Healing Begins with the Food We Eat

Tracie Eubank on January 9, 2024

by Humana, Living Power Nov/Dec 2023

After spending time in the hospital, eating balanced, nutritious meals may make a difference in your recovery and your overall health. The Humana Well Dine® program provides 28 meals after an inpatient stay in a hospital or nursing facility. That’s why Humana has teamed up with Mom’s Meals® to deliver nutritious, tasty meals right to your home when you need them most—at no additional cost to you.

Mom’s Meals, a leading provider of home delivered meals nationwide, offers a variety of nutritional and condition-specific meals delivered to the homes of Humana’s eligible members as part of their Medicare Advantage Individual, Group, and Medicare Supplement plans throughout North Carolina. Humana is providing the meals to eligible members as part of their benefit plan and at no additional cost.

Studies consistently show that medically tailored meals support patient recovery after hospitalization and reduce instances of readmission, as well as help patients manage chronic conditions, avoid hospitalizations, and preserve health and independence. Programs implemented through Mom’s Meals have seen up to 80% reduction in inpatient stays 30 days after discharge, and over a 40% reduction in visits to the Emergency Department 30 days post-discharge.

Humana eligible members can receive 28 fully prepared meals made with high-quality ingredients, packed in coolers with gel bags and delivered directly to their home. The menus are designed by dietitians, offering something for everyone, including diabetic-friendly, gluten-free, heart friendly options, as many others. The tasty meals that are ready to heat and eat and last for 14 days in the refrigerator.

“We know nutritious food has a strong impact on overall health,” said Mike Anderson, the president of Mom’s Meals. “We look forward to helping Humana’s members recover after a hospital stay, avoid readmission, and manage chronic conditions – all in the comfort of their own homes.”

To find out more about your Humana Well Dine meal benefit, call the number on the back of your
Humana member ID card.

Loyalty and Duty of Care to Our Members

Tracie Eubank on December 15, 2023

By Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, LivingPower Newsletter Nov/Dec 2023

Department of State Treasurer (DST) focuses on loyalty and duty-of-care for public servants like you who teach, protect or otherwise serve the citizens of North Carolina. This is what drives DST and the North Carolina Retirement Systems (NCRS) to fulfill their mission to protect and preserve the state’s pension system and health care plans, while reducing fees and maximizing value.

Though we have had to navigate some uncharted waters over the last few years with stock market volatility and COVID, NCRS has been consistently in the check-delivery business. At our very core, we ensure benefits due to members are delivered as promised and on time, and that members and their families who are impacted by a life event are taken care of in a timely, efficient manner. I want to recognize our staff that works diligently with a member-first mentality to not only get business done but listen to what is needed to do good business.

Over the last year we launched a new phone system that allows easier access to information through an automated, self-service phone menu. Over 30% of members calling in now find what they need, on their own, through this system. Those that need to speak to a retirement counselor are holding on the line less than two minutes on average. Chat was recently implemented in ORBIT as an additional way to get the information you need. Users who participated in the soft launch of this service have given it a nearly perfect rating. We realize every member’s situation is different, so our counselors are dedicated to taking the time you need to provide value and service.

Recent legislation has brought positive changes impacting NCRS. Members with a retirement date on or after January 1, 2024, will see their first benefit payment made by direct deposit. Traditionally, a retiree’s first payment has been sent by paper check. New retirees will be able to lock in their retirement options earlier and NCRS will be able operate more efficiently as we continue to see record numbers of retirements each month.

For the second time in as many years, the state will pay a one-time supplement for benefit recipients who retired on or before October 1, 2023, are living as of October 1, 2023, and are members of the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System, Consolidated Judicial Retirement System, and the Legislative Retirement System. This one-time supplement will be issued on or before November 30 and is equal to 4% of the annual retirement allowance, where the annual retirement allowance is 12 times the monthly allowance payable for October 2023.

These funds did not come from the Plan itself and were appropriated by the General Assembly as a part of the budget passed on October 3, 2023. This does not apply to benefit recipients of the Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System (LGERS), where a benefit increase may be granted by the LGERS Board of Trustees within certain statutory limitations.

Whether you are planning for or in retirement, there has been a seismic shift in this life phase. People are living longer, and this requires a revised budget strategy for income, expenses, and health care costs. The fact is you have a solid foundation in retirement with your monthly pension benefit and this should serve as your motivation. The NC Pension is widely regarded as one of the most secure and best-funded pensions in the United States. Additional savings in the NC 401(k) and NC 457 Plans, coupled with Social Security Income and outside assets, will also help in meeting a gap in retirement income. Each of you has navigated a change towards retirement and I encourage you to talk with someone younger than you to share your lessons learned.

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus wrote that “no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” As we move to a new year, I wish each of you success in health and purpose and thank you for your service to the citizens of North Carolina.

NCRGEA Virtual Lunch and Learn Webinar: January 2024

Tracie Eubank on December 7, 2023

January 10, 2024 @ 7:30 am – 8:30 am

Free virtual webinar Lunch & Learn Series: “Navigating NC’s Local Government Retirement System,” with panelist Tim O’Connell, Executive Director of NCRGEA and NCRGEA’s lobbyist Jessica Kozma Proctor.

