admin
Thu, 01/22/2026 - 20:15
Edited Text
Phone: (814) 227-2420
www.apscuf.org
November 2018
Executive Committee: President – Ray Feroz; Vice President – Joyce Overly; Secretary – Christopher McCarrick; Treasurer – Linda Lillard; Delegates –
Ray Feroz, Jennifer May, Annette Rosati, Barry Sweet, Lorie Taylor; Alternate Delegates – Ellen Foster, Cristin Ketley, Jacqueline Knaust, Karl
Sprenger, Jonathan Touster; Coaches President - Sean Esterhuizen; Coaches Vice President – Al Modrzejewski; Coaches’ Grievance Chair – Eric
Laughlin; Venango Campus Rep – Renee Bloom; CAP – Joseph Croskey; DRC – Mary Buchanan; Grievance – Mark Kilwein; Health & Welfare – Amy
Shannonhouse; Legislative – Jonathan Touster; Membership – Paul Klenowski; Negotiations – Ray Feroz; Nominations & Elections – YooJin Ha; Social
Justice – Amy Conner-Love; Public Affairs/Relations – Christopher McCarrick; Student Liaison – Naomi Bell O’Neil; Rules & Bylaws – Carey Childers;
Mobilization Co-Chairs – Jackie Knaust & Andy Lingwall; State Temporary Faculty Committee – Michael Hissam; State APSCUF Executive Council –
Joyce Overly; Meet & Discuss Team: Ray Feroz; Barry Sweet; Joyce Overly; Adam Roberts; Mark Kilwein; Jennifer May; Mary Buchanan
The President’s Message…
Dear Colleagues,
We are 2/3 through the semester and snow is beginning to arrive. I hope
all is well with you.
Special recognition and thanks to our veterans as we mark the 100 th anniversary of the war to end all
wars, on the 11th month, 11th day and 11th hour of 1918.
Nancy Koutris, APSCUF’s Director of Membership Services, was here last Thursday meeting with
faculty. This is her farewell tour, as she is retiring in December after 36.5 years with ASPCUF. Clarion
APSCUF gave her a little token of our thanks for her help to our Clarion faculty colleagues across the
years. Nancy’s successor, Bim Arthum, has already began working at APSCUF for a transition.
The Venango Task Force is due to present its recommendations Monday November 19 th. They have
worked diligently and we are looking forward to their recommendations.
SAVE THE DATE: Our end-of-semester Holiday Party will be held at the Clarion River Brewing
Company on December 13th from 4-6 pm. Heavy hors d’oevres will be available and a cash bar.
Please plan to join us as we put a cap on the fall 2018 semester!
As we near Thanksgiving, let us more deeply appreciate our colleagues and all of life’s blessings.
In solidarity,
Ray
November, 2018
www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion
1
FALL 2018 MEETINGS
(Please mark your calendars!)
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC)
(Rhea Conf. Room @ 3:30 pm)
Tuesday, November 27
Tuesday, December 11
DEPARTMENTAL REP COUNCIL
(Rhea Conf. Room @ 3:30 PM)
Tuesday, November 13
Tuesday, December 4
Fall 2018 MEET & DISCUSS @ 2:30 pm
Friday, November 30 (Pre-Meet)
Friday, December 7 (Meet & Discuss)
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES
February 7-9, 2019 (Wyndham, Gettysburg)
April 25-27, 2019 (Williamsport)
May 17, 2019 – Leadership Day (Slippery Rock)
The Clarion APSCUF office will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 22nd and 23rd in observance
of Thanksgiving weekend. The office will reopen on Monday, November 26 at 8:00 am. HAPPY
THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!
SAVE THE DATE: Join us at the Clarion APSCUF’s Holiday and End-of-theSemester Celebration at the Clarion River Brewing Company, Thursday,
December 13, from 4-6 pm. Please feel free to bring your spouse or a significant
other! Please do make plans to join us and help celebrate the holiday spirit!
