Page 18 - Work Force September 2023

2023 CSEA Statewide Scholarship Recipients
CSEA is proud to announce the recipients of the 2023 Irving Flaumenbaum, Pearl Insurance and MetLife Insurance Company Scholarships.
Our union presents the scholarships annually to graduating high school seniors who are eligible dependents of CSEA members. Congratulations to all of the recipients.
Irving Flaumenbaum Memorial Scholarships (three in each region):
Long Island Region:
Sabrina Cornelia, whose parent, Thomas Cornelia, is a Tech 2 at Nassau BOCES.
William Darrell, whose parent, Cynthia Darrell, is a principal law clerk at the New York State Unified Court System.
Daniel Rubin, whose parent, Christina Rubin, is an office assistant at the South Country Central School District.
Metropolitan Region:
Lea Mecheril, whose parent,
Manuel Mathew, is a utility consumer specialist at the New York State Department of Public Service.
Jonelle Gordon, whose parent, Kerricka Golding, is a senior court analyst at the New York State Unified Court System.
Akim Nedeliai, whose parent,
Igor Koroshevsky, is a cleaner at Staten Island Developmental Center.
Southern Region:
Julianna DeGiorgio, whose parent, Anny DeGiorgio, is an assistant teacher at Putnam Valley Central School District.
John Lupkovich Jr., whose parent, John A. Lupkovich, is a security guard at the Warwick Valley Central School District.
Marco Martini, whose parent, Jude Martini, is a principal law clerk at the New York State Unified Court System.
Capital Region:
Wilden Bruce, whose parent, Victoria Bruce, is an emergency dispatcher at Essex County.
Sara Conti, whose parent, Marie Conti, is a teacher aide at Galway Central School District.
Nathan Donton, whose parent, Christy Palmer, is a child support specialist at Clinton County Department of Social Services.
Central Region:
Andrew Hillman, whose parent, Amy Denkenberger, is a teaching assistant at DeRuyter Central School District. Abigail Draper, whose parent,
John Draper, is a fish culturist 1 at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (Rome Fish Hatchery).
Ethan Snyder, whose parent, Scott Snyder, is a probation supervisor
at the Onondaga County Probation Department.
Western Region:
Brady McIntosh, whose parent, Katie McIntosh, is a principal clerk typist
at the Cleveland Hill Central School District.
Elizabeth Norris, whose parent, Tongyan Li, is a senior GIS analyst at Monroe County.
Sarah Potts, whose parent, Carrie Anne Potts, is an account clerical II at Niagara County Department of Social Services.
Pearl Insurance:
Chloe Boussa, whose parent, Kristen O’Connor Boussa, is a teaching assistant at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District.
MetLife Insurance Company: Elisabeth Vogl, whose parent, Karin Vogl, is a patient accounting manager at Monroe County.
Important information about CSEA Employee Benefit Fund’s COBRA continuation coverage
What is COBRA continuation coverage?
Federal law requires most health plans, including the CSEA Employee Benefit Fund’s (EBF) dental & vision plans, to provide employees and their families with the opportunity to continue health care coverage when there is a qualifying event that would result in a loss of coverage under
an employer’s plan. Such qualifying events include termination, retirement and other changes in status that
affect coverage. Depending on the type of event, qualified beneficiaries can include the employee covered under the group plan, the covered employee’s spouse, and the dependent children of the covered employee.
Continuation coverage is the
same coverage the employee had as an active employee. Each qualified beneficiary who elects continuation coverage will have the same rights under the plan as active members and beneficiaries.
How long do I have to elect COBRA coverage?
Under federal law, you have
a maximum of 60 days from the date of the notification sent by the administrator to enroll in COBRA continuation coverage. COBRA coverage must be retroactive to the benefits termination date.
How long will coverage last?
COBRA continuation coverage is available for a maximum of 36 months.
How can you elect COBRA continuation coverage?
To elect continuation coverage,
you must complete the COBRA election form and return it to the EBF, according to the directions on the form. Each qualified beneficiary has
a separate right to elect continuation coverage. For example, the employee’s spouse may elect continuation coverage even if the employee
does not. Continuation coverage
may be elected for one, several or
for all dependent children who are qualified beneficiaries. The employee or the employee’s spouse can elect continuation coverage on behalf of all the qualified beneficiaries.
How much does COBRA continuation cost?
Generally, each qualified beneficiary will be required to pay
the entire cost of continuation coverage. The amount a qualified beneficiary is required to pay may
not exceed 102 percent (or, in the case of an extension of continuation coverage due to a disability, 150 percent) of the cost to the group
Plan (including both employer and employee contributions) for coverage of a similarly situated plan participant or beneficiary who is not receiving COBRA. The required payment for each continuation coverage period for each option is described in your COBRA election notice.
When and how must payment for COBRA continuation coverage be made to the EBF?
Payments must be made through authorized electronic transfer between your bank and the EBF (Recurring Payment Program). Scheduled deductions occur on the first business day of the month from a checking/ savings account or automatic billing
to your Visa, Mastercard or Discover Card on the first day of the month. No pension deduction is available.
18 The Work Force
September 2023