Category: Chair Talk

By Cheryl Streberger As many of you know, at the end of 2026 Mary Pollock is going to retire from the SERA Legislative Liaison position.  Mary has been a huge asset to the organization for the past ten plus years of her tenure.  Her valuable knowledge and attention to detail, along with her relationships with… Read more

By Cheryl Streberger I hope everyone has survived the warm humid temperatures and the Canadian wildfires we have been experiencing this summer. If you have any respiratory issues, please wear a mask or just stay indoors.  I have heard from several people that they are concerned that we are going to lose our Part D… Read more

By Cheryl Streberger As some of you may have heard, there was an article from University of Michigan Health (UM Health) regarding their negotiations with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM). When I read this article, it indicated that Medicare and Medicaid recipients will not be affected by this. I immediately reached out to… Read more

By Cheryl Streberger I hope everyone has had wonderful holidays and you all are fairing well in this cold snowy start to the New Year. Personally, I am over it and it can warm up anytime soon.  I want to share our new members that we have received through our relationship with The Hantz Group. … Read more

By Cheryl Streberger Effective January 1, 2026, there will be a change in Vision Plan for the retirees. The State Vision Plan has been amended to include the following changes:  I met with Bethany Beauchine, Becky Guyski and Keri Rust from Employee Benefits Division and there are no other changes to retiree healthcare this year. … Read more

By Cheryl Streberger As you all may have read the House Republicans voted on a budget bill which should have been done in July. I have great concerns because this budget is very bad, harmful to State Employees, Citizens of this state and potentially to Retirees. Saying that I contacted Anthony Estelle, Executive Director, Michigan… Read more

By Cheryl Streberger I hope all have been enjoying the summer days along with the heat and humidity. It seems that it is flying by we are already at the end of July heading into August. Our efforts to increase our membership appear to be on a slow train, it is disappointing that many retirees… Read more

By Cheryl Streberger We have a new website provider BlueHost for our www.mi-sera.org  page.  Joy Wolf, our webmaster, did a fabulous job moving things over from the old site to the new. We got rid of some really old stuff that is no longer relevant to us. The site is brighter, and I think easier… Read more

By Cheryl Streberger At the May Coordinating Council meeting we had as our guest Arva Overton, who many of you know is retiring at the end of May. We presented her with a plaque of appreciation for all that she has done for the SERA retirees. She has attended numerous chapters and coordinating council meetings… Read more