2019 STATE APSCUF SCHOLARSHIP: For Family Members of APSCUF/APSCURF Members Only
State APSCUF is now accepting applications for their annual scholarship program. The
scholarship award of $3,000 will only be presented to one (1) eligible applicant in his/her
higher education career in August 2019. An eligible applicant must be a “family member” of an
APSCUF/APSCURF member in good standing or an APSCUF staff member and must be
enrolled at one of the fourteen (14) state-owned universities. Deadline for
application is March 1, 2019. For more information on eligibility and to download
the complete application, go to https://www.apscuf.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/10/APSCUFStateScholarshipProgram2019final.pdf
TENURED ANNOUNCED: CONGRATULATIONS to Eric Lewis of the Chemistry, Mathematics, and
Physics in receiving Tenured effective in January 2019!!
WELCOME New APSCUF Members!!
Timothy Bock – Social Sciences
Thomas Conway – Education
November, 2018
www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion
2
Have you recommitted to OUR union yet?
Have you signed your updated membership form? In late August,
you should have received a recommitment letter and application from
OUR faculty and coaches union, the Association of Pennsylvania
State College and University Faculties. If you are already a member,
your status hasn’t changed, but our goal is for all members —
existing and new — to complete and mail back the postage-paid
cards as a show of solidarity, to meet legal requirements after
Janus, and to update our records. If you’ve already returned your
card, THANK YOU!!
A double THANK-YOU if you have initiated or
increased your contribution to APSCUF’s Committee for Action through Politics
(APSCUF/CAP), the political voice for APSCUF faculty and coaches.
If you accidentally disposed of the mailing, please contact our local office manager, Jan Walters, to obtain a
new card as soon as you’re able. Thank you!
Adjunct Update newsletter launches
Our union is one of only a few across the country that represents ALL
faculty — whether they are tenured, tenure track, or adjunct. APSCUF is proud to announce the debut of the
Adjunct Update, a new APSCUF newsletter composed with and for adjunct faculty members. The first edition
published via email Nov. 6.
If you are an adjunct member of APSCUF and did not receive the newsletter, which APSCUF aims to publish in
October, February, and April, please let Jan in the APSCUF office know. Or you can go into the Members Only site
to view this newsletter. (login required).
The semester/holiday break is almost here! For those who will be traveling
and/or shopping over the break, APSCUF wants to remind you that
APSCUF’s Special Services offers some discounts that you might want to take
advantage of such as rent-a-car discounts, amusement park discounts, Working Advantage
Discount program for tickets/shopping, etc. etc. To get more information about these
discounts, go to www.apscuf.org and click onto the “Members Only” section.
NOT REGIESTERED FOR THE MEMBERS ONLY SITE? To get yourself registered, go to
www.apscuf.org. Here is the direct link to the registration page:
http://www.apscuf.org/membersonly/membership-registration/. There you will find all the information on
APSCUF’s Special Services such as discounts on magazines, rental vehicles, amusement parks, Verizon
Wireless, etc. etc.
REMINDER: Enhancements coming soon to the Healthy U member experience.
Highmark Blue Shield recently announced a new partnership with Sharecare, who will be
replacing WebMD as their wellness rewards partner.
As a result of this upcoming transition, Healthy U will have a delayed start date of January 1, 2019.
During the coming months, watch your university email for exciting details on the transformation of the
Healthy U member experience.
November 2018
www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion
3
On November 6, Clarion University recognized our fellow
faculty members who received tenured or were promoted
effective for the fall 2018 semester. They were
recognized for their achievements and honored with the
selection of a book or other information resource added
to the university's Libraries. CONGRATUALTIONS AND
JOB WELL DONE!!
Promoted to Full Professor
• Dr. Chunfei Li
Promoted to Associate Professor
• Dr. Renee C. Bloom
• Dr. Leah M. Chambers
• Dr. Paul Klenowski
• Dr. Douglas S. Knepp
• Dr. Joyce A. Overly
Tenured Faculty
• Ms. Natalie T. Armstrong
• Dr. Gwyneth A. Price
PHOTO LR: CU President Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehresson, Dr. Gwyneth Price, Dr. Joyce Overly, Dr. Paul Klenowski, Dr. Renee
Bloom, Dr. Leah Chambers, Dr. Natalie Armstrong, Interim Provost Pam Gent
Thinking about retiring? Check out APSCUF’s “Pre-Retirement
Checklist” in this newsletter on pages 5 & 6!!
