arriving, the responding troopers told Quinones that had he not been standing next to Roxi, they would not have noticed she was there.
“That’s exactly why I didn’t want to leave her,” said Quinones. “I wanted to be sure they saw her.”
Quinones also stayed to ensure the police called the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter to retrieve Roxi. The shelter’s staff include dedicated CSEA members.
After Roxi was safely brought to the shelter, Quinones wrote a public Facebook post about the dog that led hundreds of animal lovers to leave comments to voice their concern about Roxi.
“It was really heartwarming to see how many people were worried about her,” said Quinones. “I went to visit her at the animal shelter the next day.”
Quinones continued to keep track of Roxi until she was finally adopted, going as far as to visit Roxi at her
new home.
“It’s a beautiful home on three
acres of land, on the water,” said Quinones. ‘She’s in heaven.”
Soon after the animal rescue, Quinones began receiving calls from press outlets for interviews about his heroic efforts.
Quinones has been recognized by both the Nassau County Legislature and the Village of Garden City Board of Trustees with citations for his heroism.
Quinones has garnered so much attention that Garden City residents have come running out of their homes when they see him on his sanitation route, to tell him that they saw him on the news, calling him a hero.
The same positive attitude that compelled Quinones to help Roxi
is the same attitude that Quinones brings to the Garden City community as a CSEA member. On a parkway on which thousands of people travel, Quinones was the only one to stop to
Ray Quinones on his visit with Roxi at the animal shelter.
help.
Even with the attention that his
effort have attracted, Quinones has never lost sight on what really matters - Roxi.
“I’m just happy that she is safe and has a good home,” said Quinones.
— Wendi Bowie
Reminder to check, use Flex Spending Account funds
The Flex Spending Account (FSA) is a negotiated state employee benefit that helps save money by allowing individuals to pay
certain out-of-pocket
expenses, using pre- tax dollars.
The Health
Care Spending
Account (HCSA),
the Dependent
Care Advantage
Account (DCAA)
and the Adoption Advantage Account
are benefit programs available under New York State’s FSA.
As we get closer to the end of the calendar year, it is a good time to evaluate the remaining funds in your
FSA and take steps to make sure all the remaining funds are spent before the plan year ends.
Because of the tax advantages of the FSA, the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) has strict guidelines
for its use. One of these guidelines is
commonly known as the “use it or lose it” rule.
State employee HCSA Carryover
Allowances
Unused contributions will carry over to the next plan year
for you to use during the plan year runout period (January 1 − March 31, 2025). Unsubmitted claims
from 2024 can be submitted during the runout. After the runout, any remaining funds, up to the IRS limit from the previous year (2024 into 2025 is $640), will then carryover into the 2025 plan year’s account balance. It is important to plan to avoid forfeiting any of your FSA funds.
State employee DCAA and Adoption Grace Period
The grace period allows an additional 2.5 months to incur dependent care or adoption-related expenses. You can use any funds remaining in your account after the plan year ends to pay for expenses incurred between Jan. 1, 2024, and March 15, 2025. Claims must be submitted by the March 31 deadline.
To check your 2024 balance, visit
https://uba.tasconline.com/login
or call the FSA Administrator, Total Administrative Services Corporation (TASC) at (800) 358-7202.
8 The Work Force
October 2024