This Lunch and Learn will cover:
• the founding of the local government retirement plan
• its current status
• the laws and rules related to cost of living adjustments, bonuses and more

Registration by Friday | January 5 is required for this FREE event. You will receive the Zoom link by email on Monday, January 8 and you don’t need a computer to participate! Join the virtual session using either the Zoom link, or the Zoom long distance phone number provided. If you have any questions, please email info@NCRGEA.com or phone 919.834.4652 or 1 800.356.1190.

Previous NCRGEA 2023 Lunch and Learn Series recordings can be found on our YouTube channel.

RGEA

(919) 834-4652

View Organizer Website

FREE

State loses their latest fight against Lake Case

Craig Campbell on October 23, 2023

In June of 2023, the State of North Carolina, including the State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees and State Treasurer Dale Folwell, filed a Writ of Prohibition with the North Carolina Supreme Court seeking to overturn and prohibit the March 2022 Supreme Court decision on Lake v.  NC State Health Plan from moving forward at the trial court level.  The North Carolina Supreme Court’s March 2022 decision determined that eligible State employees have a contractually vested right in a noncontributory health plan for life, equivalent to the plan in place when a class member’s rights are vested.

On October 20, 2023, the North Carolina Supreme Court denied the Writ of Prohibition, allowing the case to continue to be adjudicated in the Gaston County, North Carolina Superior Court.

Use this link for more official NCRGEA information about the Lake Case: Lake Class Case – Gray Layton Kersh.

Opportunities Abound

Tracie Eubank on October 16, 2023

LivingPower September/October 2023

By Mike Taylor

Attendees at Durham Fall Conference

One line from our website says it all. “If you are a member, get involved here.” Membership in NCRGEA offers each of you a variety of opportunities to do just that, get involved. From a Zoom briefing in the comfort of your home to local district gatherings to regional conferences, your association is making it easy to get involved and engage.

One of the pleasures I take from serving as President of NCRGEA is to attend our regional conferences. Since last fall, I have attended conferences in Concord, Shelby, Winston Salem, Fayetteville, here in my home county of Carteret at Morehead City, and Hendersonville. And later this month, we have conferences scheduled for Statesville (September 13), Durham (September 19), and Greenville (September 26). This job is certainly offering me a crash course in NC geography.
You should have already received an invitation to attend one of the September conferences, and if one is close to you, I especially encourage you to do so. As our Executive Director Tim O’Connell says of these conferences, “The goal is to bring retirees together.” The conferences offer a chance to find out the latest information about a multitude of issues that impact our lives as retired public servants. Topics for the conferences include health insurance, Social Security, updates from the NC State Treasurer’s office, General Assembly happenings, and much more. Over a dozen of our sponsors and state agencies have tables to distribute information, talk with retirees about specific issues, and even offer freebies to take home.

At the spring conference in Hendersonville, Humana offered hand fans to attendees. I had to have one of those and told the gathering, in my opening welcome, after seeing the fans I had a flashback to that rural church I attended in my youth where similar fans provided our air conditioning. Of course, those fans were all provided by the local funeral home!

But NCRGEA provides so many more opportunities for you to get involved in your association. NCRGEA has nine regional districts that stretch from the mountains to the coast. Those nine districts come in all shapes and sizes. In the northeastern portion of our state, District 5 is made up of 25 counties, while District 8 includes just one county, Wake. Given the location of the state government, that should be easy to understand.

But no matter the geographic size of our districts or the number of retirees that live there, all NCRGEA members have the same opportunities through a Community Advisory Board (CAB) that is established in each district. These CABs, which meet at least twice a year, help connect NCRGEA with its membership at the local level. Join the CAB in your district. You can find out more information on a CAB near you by visiting the NCRGEA website.

Dr. Deryl Davis Fulmer, a retiree from the NC community college system, who also worked in higher education in Wisconsin, serves as our Community Liaison, connecting members with activities like our monthly Lunch and Learn webinars and other Zoom programs. These active engagement programs cover the spectrum of topics, from “Aging Un-Lonely,” steering clear of internet fraud, health insurance, and how to organize your documents for the inevitable (no explanation needed). We are quickly discovering that providing educational content programming is a value-added feature of your membership. Participation has been strong, with virtual attendance totaling over 1,400 since January 1, 2023. Dr. Fulmer adds, “It’s exciting to know how many members we are reaching.”

NCRGEA believes strongly in getting you, the membership, involved, and your participation is proving that if offered a good program, NCRGEA members will zoom in!

There are numerous opportunities for you to get involved in your association. Another line from our
website sums it up best: “NCRGEA is for those who want to be more active and engaged in retirement.”

District Community Connections

Tracie Eubank on October 9, 2023

LivingPower September/October 2023

By Deryl Davis Fulmer

Members attending the September NCRGEA Fall Conference in Greenville

Dear Fellow Retirees,
Can you believe it? Fall is already here! The year has flown by; before we know it, it will be Christmas.
Please make sure you send us your holiday recipes, desserts, or drinks that you have enjoyed over the
years and want to share. We will publish our first NCRGEA Digital Holiday Recipe Book on November
3rd, just in time to enjoy it during the holidays. Be a part of this exciting and new activity and show off your culinary skills! Here’s the link: www.rgea.info/submit-a-recipe.