PLEASE NOTE: This checklist should only be used as a guideline. All faculty/coaches
contemplating retirement should consult with their retiree handbook from either
SERS or PSERS. Those enrolled in TIAA-CREF should have their portfolios in order. In
addition, faculty/coaches should have a copy of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)
between APSCUF and the State System of Higher Education and the current State System Employees
Benefit Booklet to consult as a reference in making this decision. For additional information about
retirement, go to http://www.apscuf.org/members/forms-and-benefits and scroll to the very
bottom of the webpage under the heading RETIREMENT.
EMERITUS STATUS PROCEDURES: Nominations for Emeritus Status should be initiated
by member(s) of the appropriate department/unit and announced at a
department/unit meeting, normally within one year following retirement. The
nominating member(s) of the department/unit shall forward a one-page summary of
the significant accomplishments made by the nominee to the Dean and appropriate
Vice President.
The Office of the Provost and Academic Vice President will be responsible for the implementation of
this policy and its procedures. The above procedures for departments to follow to request emeritus
status for retiring faculty in departments are taken from the Clarion University of Pennsylvania Policy
on Emeritus Status. A copy of the entire policy is available from the APSCUF office.
If you have faculty who are retiring at the end of the fall or spring semester in your department,
please follow the procedures in this policy to request emeritus status for the nominee.
November 2018
www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion
4
APSCUF’S Pre-retirement checklist
Getting ready to retire? Check out this checklist to get prepared!
Select an anticipated date of retirement and begin to contemplate pension
options.
Check beneficiary information.
Contact your retirement counselor and/or investment counselor
o SERS members need only to contact 1-800-633-5461 (toll-free) to be connected with their
local counseling center. The SERS website is www.sers.state.pa.us.
o TIAA-CREF members can call 215-587-8530. TIAA-CREF’s website address is www.tiaacref.org.
o PSERS members need to contact 1-888-773-7748 (toll-free). PSERS’ website address is
www.psers.state.pa.us.
Visit APSCURF's web page, www.apscuf.org/members/apscurf, for direct links to a variety of
different sites including the Social Security Administration's website which provides answers to quite a
number of questions. Visit the APSCURF page for an abundance of information on retiring and
retirement!
Contact your human resources office.
Confirm “credited” years of service.
Certify any outstanding qualified service time while in active status. No payment is required to
purchase the value of this service during active service. The amount owed can be subtracted from the
pension.
CBA health retirement requirements to retain lifelong health benefit coverage include one of the
following:
o 25 years of “credited” service at any age
o 10 years of “credited” service at superannuation age (60 years of age) (applies to those hired
prior to the fall semester of 1997)
o 15 years of “credited” service at superannuation age (60 years of age) (applies to those hired
for the fall semester of 1997 through June 30, 2004)
o In addition, “credited” service for those faculty members hired for the fall semester of 1997
and after will only include Commonwealth and/or State System service.
o Those hired on or after July 1, 2004, "20 years of “credited” service at superannuation age.
o Please Note: Your spouse and/or eligible dependents are only entitled to your State System
health benefit package as long as you are alive. The Surviving Spouse Act provides the right to
purchase your package from the State System for your spouse only.
ALL annuitants must draw a pension check (annuitize) from their retirement plan in order to receive
the health benefit coverage. Those retiring on or after October 20, 2005, are permitted to waive
enrollment under the retirement health package IF THEY ARE COVERED UNDER ANY OTHER
HEALTH INSURANCE. If the health package is waived at retirement, retirees may enroll during an
open enrollment period or upon loss of their current coverage.
ALL annuitants must draw a pension check (annuitize) from their retirement plan as one of the criteria
to be eligible to obtain sick leave buy-out benefits. In addition, the member must be retiring at 60 years
of age or more with five years of Commonwealth/State System service or under 60 years or age with at
least 25 years of Commonwealth/State System service (may include periods in other positions other
than a faculty/coach position).
November 2018
www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion
5
PA Faculty Health and Welfare Fund benefits will terminate on the last day of the next month in which
you retire. Schedule any services for which you are eligible prior to the termination date (Dental,
Vision, Hearing, etc.). Those retiring on or after November 1, 2005, may qualify for COBRA
coverage.
Coaches dental and vision plans will terminate per the Management Supplemental policy. Check with
the local Human Resource office about COBRA rights.
