To all NARVRE members, it is time to prepare for the membership renewal drive for 2023. We are urging every unit to get set up for this crucial time. Maintaining and gaining new members is essential to NARVRE carrying out the many duties that keep your retirement benefits secure.
Medicare can sometimes feel confusing and frustrating, especially if you disagree with Medicare’s decision to pay a claim or feel they did not pay enough on the claim. Here is a helpful guide for you on the Medicare Appeals Process.
You can first file a first-level appeal with the Medicare contractor that originally processed the claim. For example, if you have Railroad Medicare, your part B claims are processed by Palmetto GBA. Your part A claim, which includes hospital stays or being at a Skilled Nursing Facility or any other facility or claims for medical equipment and supplies, are processed by your local Medicare Administrative Contractors. When you receive your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN), the name and address of the processor are on that notice.
At N.A.R.V.R.E., National Association of Retired and Veterans Railway Employees, we do meaningful work. We are sure that every member is proud and happy to spread the word about the benefits of being a member of N.A.R.V.R.E. Yet, sometimes, knowing how to spread the word can be difficult. You may think you have tried everything. You have been to the stations and put-up flyers on the bulletin boards. You might spread highlights of N.A.R.V.R.E.’s work on your own Facebook page. You go to the meetings and talk with newcomers. We are thankful for you and thankful that you see the good we do and want to pass it on to others.
It is time to confirm you have your reservations ready and you are all set to attend the Biennial NARVRE convention scheduled, May 15th-May 17th at the Waterfront Hotel in Oakland, California. We hope that the dangers of the Covid virus and variants are behind us, and everyone can make the convention this year.
The Railroad Retirement Board Labor Members will return to host informational meetings for any future Railroad Retirees as we have done in prior years. This will also allow NARVRE to discuss the many benefits of becoming a member of our organization. As our members know, there is no other organization like NARVRE. We offer ample protection, work for retirement preservation, and keep members apprised of all legislation that could harm our earned benefits.
In our last blog, we discussed the Surface Transportation Board getting ready to hold hearings on restoring Amtrak service to the Gulf Coast. Since Hurricane Katrina hit that region in 2005, the passenger rail service, where the Sunset Limited used to run, has been suspended.
Since then, tracks have been replaced, yet discussions to restore Amtrak service to the Gulf Coast did not begin until the passage of the FAST-ACT of 2015. This act instructed the US Department of Transportation to form a working group assigned to the Southern Rail Commission. The group aimed to estimate investment costs from the government freight railroads and if there would be enough interest from the communities affected to move forward with restoring Amtrak services.
Riding rail service is becoming as popular as it once was decades ago. An Amtrak ride across the United States isn’t just beautiful, it is also much less expensive than flying. The team at NARVRE or the National Association of Retired and Veteran Railroad Employees has been working with the issue Amtrak expansion is facing in restoring passenger rail service across the Gulf Coast for years. We have even joined local communities and the Southern Rail Commission to grant funding. We have the alliance of Senator Wicker, a Republican of Mississippi, and Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey. However, the issue still stands, and we are still fighting for the funding. If the expansion is allowed to continue, it will provide many job opportunities and convenience to American citizens.
Have you been offered a job with the railroad? Did a friend help you get the job? If so, you owe that friend a big steak dinner. Welcome to the club! The railroad is one of the best places to work in the United States, especially concerning your retirement. The railroad has one of the best retirements plans available for retiree’s and NARVRE or the National Association of Retired and Veteran Railroad Employees see to it that the railroad retirement benefits never change. NARVRE was established over 80 years ago, and its bylaws are still preserved to this day. According to RRB or Railroad Retirement Board, here are just a few benefits associated with their railroad employment and retirement benefits:
If you have been following the Railroad Retirement Board website (rrb.gov) or even the news, then you are aware of the upcoming increase in your retirement wage. Your Cost-of-Living part of your annuities will see a rise in January 2022.
Garey Faley sent a message recently explaining the facts behind the increase he says, “The Cost-of-Living increases are calculated in both Tier 1 and Tier 2 benefits included in your railroad retirement annuity. The Tier 1 benefits such as Social Security benefits, will increase by 5.9 % which equals the percentage of the CPI rise.
NARVRE has recently been informed of changes taking place at the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB.) As of October 2021, the Railroad Retirement Board’s (RRB) field offices have been unable to re-open due to Covid and variants. Even though the field offices have remained closed the RRB has found ways to still be available to their members. During the Covid shutdown they had an abundance of callers with questions and concerns flood their toll-free phone number.
America needs a makeover, and the House agreed by supporting the legislation to secure a $1.2 trillion (about $3,700 per person in the US) bill. The bill, titled the Infrastructure and Jobs Act or IIJA (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), is the most significant investment in the nation’s infrastructure in a century. According to civil engineers, we need money for ongoing repairs on roads, bridges, rails, water and power lines, and ports.