click on flyer to enlarge
April might be the cruelest month, but October 15 through December 7 have to be the cruelest days of the year. That’s when Uncle Sam asks millions of Medicare beneficiaries to review and change, if need be, their Medicare health plans and prescription drug coverage for the following year.
Here’s what you need to know to survive this year’s season.
Federal Benefits Open Season for Federal Employees Health Benefits and Federal Employees Dental & Vision Insurance Programs runs from November 9, 2015 through December 14, 2015.
If you are satisfied with your current health plan, you do not need to do anything
It’s quick and easy to request health benefit changes and plan information.
– Go to Open Season Online at https://retireefehb.opm.gov
– Call Open Season Express at 1-800-332-9798
– Write to us at:
FEHB Open Season Processing Center
P.O. Box 5000
Lawrence, KS 66046-0500
For General Open Season information, click the above link to use Live Help or send a secure webmail message.
For information on comparing health plans visit http://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/plan-information/compare-plans.
For more information regarding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s requirement visit www.irs.gov/uac/Questions-and-Answers-on-the-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision.
For information on the Federal Employees Dental & Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) visit the secure enrollment website www.benefeds.com or call 1-877-888-3337, TTY 1-877-889-5680.
For more information on Open Season or health care reform legislation, visit www.opm.gov/insure.
For information on Medicare, visit www.medicare.gov
Have a great Halloween! Be Safe!
Related:
About Halloween http://www.history.com/topics/halloween
Halloween Safety http://wp.me/p3639O-2dE
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
During October, the following postings received a high number of viewings.
1/487 FA 50th Reunion Retirees and former members of the Hiki No battalion are encouraged to attend the unit’s 50th anniversary.
Check Six: 199th Fighter Squadron update A photograph from the early 1960s brings back wonderful memories.
Check Six: Fort Ruger This post about Fort Ruger generated over 600 views in two days. Another great article by Peter Young from his Facebook page.
Check Six: Club Jetty Many of the 199th Fighter Squadron members in the photograph in the Check Six posting above frequented Club Jetty over the years.
From the AAA website
Q: I bought my 2011 car new. Since then, it’s been recalled for repairs several times. Should I be worried?
Probably not. Here’s why: First, understand that a recall occurs after an automaker or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determines that there’s an issue with a car that could pose a safety hazard.
From the AAA Hawaii magazine
Has you car been recalled?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 25 percent of recalled vehicles are never brought to the dealer to get fixed. If you purchased your care from a dealership, you’ll receive a recall notification in the mail. But you can take some steps to endure communication doesn’t slip through the cracks. The Auto Club of Southern California Research Center (ARC) suggests periodically checking for recalls yourself. At NHTSA;s website www.safecar.gov, you can do the following:
* Check for open recalls on your vehicle using your car’s 17-digit VIN (vehicle identification number), found on the registration card and on the vehicle dash.
* Each for recalls by make, model, and year.
* Sign up to receive email alerts from NHTSA about the latest recalls.
ARC, also advises that you keep your automakers informed of you ownership information if you buy a used care or change your address. Most manufacturers supply postcards for this purpose in the vehicle’s manual packet. To Learn more about recalls, visit www.AAA.com/foryourcar
The Spring/Summer 2015 Afterburner is available now online. For a direct link to the latest Afterburner, click here.
Air Force retirees and annuitants who have an online myPay account are now automatically receiving the Afterburner electronically. People with a myPay account have been removed from the hard-copy mailing list. The Air Force partnered with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in order to save more than $131,000 in printing and postage costs each issue.
Retirees and annuitants can keep their email address updated on myPay by logging into myPay at https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx. Once logged in, click on “Email Address” and review/edit the “personal email address” block. Click on “Primary” and “Accept/Submit” to complete the transaction.
An archive of current and past issues of the Afterburner is available at http://www.retirees.af.mil/afterburner/.
The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), winter is the typical season for influenza activity, but outbreaks can happen as early as October. Flu symptoms can include: a sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, and fatigue.
Fever is another symptom of the flu, but the CDC notes that not everyone with the flu will have a fever.
While anyone can get the flu, some people are at high risk of developing serious flu-related complications. People who are at high risk include young children, pregnant women, people age 65 years and older, and people with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease).