All eligible APSCUF members joining APSCURF has the option to enroll in APSCURF’s dental and
vision plans. Visit APSCURF's page for more information
Employer purchased life insurance will terminate upon your retirement. If desired, you may want to
check into your conversion rights under this policy with the local human resources office.
Basic health plan coverage. Until you reach Medicare eligibility, coverage will be the PPO plan. All
health plans carry the same Medco RX drug plan. On the first day of the month in which you become
Medicare eligible, Medicare Part A and B become your primary insurance carrier. The CBA provides
you with supplemental coverage under Highmark Blue Shield's Medicare Complement Plan, an your
RX coverage will be under the Major Medical plan where you purchase your prescription and
manually submit them to Highmark for reimbursement. Those who retired on or after July 1, 2005,
will have an employee health contribution assessed on their health plan premium in retirement based
on the date of retirement per the collective bargaining agreement provisions in place at that time.
Please note that if you are Medicare eligible or will be at retirement, you will need to enroll in
Medicare 3 months prior to your retirement month so that Medicare is in place when your annuitant
health plan begins. Check with your local HR office to determine the date where your active coverage
will transfer to the annuitant Medicare Complement coverage.
o The PASSHE decided not to include the health care reform mandates under the annuitant
health plan so the benefits vary somewhat when you are transferred to the annuitant PPO plan.
The main change is that if you have dependents between the ages of 19 and 25 who are not
enrolled as a full time student, the dependent(s) will lose their eligibility under the annuitant
health plan.
Contemplate purchasing a long-term nursing care policy. The benefit package provided to you does
not cover custodial, intermediate or assisted-living services. APSCURF has a recommended plan and
check with your insurance agency for comparisons. Visit APSCURF's page for more details about the
retired association benefits and other useful links.
Annuitants can only return to Commonwealth service for a period of 95 days under the Emergency
Hire guidelines.
This checklist should only be used as a guideline. All faculty members
contemplating retirement should consult with their retiree handbook
from either SERS or PSERS. Those enrolled in TIAA-CREF should
have their portfolios in order. In addition, faculty should have a copy
of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between APSCUF and
the State System of Higher Education and the current State System
Employees Benefit Booklet to consult as a reference in making this
decision.
November 2018
www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion
6
www.apscuf.org
November 2018
Executive Committee: President – Ray Feroz; Vice President – Joyce Overly; Secretary – Christopher McCarrick; Treasurer – Linda Lillard; Delegates –
Ray Feroz, Jennifer May, Annette Rosati, Barry Sweet, Lorie Taylor; Alternate Delegates – Ellen Foster, Cristin Ketley, Jacqueline Knaust, Karl
Sprenger, Jonathan Touster; Coaches President - Sean Esterhuizen; Coaches Vice President – Al Modrzejewski; Coaches’ Grievance Chair – Eric
Laughlin; Venango Campus Rep – Renee Bloom; CAP – Joseph Croskey; DRC – Mary Buchanan; Grievance – Mark Kilwein; Health & Welfare – Amy
Shannonhouse; Legislative – Jonathan Touster; Membership – Paul Klenowski; Negotiations – Ray Feroz; Nominations & Elections – YooJin Ha; Social
Justice – Amy Conner-Love; Public Affairs/Relations – Christopher McCarrick; Student Liaison – Naomi Bell O’Neil; Rules & Bylaws – Carey Childers;
Mobilization Co-Chairs – Jackie Knaust & Andy Lingwall; State Temporary Faculty Committee – Michael Hissam; State APSCUF Executive Council –
Joyce Overly; Meet & Discuss Team: Ray Feroz; Barry Sweet; Joyce Overly; Adam Roberts; Mark Kilwein; Jennifer May; Mary Buchanan
The President’s Message…
Dear Colleagues,
We are 2/3 through the semester and snow is beginning to arrive. I hope
all is well with you.
Special recognition and thanks to our veterans as we mark the 100 th anniversary of the war to end all
wars, on the 11th month, 11th day and 11th hour of 1918.
Nancy Koutris, APSCUF’s Director of Membership Services, was here last Thursday meeting with
faculty. This is her farewell tour, as she is retiring in December after 36.5 years with ASPCUF. Clarion
APSCUF gave her a little token of our thanks for her help to our Clarion faculty colleagues across the
years. Nancy’s successor, Bim Arthum, has already began working at APSCUF for a transition.
