April 2018 eNews

2018 Benefit Verification Form (BVF) Update

The 2018 Benefit Verification Forms mailed on April 11th. The deadline to return your completed form is May 25, 2018.

Please visit our 2018 Benefit Verification website page to view all the details, including FAQs.

Note, the Board is trying to process over 60,000 BVFs and cannot confirm receipt of an individual BVF until June. In the meantime, members whose BVFs have been received and validated may receive a postcard that acknowledges receipt. Also, those who don’t return the first BVF for whatever reason will receive a second BVF. The second BVF is expected to be mailed sometime in June.

Be sure to check the Board's website, Facebook and Twitter pages for the latest updates!

Retirement Board Member Election: The Results are In!

The State Board of Retirement ("Board") completed its regularly scheduled Board Member Election on Friday, March 16th. The Board is pleased to announce that Theresa F. McGoldrick, Esq. was re-elected to another three-year term as one of two elected members of the Retirement Board. 15,110 MSERS members voted. The final results are as follows:

Thank you to all who took part in this election.

GIC Annual Enrollment to End on May 2nd

GIC's 2018-2019 Annual Enrollment began on April 4th and will end on May 2, 2018.

If you have further questions about your health insurance coverage, please contact the GIC at:

Phone: (617) 727-2310

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 8747, Boston, MA 02114

Website: www.mass.gov/gic

Feedback: Online Request Contact Form

How Medicare May Affect Your GIC Health Insurance

Many retirees wonder what to do when it’s time to enroll in Medicare. Thankfully the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) has a wealth of information for just that! Follow the links below for resources for navigating the many ins and outs of Medicare Enrollment.

GIC/Medicare FAQ

http://www.mass.gov/anf/employee-insurance-and-retirement-benefits/status-changes/medicare-1.html

GIC/Retirement General FAQs

http://www.mass.gov/anf/employee-insurance-and-retirement-benefits/status-changes/retirement.html

Is there something you would like us to communicate in an upcoming Retiree eNews Bulletin? If so, let us know!

Please e-mail your request and/or comments to MSRBCommunications@tre.state.ma.us
We look forward to hearing from you!

Did You Know?

If you receive a superannuation retirement benefit for at least one full calendar year and work in the public sector within Massachusetts, you can now earn the difference between the current salary of the position you retired from and your pension, plus an additional $15,000. Please note, rules pertaining to the maximum 960 hours certain retirees can work in a calendar year still apply. For more information, visit our Working in Retirement web page to view all the details.

State Treasurer's Unclaimed Property Division

The Unclaimed Property division of the Massachusetts state Treasury connects citizens with their abandoned property such as bank accounts, uncashed checks, stocks or dividends, insurance policies, or the contents of safe deposit boxes. They have paid out over $225 million over the last two years.

State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg has announced that the Unclaimed Property Division is holding over $2.4 billion in unclaimed funds for the citizens and businesses of the Commonwealth. The Division holds these lost funds until they are claimed by either the original owner or their heirs. Claiming property is fast, easy and free.

Visit their website findmassmoney.com to search for any unclaimed property that you may be there waiting for you!

Have you, or are you, planning to move?
If so, be sure to notify the Board of your address change! Retirees who already have summer and winter addresses on file with the Board can call us to request the address update. Otherwise, you'll need to notify the Board in writing. You can download our Change of Address form here!

Past issues of our newsletter publications can be found on our website.

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