PPOA Retiree Representative
LASD retired
jschallert@ppoa.com
A few new developments this month: the sworn have ratified a new salary contract after a very long negotiation process. Now, the other bargaining units are up to bat, and hopefully they get what they deserve. Also, the Sheriff endorsement process is ongoing and both candidates have now completed interviews with the PPOA Endorsement Committee. I just hope whoever is elected focuses on the needs of members and public safety, and not on other politics.
Last year, PPOA held our first annual membership Awards Ceremony with member-nominated awards for many categories. It was a great success. This year, we added a new category for retired members: Community Impact. More information on this can be found on page 17, and nomination forms are available at PPOA.com. Please help us identify worthy members! The deadline to submit nomination forms is September 30. You can nominate fellow retired PPOA members and they will be invited to the ceremony to be recognized. It’s a pretty cool deal.
It appears people still are having issues with coverage with some preventative care procedures under Blue Cross. I will remind you that it is particular to the state you live in. California covers many of those procedures, but we are seeing other states may not cover some of what we think should be covered. This is not a LACERA or Blue Cross issue, it is your state issue as its law allows for this coverage not to be mandatory.
Remember, you are entitled to medical insurance in retirement based on your employment with the County, but the coverage they (Anthem, Kaiser, etc.) provide is different in each state. Many (mostly more red) states do not require health insurance to cover certain procedures, therefore, Anthem and others indeed may not cover them. So, you may have escaped the politics and taxation of California … but there are tradeoffs as well. At the end of the day, our coverage is still the best out there, so be thrilled you have it.
Until next month!