Charlotte-Mecklenburg Governmental Retirees Association Hosts NCRGEA Executive Director as Speaker

Tracie Eubank on August 24, 2022

NCRGEA Executive Director, Tim O’Connell, was one of the guest speakers at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Governmental Retirees Association meeting this week. The program agenda also included informative presentations by the Charlotte Metro Police Department and the Charlotte Fire Department.

CMGRA meets the last Tuesday of every other month so if you are a retired public servant, consider joining them at their next meeting!

NCRGEA announces partnership with AMBA to provide more benefits to members.

Craig Campbell on August 15, 2022

The North Carolina Retired Governmental Employees’ Association (NCRGEA) is pleased to announce that it has partnered with Association Member Benefits Advisors (AMBA) to provide members with more benefit opportunities. Our goal is to provide all members access to the supplemental benefits they need to fully secure and enjoy their retirement while working to attract more members and strengthen the collective voice of NCRGEA at the General Assembly. With nearly 40 years of experience and more than 80 partner associations across the country, AMBA is a nationwide company with expertise in meeting the needs of active and retired public sector employees. AMBA specializes in analyzing retirement benefits, identifying any gaps in coverage, and negotiating with a wide variety of A-rated insurance carriers. In the coming weeks and months, AMBA will send information directly to NCRGEA members, so watch your mailboxes and your email inboxes for these and other announcements about our new partnership:
    • A comprehensive yet tailored menu of benefits available exclusively to NCRGEA members.
    • New educational services for members, including free individual benefit reviews by licensed professional representatives committed to serving the best interests of NCRGEA members.
    • Webinars and seminars conducted across the state by NCRGEA and AMBA, to educate members on a wide variety of topics and to provide more opportunities for members to get together, renew acquaintances, meet new friends with similar backgrounds and experiences, and simply have fun!
We are excited about this partnership and the opportunities it presents. Although information about the new benefit programs will be sent to you directly, you need not wait to begin exploring the opportunities. AMBA has 130 trained staff members to provide information, answer questions, and help enroll new members. You may call 833-784-2184, visit myambabenefits.info/ncrgea online, or learn more about available policies here.

 

U.S. Supreme Court Response Date on Lake Case Approaching

Tracie Eubank on July 22, 2022

We know that many members of the Association remain interested in the Lake Case and its related current developments.

Here is a condensed history of the case: In 2011, the General Assembly reduced the standard health plan for State retirees from a noncontributory 80/20 plan to a 70/30. Twenty-eight retirees, led by former Supreme Court Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake, Jr., filed suit in 2012 to preserve and protect state retirees’ health care benefits.

Over the last ten years, the State of North Carolina asserted a variety of procedural and substantive defenses to test the merits of the case. In 2016, the Superior Court Judge presiding over the case certified the case as a class action, affecting some 220,000 state retirees who had vested benefits as of 2011.

The Superior Court Judge ruled that the plaintiff retirees were entitled to judgment against the State. The Judge’s Order specified that damages would be assessed after hearing expert witness evidence.

The State appealed, and a cumbersome appellate process ensued. In October of 2021, the case finally was heard in the North Carolina Supreme Court for a decision on the merits of the case. On March 11 of this year, the Supreme Court held that state retirees do have enforceable contract rights. The Court held that each retiree in the
class is entitled for life to the noncontributory health care benefits offered by the state at the time that retiree vested in retirement health care benefits. Those benefits are a part of that retiree’s contract with the State.

The Supreme Court sent the case back to the Superior Court for a determination of how much in damages each retiree should receive. In other words, what are the extra costs each incurred as a result of the 2011 action of the General Assembly?

Each side will hire experts, actuaries, to determine what those damages are and present evidence to the Superior Court. It will take several months for any more specific information to be available from the Superior Court. It should be stressed that this case covers only State government retirees, not local government.

On June 9, 2022, the State of North Carolina filed a petition for Writ of Certiorari with the United States Supreme Court requesting that the U. S. Supreme Court consider an appeal of the North Carolina Supreme Court’s decision. The Plaintiffs’ response is due on August 15, 2022.