Blog

01 Nov 2016
0

Texas Educators Come Together to Get Out the Vote

by in Elections, Update

Early voting continues in Texas this week through Friday, November 4. We know many members of the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) have made it to the polls already, and many more will cast their votes soon.

Election day is next Tuesday, November 8, but we recommend that all members avoid those longer lines and vote early!

TRTA is proud to partner with Texas Educators Vote, and we encourage all retired and active educators to take the oath to vote! We also encourage our retired members to volunteer at polling locations, or even at their local schools.

Together, we can help create a civic-minded environment on every school campus with a focus on getting all educators to vote!

Many TRTA members are volunteering on school campuses this week and next so that our friends in the active educator community can take time out of their busy schedules to get to the polls. Our retirees also serve as great advocates for first-time student voters, explaining the voting process to them and letting them know that every vote matters.

Austin’s NPR station, KUT, published a great article today about how educators, both retired and active, across the state are coming together to get out the vote! Texas Educators Vote is a coalition of education groups working together to build strength in numbers.

“The idea,” according to Texas Educators Vote Executive Director Laura Yeager, “is to educate teachers and hope that education trickles down to students and other school employees.”

Read the article in its entirety by clicking here.

If you are a retiree who wants to help out on a school campus this week, please contact TRTA Administrative Coordinator Brock Gregg or visit the Texas Educators Vote website to learn more. You can also follow Texas Educators Vote on Twitter or Facebook.

Locating Early Voting Sites

You will be able to find early voting locations by using the search site Am I Registered?, which will be populated with voting sites a few days before early voting begins. Or, you may want to contact the Early Voting Clerk for State and County Elections in your county. Also, many newspapers publish early voting and Election Day polling locations, so you may be able to find the information there.

Local unit leaders, activate your phone trees and remind your members about early voting schedules. Check with members who you think may need a ride to the polling location and offer to start a carpool on an early voting day!

Who to Vote For

Elections determine policy outcomes. They are the biggest factor in determining what happens during the Texas Legislative Session. We must elect officials who see the value in not only the TRS defined benefit plan, but our other valuable retirement benefits as well!

The Senators and Representatives who are elected during this cycle will have the enormous responsibility of deciding the future of TRS-Care. If nothing is done during the next Legislative Session to protect TRS-Care, participants in the program could see massive premium increases or changes in benefits, or both!

Many statewide races may have been decided during the March primaries, but there are still several competitive races on the ballot. Click on the links below to review Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives races.

Click here to find Texas State Senate races.

Click here to find Texas State House of Representatives races.

Take some time now to visit your legislators in their district offices and contact any candidates to share this TRTA Fact Sheet with them. Ask them for their support of initiatives that provide our education retirees and pre-retirees with financial security and affordable, quality health care!

Still not sure who to vote for? Below are some resources TRTA recommends to help you conduct research on candidates. We also encourage you to visit a TRTA local unitand ask your fellow retirees who they are voting for and why!

Teach the Vote
Texas Educators Vote
Texas Teachers Vote
Texas Parent PAC
Texas League of Women Voters
Texas Tribune

Thank You

Thank you for being a member of TRTA! If you are not a member and are interested in joining, please contact our Membership Department at 1.800.880.1650.

Protecting your retirement benefits is one of TRTA’s top priorities, and your participation makes all the difference! Be sure to stay tuned to our other digital mediums to stay informed on all the latest news and updates. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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28 Oct 2016
0

TRS Answers Questions About TRS-Care Changes, Humana Plans Medicare Advantage Seminars

by in TRS-Care, Update

As the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) reported over the summer, the TRS-Care retiree health insurance program is facing changes including increased deductibles and higher co-pay costs. The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) Board of Trustees met in May and June to arrange and approve these changes in order to prevent a multi-million dollar shortfall before the Texas Legislature convenes in January 2017.

