Chair Talk
January 2024
Welcome to 2024! Hope you all had happy holidays. This Chair Talk will be brief as the legislature is not in session yet.
There seems to be nothing earth-shattering about our benefits. Two HMO’s will no longer offer health benefits to active employees, retirees and/or dependents. Those health plans are Physicians Health Plan (PHP)and the McLaren Health Plan. The 2024 Retiree Benefits Bulletin gives you the information about changing those carriers by November 30, 2023.
SERA will be working on two issues this year that will have an effect on all retirees: Eliminating the $300 (COLA) cap on our pensions and the issue of getting retirees contact information.
Vice-Chair Cheryl Streberger and I have been working on replacing Joy as our current website Manager. We are going to be updating the website and will try to make it easier to navigate the site. We may consolidate some of the past information. We will have a contract with the new manager. It is possible that the website will be down during a transition period between managers and constructing the new site. No articles will be added to the website unless they have been approved by the Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary.
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.