The Venango Task Force is due to present its recommendations Monday November 19 th. They have
worked diligently and we are looking forward to their recommendations.
SAVE THE DATE: Our end-of-semester Holiday Party will be held at the Clarion River Brewing
Company on December 13th from 4-6 pm. Heavy hors d’oevres will be available and a cash bar.
Please plan to join us as we put a cap on the fall 2018 semester!
As we near Thanksgiving, let us more deeply appreciate our colleagues and all of life’s blessings.
In solidarity,
Ray
November, 2018
www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion
1
FALL 2018 MEETINGS
(Please mark your calendars!)
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC)
(Rhea Conf. Room @ 3:30 pm)
Tuesday, November 27
Tuesday, December 11
DEPARTMENTAL REP COUNCIL
(Rhea Conf. Room @ 3:30 PM)
Tuesday, November 13
Tuesday, December 4
Fall 2018 MEET & DISCUSS @ 2:30 pm
Friday, November 30 (Pre-Meet)
Friday, December 7 (Meet & Discuss)
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES
February 7-9, 2019 (Wyndham, Gettysburg)
April 25-27, 2019 (Williamsport)
May 17, 2019 – Leadership Day (Slippery Rock)
The Clarion APSCUF office will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 22nd and 23rd in observance
of Thanksgiving weekend. The office will reopen on Monday, November 26 at 8:00 am. HAPPY
THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!
SAVE THE DATE: Join us at the Clarion APSCUF’s Holiday and End-of-theSemester Celebration at the Clarion River Brewing Company, Thursday,
December 13, from 4-6 pm. Please feel free to bring your spouse or a significant
other! Please do make plans to join us and help celebrate the holiday spirit!
2019 STATE APSCUF SCHOLARSHIP: For Family Members of APSCUF/APSCURF Members Only
State APSCUF is now accepting applications for their annual scholarship program. The
scholarship award of $3,000 will only be presented to one (1) eligible applicant in his/her
higher education career in August 2019. An eligible applicant must be a “family member” of an
APSCUF/APSCURF member in good standing or an APSCUF staff member and must be
enrolled at one of the fourteen (14) state-owned universities. Deadline for
application is March 1, 2019. For more information on eligibility and to download
the complete application, go to https://www.apscuf.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/10/APSCUFStateScholarshipProgram2019final.pdf
TENURED ANNOUNCED: CONGRATULATIONS to Eric Lewis of the Chemistry, Mathematics, and
Physics in receiving Tenured effective in January 2019!!
WELCOME New APSCUF Members!!
Timothy Bock – Social Sciences
Thomas Conway – Education
November, 2018
www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion
2
Have you recommitted to OUR union yet?
Have you signed your updated membership form? In late August,
you should have received a recommitment letter and application from
OUR faculty and coaches union, the Association of Pennsylvania
State College and University Faculties. If you are already a member,
your status hasn’t changed, but our goal is for all members —
existing and new — to complete and mail back the postage-paid
cards as a show of solidarity, to meet legal requirements after
Janus, and to update our records. If you’ve already returned your
card, THANK YOU!!
A double THANK-YOU if you have initiated or
increased your contribution to APSCUF’s Committee for Action through Politics
(APSCUF/CAP), the political voice for APSCUF faculty and coaches.
If you accidentally disposed of the mailing, please contact our local office manager, Jan Walters, to obtain a
new card as soon as you’re able. Thank you!
Adjunct Update newsletter launches
Our union is one of only a few across the country that represents ALL
faculty — whether they are tenured, tenure track, or adjunct. APSCUF is proud to announce the debut of the
Adjunct Update, a new APSCUF newsletter composed with and for adjunct faculty members. The first edition
published via email Nov. 6.
If you are an adjunct member of APSCUF and did not receive the newsletter, which APSCUF aims to publish in
October, February, and April, please let Jan in the APSCUF office know. Or you can go into the Members Only site
to view this newsletter. (login required).
The semester/holiday break is almost here! For those who will be traveling
and/or shopping over the break, APSCUF wants to remind you that
APSCUF’s Special Services offers some discounts that you might want to take
advantage of such as rent-a-car discounts, amusement park discounts, Working Advantage
Discount program for tickets/shopping, etc. etc. To get more information about these
discounts, go to www.apscuf.org and click onto the “Members Only” section.
