See stories by Keith M. Phaneuf / CTMirror.org, Connecticut COVID data: Your town's infection rate, hospitalizations & vaccinations, Israeli army arrests Palestinian suspects in deadly shooting of West Hartford man, Democrats hold three CT House seats in special elections, Dominicans in Connecticut celebrate 179 years of independence, Why it could be harder to get certain prescriptions as pandemic health emergency ends, As new research suggests COVID-19 is now endemic, physicians push back, Long COVID rates fall by half nationwide, New England rates among lowest, Long COVID researchers in CT to get part of $10 million in federal funding. The agreements, which unions ratified earlier this spring, are retroactive to the start of this fiscal year, which began last July 1. 2016 CT.gov | Connecticut's Official State Website, regular Connecticut has a record-setting $3.1 billion in its rainy day fund and is on pace to wrap this fiscal year with an equally unprecedented $2.7 billion surplus. In addition, full-time workers would receive a $2,500 bonus in mid-May and another $1,000 bonus in mid-July. For example, an enrollees adjusted gross income for 2019 was used to determine if the employee had to pay an IRMAA in 2021. The details regarding insurance costs are provided below. [learn more] Contact the Customer Service Center Retirement Services Division Office of the State Comptroller 165 Capitol Ave Hartford, CT 06106 (860) 702-3480 osc.rsd@ct.gov More state retiree information The Democrat-controlled House voted 96-52 to approve the contracts, after a four-hour debate during which Republicans insisted the compensation far outstrips what private-sector workers are receiving, or what taxpayers can afford. The last one specifically reduced benefits for those who retire after July 1, 2022, which had sparked this years rush of senior workers leaving the state employment. Prescription drug costs are rapidly increasing. Increase top step bonus by $250 - 32,000 32,000 32,000 . 70% of in-network PCPs and 60% of in-network specialists for the ten medical specialties noted above are considered Preferred. Check Schedule View the mailing dates for retiree payroll checks for the current year. The changes to Normal Retirement Age will have an impact only on certain members of Tiers II and IIA. This transaction is known as grandfathering. With few exceptions, no employees have been eligible to grandfather after 2013.4. These retirees currently contribute to the cost of their insurance (as well as coverage for enrolled dependents) at the following rates: from 0% to 1.5% for hazardous duty retirees and retirees with 25 or more years of service; from 1.5% to 3% for all others. According to state employee union documents, Lamont is proposing to award all unionized state employees three annual base salary increases of 2.5 percent and, for about two-thirds of. For 2021, IRMAAs ranged from $71.70 per month, for those whose income was equal to the threshold amount, to $433.50 per month, for the highest earners. For example, a member who retires on April 1 is not eligible to receive an initial COLA until January 1 of the following year. Mandatory 90-day Supply for Maintenance Drugs. It could be because it is not supported, or that JavaScript is intentionally disabled. Governor Lamont justified these bonuses as a means to retain workers, House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, R-North Branford, said. The bonuses, the GOP argued, are hardly the key to retaining workers, as Lamont has claimed. The retiree is then transitioned into the states custom group Medicare Advantage Plan, which is known as the MAPD. Employees who are Medicare-eligible at the time of their retirement are enrolled in the MAPD as of their retirement health enrollment date. Its a matter of whether we can afford it.. But workers collecting $2,500 bonus can still retire this summer. The federal government adjusts that threshold amount each year. Ned Lamont pitched an income tax cut in CT. Heres an overview of his proposal, Lamont, legislators heading for a battle over CT spending cap, saves the state about $150 million over the next decade. The legislature still must consider the agreements, and is expected to act before the regular 2022 session closes on May 4. Last month, President Biden signed an executive order finalizing the average 2.7% pay raise for federal employees, set to begin with the first full pay period of this year. Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut. In 2015, Connecticut paid $1.7 billion to 49,111 retirees, according to the Comptroller's Open Pension website. Employees of agencies with access to the Core-CT Benefit Calculator can also use that Calculator. Arms crossed, Rep. Michael D'Agostino, D-Hamden, listens to a question by Rep. Mike France, R-Ledyard, about the SEBAC deal. Will these changes have a negative effect on my retirement? But Republicans said the governors tentative agreements with more than 30 state employee bargaining units are little more than an election-year stunt to buy votes. Doctors 40 Hour MD Pay Plan with 3 Additional Steps Effective July 1, 2022. After an enrolled member of the state retiree health plan provides proof of his or her enrollment in Medicare, and after the amount of the retirees Medicare premiums has been verified, the state will reimburse the retiree for the entire amount he or she pays in premiums to Medicareboth the standard premium for Part B and any IRMAA for Parts B and D. In thinking about the 2022 Changes, it is important to keep two dates in mind. It could be because it is not supported, or that JavaScript is intentionally disabled. Ned Lamont says are essential to help stem a surge in state employee retirements, are expected to be ratified Friday by the Senate, where Democrats also hold a majority. These are not job openings. Thats when more stringent limits on state retirement benefits, negotiated as part of a 2017 concessions deal with unions, take effect. The SEBAC 2017 Agreement includes important changes to active employee health care benefits and payroll deductions related to both pension and health care benefits. As a result of the 2022 Changes, any SERS member who retires after the Effective Date will receive his or her first COLA thirty months after the members date of retirement. The $3 billion in budget reserves and $4 billion in projected surplus pales in comparison with the $95.4 billion in long-term unfunded obligations Connecticut has, ODea said, referring to the combined pension, retirement health care and bonded debt the Lamont administration listed last November in its annual Fiscal Accountability Report. Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut. The State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition announced last Friday that all units had ratified the deal. 2016 CT.gov | Connecticut's Official State Website, regular The list ranges from low-level assistants in agencies such as the Office of Early Childhood and Secretary of the State, to a deputy environmental commissioner and a high-level agricultural scientist making six figures. Madison Republican Bob Stefanowski, who lost the 2018 gubernatorial race to Lamont and is seeking a rematch this year, has called the agreements politics, pure and simple, when they were first reported last month. Knowing where to go when you need care can save you time and money. Diabetes medications and supplies. This deal was billed as a retention effort, said Rep. Laura Devlin, R- Fairfield, who is campaigning for lieutenant governor as the running mate of GOP gubernatorial contender Bob Stefanowski of Madison. The pay increases will appear in the March 31 paychecks of state workers. A new contract granting state police raises and a paid lunch break tops a list of six new labor deals that would cost $58 million collectively by 2022 and also could throw a last-minute. Each bargaining unit received a three-year deal, retroactive to last July 1, that includes a 2.5% general wage increase, a step hike for all employees except the most experienced, and a two-stage bonus. For us now to be told these workers can receive the bonuses even when they retire demonstrates that the governor either made a bad deal for the taxpayers or misled the public to avoid the critical fallout of this lucrative political deal.. The ultimate effect of the changes to cost-of-living adjustments cannot be predicted, because it will depend on future rates of inflation. Theres a pro-rated bonus for part-time employees. Sign it in a few clicks Draw your signature, type it, upload its image, or use your mobile device as a signature pad. Note 1: Actual healthcare premium percentages are prorated by months. Effective July 1, 2022, State regular and contractual employees will receive a 3% COLA. Beginning Jan. 1, 2021, everyone in Connecticut will see more money coming out of their paychecks due to a new state law called the Paid Family Leave Act. "The cost-of-living adjustment for state employees that is included is an incredible step in the right direction. But Lamont says the public is getting to keep state services that are under extreme pressure. The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 22-13 along party lines to approve the contracts, which cover about 46,000 workers the bulk of the state's workforce. Beginning after the July 1, 2022 cut off, the State has relinquished their obligation to adjust pension payments at least 2% (current minimum) for inflation. House passes raises, bonuses for CT state employees By Keith M. Phaneuf / CTMirror.org Published April 21, 2022 at 5:22 PM EDT The House of Representatives approved a four-year package of raises Thursday that includes $3,500 in bonuses later this spring and summer for about 46,000 unionized state employees. State government not only enjoys a $3.1 billion rainy day fund, equal to 15% of annual operating costs the maximum allowed by law but the current fiscal year is on pace to close an unprecedented $4 billion in the black. He has been the state finances reporter at CT Mirror since it launched in 2010. In addition to the new formulary, the generic drug tier will split into two tiers: Preferred and Non-Preferred. 03. The payments are made through deductions from the employees retirement benefits (or billed directly to the retiree should they not receive a monthly pension benefit). Two-step increases (an increase of around 4.8% total) - 1 step increase as soon as we ratify the contract, the other in July 2022 or January 2023 - whenever you "should" or have gotten your step in the past. The agreement announced Friday also includes special lump sum payments of $2,500 for active employees. 2022 12:01 am . . The 2022 Changes will also make two changes to the way COLAs are awarded to SERS retirees. Gov. The hourly base pay of a Step 1 GS-11 employee is $26.72 per hour1 . I think the governors being somewhat less than candid and frank with the public, Kelly said, adding that workers in the private sector arent enjoying compensation hikes close to those state employees would receive. Keith has spent most of his 31 years as a reporter specializing in state government finances, analyzing such topics as income tax equity, waste in government and the complex funding systems behind Connecticuts transportation and social services networks. 3 Please note that in order to qualify for an annual SERS COLA, a member must complete at least 10 years of actual state service or transition directly into retirement. Benefit Service Date Calculation and Reports. If a member retires on or after August 1, 2022, and if the rate of inflation, as measured by the CPI-W, is higher than 5.5% per year for the first 18 months of the members retirement, then the member will receive two COLAs on the date that is thirty months after retirement. Negotiators . Get CT Mirror briefings with enterprise reporting, investigations and more in your inbox daily. Were hemorrhaging workers right now, DAgostino said. members who purchased the right to retire under the current Normal Retirement Age rules. That, in turn, determines (i) whether the members pension will reflect an Early Retirement reduction, and (ii) whether the member will pay an Early Retirement rate (i.e., the rates listed on Appendix A to this memorandum) for retiree health coverage. The vote was almost entirely along party lines, with all Democrats casting ballots for the deal and only one Republican, Thomas Delnicki of South Windsor, supporting it. The coalition, which represents most state employee unions excluding the state police, added that, It is a critical step in resolving the current staffing crisis that is the consequence of decades of disinvestment and austerity., Lamont spokeswoman Lora Rae Anderson said, Were happy the House has passed the SEBAC agreement, and we are hopeful the Senate will do the same.. Connecticut families arent getting anything out of this, Kelly added. Otherwise, you'll pay 20% of the cost for Non-Preferred in-network services, or 40% of the cost for out-of-network services (POS Plan only). Authorizes 3.5% Cost of Living Increase effective July 1, 2019 to employees assigned to the MP, MD, SE, DM, CJ-EX & VR, Labor units 02 & 03 pay plans. DX 35 Hour Dentist Pay Plan Effective July 1, 2022. State Employees - SEIU 1199 NE State Employees On this page, you will find ongoing updates about the activities of 1199 members who work for the State of Connecticut. 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