1199SEIU Funds News

Spotlight on Your Funds

March 2024

Home Care Benefit Fund Members Continue Enrollment in Essential Plan

Home Care Benefit Fund (HCBF) members who have a household income at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level are continuing to enroll in the Healthfirst Essential Plan. Please encourage your 1199SEIU employees and members who receive a letter inviting them to enroll to contact Healthfirst to sign up. The HCBF will begin enrolling additional eligible Home Care member groups in March. To support as many members as possible, the Employer Services Unit will continue to work with you to contact those who do not have working phone numbers. For more information, please email the Employer Services Unit at [email protected] or call (646) 473-6413.

Important Eligibility Update

In December, the Trustees voted to increase the monthly eligibility requirement to receive health benefits—regardless of household income—from 100 hours to 130 hours, effective April 1, 2024. You should have received a letter from our Employer Services Unit with details about the change, and letters to inform members have been sent.

Tune In to the New Health Is the Key Podcast

The latest episodes of the Benefit Funds’ new podcast, Health Is the Key, are now available. In the January episode, the Benefit Funds’ Executive Director Dr. Donna Rey shared how the Funds’ Healthy Living initiative is making a difference in members’ lives. And in February, the Benefit Funds’ dedicated WeightWatchers® coach Angelica McQuade visited the podcast to share insights into the program’s success. Search for Health Is the Key wherever you listen to your podcasts to tune in and subscribe.

Benefit Fund Continues to Connect Members with Free Tax Prep Assistance Program for the EITC

This year, the Benefit Fund is once again helping 1199SEIU members maximize their tax refunds by connecting them with free tax preparation services that help them file for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). So many Home Care Benefit Fund members are eligible for the program, and it can mean thousands more dollars in their pockets than standard tax filing. The program is available through April 15 at locations in all five New York City boroughs, as well as in Westchester County, Long Island and New Jersey. Weekday, evening and weekend hours are available and, in most cases, so is walk-in service. Members can talk to their Outreach Coordinators or visit the Benefit Funds’ website for more information.

Training and Employment Funds Offer Language Classes and Access to Computer Drop-in Lab

The 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds (TEF) offer English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes that include instruction in basic English communication, along with specific terms Home Care workers need in working with clients. TEF also now offers beginning ESOL classes for Chinese speakers with a bilingual instructor. The program is available during the academic year, including summer semesters, both in person (by demand) and remotely. For more information or to register, members can email [email protected] or call (212) 284-9231. For a Chinese-language line, they can call (516) 636-6613. TEF also provides a computer drop-in lab for members to develop digital literacy and computer skills needed to advance their educational and career goals in the healthcare industry. The program is available during the academic year, including summer semesters, at the Adult Learning Centers at the Benefit Funds headquarters in Manhattan. For more information, members can call or text Yajaira Tejada at (347) 752-7311 or email [email protected].

Meet Our Featured Member

Alice Barnett from Alliance Homecare

WHY is being healthy so important to Alice? Read For Your Benefit online to find out!

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