NOT REGIESTERED FOR THE MEMBERS ONLY SITE? To get yourself registered, go to
www.apscuf.org. Here is the direct link to the registration page:
http://www.apscuf.org/membersonly/membership-registration/. There you will find all the information on
APSCUF’s Special Services such as discounts on magazines, rental vehicles, amusement parks, Verizon
Wireless, etc. etc.
REMINDER: Enhancements coming soon to the Healthy U member experience.
Highmark Blue Shield recently announced a new partnership with Sharecare, who will be
replacing WebMD as their wellness rewards partner.
As a result of this upcoming transition, Healthy U will have a delayed start date of January 1, 2019.
During the coming months, watch your university email for exciting details on the transformation of the
Healthy U member experience.
November 2018
www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion
3
On November 6, Clarion University recognized our fellow
faculty members who received tenured or were promoted
effective for the fall 2018 semester. They were
recognized for their achievements and honored with the
selection of a book or other information resource added
to the university's Libraries. CONGRATUALTIONS AND
JOB WELL DONE!!
Promoted to Full Professor
• Dr. Chunfei Li
Promoted to Associate Professor
• Dr. Renee C. Bloom
• Dr. Leah M. Chambers
• Dr. Paul Klenowski
• Dr. Douglas S. Knepp
• Dr. Joyce A. Overly
Tenured Faculty
• Ms. Natalie T. Armstrong
• Dr. Gwyneth A. Price
PHOTO LR: CU President Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehresson, Dr. Gwyneth Price, Dr. Joyce Overly, Dr. Paul Klenowski, Dr. Renee
Bloom, Dr. Leah Chambers, Dr. Natalie Armstrong, Interim Provost Pam Gent
Thinking about retiring? Check out APSCUF’s “Pre-Retirement
Checklist” in this newsletter on pages 5 & 6!!
PLEASE NOTE: This checklist should only be used as a guideline. All faculty/coaches
contemplating retirement should consult with their retiree handbook from either
SERS or PSERS. Those enrolled in TIAA-CREF should have their portfolios in order. In
addition, faculty/coaches should have a copy of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)
between APSCUF and the State System of Higher Education and the current State System Employees
Benefit Booklet to consult as a reference in making this decision. For additional information about
retirement, go to http://www.apscuf.org/members/forms-and-benefits and scroll to the very
bottom of the webpage under the heading RETIREMENT.
EMERITUS STATUS PROCEDURES: Nominations for Emeritus Status should be initiated
by member(s) of the appropriate department/unit and announced at a
department/unit meeting, normally within one year following retirement. The
nominating member(s) of the department/unit shall forward a one-page summary of
the significant accomplishments made by the nominee to the Dean and appropriate
Vice President.
The Office of the Provost and Academic Vice President will be responsible for the implementation of
this policy and its procedures. The above procedures for departments to follow to request emeritus
status for retiring faculty in departments are taken from the Clarion University of Pennsylvania Policy
on Emeritus Status. A copy of the entire policy is available from the APSCUF office.
If you have faculty who are retiring at the end of the fall or spring semester in your department,
please follow the procedures in this policy to request emeritus status for the nominee.
November 2018
www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion
4
APSCUF’S Pre-retirement checklist
Getting ready to retire? Check out this checklist to get prepared!
Select an anticipated date of retirement and begin to contemplate pension
options.
Check beneficiary information.
Contact your retirement counselor and/or investment counselor
o SERS members need only to contact 1-800-633-5461 (toll-free) to be connected with their
local counseling center. The SERS website is www.sers.state.pa.us.
o TIAA-CREF members can call 215-587-8530. TIAA-CREF’s website address is www.tiaacref.org.
o PSERS members need to contact 1-888-773-7748 (toll-free). PSERS’ website address is
www.psers.state.pa.us.
Visit APSCURF's web page, www.apscuf.org/members/apscurf, for direct links to a variety of
different sites including the Social Security Administration's website which provides answers to quite a
number of questions. Visit the APSCURF page for an abundance of information on retiring and
retirement!
Contact your human resources office.
Confirm “credited” years of service.