We have received numerous emails and phone calls from concerned TRTA members, and TRS has worked diligently to reply to your questions as comprehensively as possible using these new Frequently Asked Questions pages on their website.

Although most changes approved by TRS will go into effect on September 1 of this year, the change to Humana for the Medicare Advantage plan will occur in January 1, 2017. Humana has reached out to TRTA and will be hosting information booths at most TRTA District Fall Conventions. If you are attending a convention this fall, be sure to stop by the table to collect more information.

Humana to Host Statewide Seminars, RSVP Required

Humana will be hosting multiple statewide seminars both in person and online. Click here to view the list of in-person and online events.

Please note that seating is limited at in-person events, and a reservation is required to attend. Please call Humana at 1-800-850-1992 (TTY: 711) to reserve your spot. Humana’s hours of operation are Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., Central Time. These events begin on September 26 and continue through November 9.

To register for an online presentation, go to www.Humana.com/trs and you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to sign in and view the live online presentation and Q&A session.

TRTA Fall Local Unit Meetings Update

Earlier this week, TRTA released a list of upcoming local unit meetings occurring all across the state. Please note that several additions have been made to this list. If you do not see a local unit meeting on this list that should be there, please report it here.

Below we have also included all scheduled meetings through November where TRTA Executive Director Tim Lee will be speaking. This is a great opportunity to receive an in-depth look at the TRS-Care crisis, inside information about our fight to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), and TRTA’s plans for the 85th Texas Legislative Session.

September:

October:

November:

Thank You

Thank you for your support of TRTA. We are committed to getting you all the information you need to know about changes to TRS-Care, and we are prepared to fight for your benefits in the Texas Capitol!

Be sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

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27 Oct 2016
0

Congressman Brady Asks for Our Help with HR 711

by in Update, WEP

Congressman Kevin Brady, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and co-author of H.R. 711, the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act, released an article today after receiving feedback from thousands of Americans about how the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) impacts them.

As many members of the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) know, we have been working closely with Congressman Brady, Congressman Richard Neal, and numerous advocacy groups to pass the bill, which would eliminate the current arbitrary WEP formula and replace it with a new, fairer calculation.

Congressman Brady includes quotes from various public employee retirees in the article, and is calling on public servants from across the nation to continue sending in their stories and fighting for HR 711.

If you are public servant who is or will be impacted by the unfair WEP, please share your story today!

Your stories are vital, as Brady continues to work on HR 711, which was postponed indefinitely until agreement from all affected public servant groups could be found.

Help Congressman Brady enhance and promote HR 711! CLICK HERE to share how the WEP has impacted you, or send an email to WEP.feedback@mail.house.gov.

If you have friends, family members, or colleagues who reside in other states and are impacted by the WEP, please reach out to them and ask them to share their stories as well! We must have a national movement to create traction for WEP reform.

For more information about why the WEP is so unfair, you can read Congressman Brady’s blog entry online by clicking here. You can also CLICK HERE to learn how Social Security benefits are calculated and how the WEP is applied.

Members, we want you to know that progress on the WEP is not lost; in fact, the CLOCK IS TICKING. We have no time to waste to get H.R. 711 back on track for a committee vote! Sharing your story will go a long way towards helping HR 711 succeed!

Thank You

We would like to thank our members, our national coalition partners and all those who have made phone calls and sent letters on this issue. We will be asking for your help again in the very near future, and we ask for your patience and continued support.

TRTA especially thanks Chairman Brady for his tireless work on the bill, as well as Congressman Neal for his steadfast support and passionate plea for all groups to come together in agreement.

TRTA will continue to provide national leadership and help others come to the table on this critical issue. Please be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for all the latest legislative news.

If you are not already a member of TRTA, please join today. Only by working together will we be able to resolve the WEP. If you are already a member, please encourage your fellow retirees to join and renew.

TRTA is ready to get to work on finding agreement with advocacy groups across the country, and will do so tirelessly until our members and public service retirees across the nation receive financial relief!

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