Chair Talk
April 2019
John Bantjes (89) died on Friday, March 22, 2019. John had been a longtime SERA member belonging to the Grand Rapids Chapter. John was an active member of the SERA Coordinating Council, serving as Chair in 1999 and on the Executive Board for many years. John also served in many other capacities in SERA. John was a valuable member of SERA and he will be missed. John served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict. John taught for over 35 years at both Grand Rapids Christian H.S. and Grand Rapids Junior College. John retired from DNR in 1992.
He was preceded in death by his wife Marjorie. He will be remembered by his 4 children, 11 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.
Benefits for Life Open Enrollment for Supplemental Term Life Insurance will be held May 27 through June 21, 2019.
- Eligible retirees are able to enroll in up to $20,000 of coverage during the 2019 enrollment period without answering medical questions (Guarantee Issue).
- Eligible retirees ages 76 and above must answer medical questions for any amount of coverage to be approved.
- All eligible retirees can elect coverage up to $50,000 by answering medical questions. Coverage is also available for spouse and child(ren). In order to cover your dependents, you must enroll yourself.
For more information on the MetLife benefit, review the materials at www.mi.gov/employeebenefits. Select Voluntary Benefits from the left menu, then Retirees. If you have any questions about Supplemental Term Life Insurance, please contact a service representative from MetLife at 1-800-218-4267, Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 11:00pm (EST)
Editor’s note: Bob Kopasz is Chair of the Michigan SERA Council. He may be reached at P.O. Box 692, Mt. Morris, MI 48458; phone 810/240-8380.