The CDC recommends the flu vaccine as the best way to prevent this illness. There are several vaccine options, including the flu shot and nasal spray. If you are sick with the flu, avoid spreading it by:
- Covering your mouth with your elbow when you cough or sneeze;
- Washing your hands often with soap and warm water; and
- Staying home.
For more information about the upcoming flu season and how to avoid spreading this illness, take a look at this CDC resource guide.
The October 2015 edition of NATIONAL GUARD is available online
Features:
Building a Cyber Force DoD and the Guard are surging the development of expert teams to protect networks from attacks growing in size and frequency. By William Matthews
Music to Their Ears Attendees at the 137th General Conference & Exhibition hear messages of inclusion from service leaders and a whole lot of the sounds that made the host city famous. By Ron Jensen
Shining Stars 33 Guardsmen since 9/11 have earned one of the nation’s highest awards for valor. By Bob Haskell
Validation in the Desert Innovation, initiative help unit succeed where others scuffle at the National Training Center.
The National Guard Association of the United States
One Massachusetts Avenue, NW | Washington, DC 20001 | www.ngaus.org
P: 202.789.0031 | F: 202.682.9358 | newsletter@ngaus.org
click on flyer to enlarge
From the KITV website
Members of Hawaii’s Air National Guard are participating in bombing targets of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Air Guard members are using one of the world’s most sophisticated war planes.
Many times an individual passes away without leaving their financial affairs in order. The spouse, children or family members may have not summary of life insurance coverage. Any life insurance policy payout, large or small, will assist the survivors with funeral and other expenses. Several Retiree News readers mentioned they faced this challenge when a family member passed.
Certified Financial Planner, Reid Matsushima of Northwestern Mutual provided the following information:
In Hawaii, there is no website done by the State Insurance department to locate lost life insurance policies for people to see if family members had coverage they did not know about. However, they did give me the contact info for two potential resources who are lost life insurance finders for a fee.
You can log on The Lost Life Insurance Finder Expert to search for the policy. Paul Archibald, a retired insurance professional, runs the service. He says he’ll fax 420 life insurance companies on your behalf to find the policy. His contact information: email: archibaldpaul@hotmail.com; website: www.L-lifeinsurance.com or call: 804-504-2359. He currently charges $108.50.
Another service, FindYourPolicy.com will have information about the policy if your relative registered his or her policy with the service. Registering your policy is free; the fee to search is $19.95.
Another website is www.policylocator.com. If your loved one applied for life insurance in the last 18 years, then MIB Solutions, Inc. has the names of companies to which he/she applied. MIB’s database contains records of insurance inquiries made to virtually every U.S. and Canadian insurer since January 1, 1996. You pay $75 for MIB’s policy locator service to conduct a search.
Only the following can use the service: an executive or administrator of the decedent’s estate or a surviving spouse, a child if there is no spouse or estate representative, or closest living relative if there is no estate representative, spouse or child.
Meanwhile, as you search for any lost policies, this is a small reminder to get your own affairs in order. Talk to your loved ones about your life insurance, and make sure your beneficiaries have the names of the insurers and policy numbers before you die.
Special Thanks to Reid for this information. If you need a Certified Financial Planner, contact him at:
Reid A. Matsushima, CFP ®, CLU ®, ChFC ®
Northwestern Mutual │ Certified Financial Planner
900 Fort Street Mall Suite 500 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
O: (808) 566-5316 │
E: reid.matsushima@nm.com
Website: http://www.reidmatsushima.com
What will it cost you to live in retirement? It’s important to keep in mind that the expenses you face today may not be the ones you’ll have in the future. Learn about six unexpected expenses in retirement that are frequently overlooked
Earlier month, a Retiree News post provided the link to Hawaii’s 50th Anniversary of Vietnam Commemorative Committee website.
To read the entire post, link to http://wp.me/p3639O-3BM
To learn more about the committee and it’s mission, link to http://dod.hawaii.gov/ovs/50th-anniversary-vietnam/
The committee is compiling a database of Hawaii based Vietnam-ear veterans. Veterans, or their family members can click here to register for the 50th Anniversary of Vietnam database.