Certify any outstanding qualified service time while in active status. No payment is required to
purchase the value of this service during active service. The amount owed can be subtracted from the
pension.
CBA health retirement requirements to retain lifelong health benefit coverage include one of the
following:
o 25 years of “credited” service at any age
o 10 years of “credited” service at superannuation age (60 years of age) (applies to those hired
prior to the fall semester of 1997)
o 15 years of “credited” service at superannuation age (60 years of age) (applies to those hired
for the fall semester of 1997 through June 30, 2004)
o In addition, “credited” service for those faculty members hired for the fall semester of 1997
and after will only include Commonwealth and/or State System service.
o Those hired on or after July 1, 2004, "20 years of “credited” service at superannuation age.
o Please Note: Your spouse and/or eligible dependents are only entitled to your State System
health benefit package as long as you are alive. The Surviving Spouse Act provides the right to
purchase your package from the State System for your spouse only.
ALL annuitants must draw a pension check (annuitize) from their retirement plan in order to receive
the health benefit coverage. Those retiring on or after October 20, 2005, are permitted to waive
enrollment under the retirement health package IF THEY ARE COVERED UNDER ANY OTHER
HEALTH INSURANCE. If the health package is waived at retirement, retirees may enroll during an
open enrollment period or upon loss of their current coverage.
ALL annuitants must draw a pension check (annuitize) from their retirement plan as one of the criteria
to be eligible to obtain sick leave buy-out benefits. In addition, the member must be retiring at 60 years
of age or more with five years of Commonwealth/State System service or under 60 years or age with at
least 25 years of Commonwealth/State System service (may include periods in other positions other
than a faculty/coach position).
November 2018
www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion
5
PA Faculty Health and Welfare Fund benefits will terminate on the last day of the next month in which
you retire. Schedule any services for which you are eligible prior to the termination date (Dental,
Vision, Hearing, etc.). Those retiring on or after November 1, 2005, may qualify for COBRA
coverage.
Coaches dental and vision plans will terminate per the Management Supplemental policy. Check with
the local Human Resource office about COBRA rights.
All eligible APSCUF members joining APSCURF has the option to enroll in APSCURF’s dental and
vision plans. Visit APSCURF's page for more information
Employer purchased life insurance will terminate upon your retirement. If desired, you may want to
check into your conversion rights under this policy with the local human resources office.
Basic health plan coverage. Until you reach Medicare eligibility, coverage will be the PPO plan. All
health plans carry the same Medco RX drug plan. On the first day of the month in which you become
Medicare eligible, Medicare Part A and B become your primary insurance carrier. The CBA provides
you with supplemental coverage under Highmark Blue Shield's Medicare Complement Plan, an your
RX coverage will be under the Major Medical plan where you purchase your prescription and
manually submit them to Highmark for reimbursement. Those who retired on or after July 1, 2005,
will have an employee health contribution assessed on their health plan premium in retirement based
on the date of retirement per the collective bargaining agreement provisions in place at that time.
Please note that if you are Medicare eligible or will be at retirement, you will need to enroll in
Medicare 3 months prior to your retirement month so that Medicare is in place when your annuitant
health plan begins. Check with your local HR office to determine the date where your active coverage
will transfer to the annuitant Medicare Complement coverage.
o The PASSHE decided not to include the health care reform mandates under the annuitant
health plan so the benefits vary somewhat when you are transferred to the annuitant PPO plan.
The main change is that if you have dependents between the ages of 19 and 25 who are not
enrolled as a full time student, the dependent(s) will lose their eligibility under the annuitant
health plan.
Contemplate purchasing a long-term nursing care policy. The benefit package provided to you does
not cover custodial, intermediate or assisted-living services. APSCURF has a recommended plan and
check with your insurance agency for comparisons. Visit APSCURF's page for more details about the
retired association benefits and other useful links.
Annuitants can only return to Commonwealth service for a period of 95 days under the Emergency
Hire guidelines.
This checklist should only be used as a guideline. All faculty members
contemplating retirement should consult with their retiree handbook
from either SERS or PSERS. Those enrolled in TIAA-CREF should
have their portfolios in order. In addition, faculty should have a copy
of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between APSCUF and
the State System of Higher Education and the current State System
Employees Benefit Booklet to consult as a reference in making this
decision.
November 2018
www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion
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