Dear Fellow Retired Sergeant,
I would like to welcome spring and the return of our Snowbirds. We made it through another New York winter. On January 9th, 2023, myself along with the SBA were present at City Hall for the City Council hearing regarding the introduction of law (Int# 0874-2023) to amend Administrative Code 12-126 (Health insurance coverage for city employees, city retirees, and their dependents). Mayor Adams and the Office of Labor Relations (OLR) have asked the City Council to hold a hearing to approve the introduction of a bill that would amend the city’s Admin Code 12-126, which would give the city the authority to change both the retiree’s and active’s medical insurance plan. This amendment, if approved, would negatively affect us all. I, along with SBA Health and Welfare Secretary, Don Kipp, registered to give testimony at the hearing, but unfortunately were never called. City Council leaders announced on January 12th that they have no plan to pass a bill pushed by the Mayor and that the legislation is unlikely to ever get a vote.
On January 11th, 2023, there was a preliminary injunction by Hon. Lyle E. Frank, where he states that under Admin Code 12-126, the City of New York is to pay the full amount of health care costs. Thereby, the imposition of copayments on those who are covered under GHI Senior Care is likely to be found as violating the contract between New York City and Emblem Health. This injunction remains in place as we await further ruling from the Court, including the possibility of any reimbursement for co-payments already paid.
On January 25th, 2023, we held our Annual Florida Meeting. This was the largest attended meeting the RSA has ever seen. Our membership numbers continue to increase, and as we grow, so does the workload and expenses. I would like to thank the Board of Directors, Trustees and all our volunteers who make this all possible. This Board has worked tirelessly, and please remember we are all volunteers, and donate our time and sometimes our own money to make this organization a success. We are all proud to serve and assist the membership. I would like to remind the membership that just because something is put on social media, does not make it factual. There is a lot of misinformation on social media and online. So, please navigate with an open mind. With this in mind, sometimes there is a delay in the RSA putting out information. This is because we work diligently to verify the information we post.
We have received a large request for additional RSA annual membership/courtesy cards. We have never sold cards in the past, but this year, with our newly designed card, there has been a great demand for additional cards. We have decided to make available (4) RSA cards for a $5.00 donation, which will
cover the cost of the cards and postage.
I have made this announcement at the last two meetings; we have a retired Sergeant who is 32 years old and one who is 102 years old, if you do the math: 70 years separate the two. We also have several active Sergeants who have joined our organization. This is why we will be moving into the tech age. Soon the Chevron Newsletter will be available electronically. We will be amending the membership application so you can start to receive it electronically. You will need to write the email in which you want to receive it. Eventually, the newsletter will be sent electronically to all members, and a limited number of “HARD” copies will be available for those who request it.
I am very pleased to inform the membership that the scholarship raffle was a huge success. This year we will be issuing (3) College Scholarships in the amount of $4600.00 each, which will be drawn during our June 2023 meeting. The scholarships are available to the children and grandchildren of our members. Due to high demand, I am happy to report that our next general membership meeting will be held at the Oriental Plaza on Staten Island (April 26th, 2023 @ 6:30PM).
Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the membership, the board, trustees, volunteers, guest speakers, our advertisers, our graphics designer, and everyone else who makes this organization a great success. I thank you all for the pleasure to serve you and serve with you.
Fraternally,
Robert Cotumaccio
President