In June, we launched our first Virtual Lunch and Learn webinars, developed to share important topics that will help you to navigate retirement, understand aging concerns, and have information at your fingertips to improve your quality of life. It was held via Zoom on Wednesday, June 28th, from 12:30-
1:30 pm. It was entitled: Aging Un-Lonely: Staying Connected for your Health. Over 330 members
registered, and over 90 attended. Dr. Megan Smith, UNC-Charlotte; Dr. Cheryl Greenberg, AARP/The Age Coach; and Ms. Rebecca Freeman, NC Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS/DHHS) gave the audience useful tools to help with isolation and loneliness. They encouraged participants to reach out to them if they had questions and/or needed resources. It was a great event and start to our Lunch
and Learn series.

On July 18th, AMBA representative, Jon Green, talked about the benefits of AMBA and the Passport Discount that is part of the NCRGEA membership packet. Members really enjoyed learning about these benefits and immediately began to access them. On August 16th, our third Lunch and Learn was about Aetna’s upcoming role as the third-party administrator for the state’s Health Care Plan. More than 370 members signed up for this informative session, and they asked a lot of questions. Our members are requesting more of these educational presentations, so the Lunch and Learns are currently scheduled as a monthly event on Wednesdays from 12:30 – 1:30 pm. Please watch for the logo and be sure to register to attend. NCRGEA sends information and registration instructions to your email, so it is important that we have your email address. We encourage you to invite friends (members and non-members) to join these events. If you need to provide or update your email address, please send that information to info@ rgea.info or call our office at 919-834-4652.

In early July, I had the opportunity to attend the CenterWell Primary Care service launch for Medicare patients who live in Durham and surrounding areas. CenterWell is the largest of such services in the US and has locations in other parts of NC as well. Tiffany Roberts, the new market president, stated, “We are truly delighted to bring CenterWell Senior Primary Care to the Raleigh/ Durham community. Seniors live at the heart of CenterWell’s mission, to deliver personalized care that isn’t rushed, with a dedicated care team that is accessible and focuses on the unique physical, emotional, and social wellness needs of seniors.” For more information about CenterWell Senior Primary Care or to schedule a tour, visit seniorfocusednc.com.

We’ve heard from many of you, and you are interested in securing part-time employment. The Governor’s “Hometown Strong Initiative: Empowering Rural North Carolina” (featured in the July/August edition) may be what you are seeking. Please visit their website: hometownstrong.nc.gov, for more information. Be sure to check it out.
If you are interested in volunteering, please remember the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program and Meals on Wheels programs in your area. These organizations are always in need of volunteers across the state!
If you are in Wake County, please consider volunteering for the Center for Volunteer Caregiving. Your help is needed!

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at deryl@rgea.info. Please let me know if you want to join your district’s Community Advisory Board (CAB). And finally, if you are a new retiree, please consider joining NCRGEA and become active with us!
Happy Fall, everyone!
Deryl

Building a North Carolina for the Future

Tracie Eubank on October 8, 2023

LivingPower September/October 2023

By Tim O’Connell


Much of this legislative season has focused on a few key policy areas but none more than healthcare and education. As the debate on various bills related to these topics filled the lawmakers’ calendars, North Carolina received the nation’s topic ranking for its business climate by CNBC for the second year in a row. This pinnacle of recognition provides a vantage point to look back to understand how we earned this ranking and simultaneously look forward to how we must use it to shape our future — a future that includes a dramatic change in our population.

The NC Office of State Budget and Management data shows that over the next 15 years, the population of those over 65 will swell to 2.7 million. That is 1 million more than the current number in this age group. To give context to this number, imagine every single person living in Cumberland County, Mecklenburg County, and Wake County as 65 or older. Returning to the state’s top business ranking, there are many to thank for this status: our lawmakers over the decades, entrepreneurial innovators, small business owners, and you, as a retired government employee, who laid the foundation during your working career. The roads you built, the students you educated, the communities you protected, the workforce training programs you delivered, the parks and recreation programs you provided, the economic development you fostered, the healthcare services you administered, the building permits you issued, and on and on, making North Carolina an attractive option for businesses to thrive.

In his book North Carolina Beyond the Connected Age: The Tarheel State in 2050, economist Mike Walden provides a budgetarily descriptive view of a potential “generational clash” between funding education for our youth and funding the healthcare needed to serve the increased demand for North Carolina’s over-65 population. Clearly, as successful as North Carolina is in business, it has the opportunity to lead the nation in successfully educating its younger people and successfully providing care for its older population. We are fortunate to live in a state where leading industries are healthcare, pharmaceutical research, education, and technology — giving our political leaders, government entities, and business communities a head start in bringing resources together to address this future, with much less chance of a “clash” if we so choose.

You now have an important role in advocating for this future with your elected leaders and potential supporting agencies. I encourage you all to familiarize yourself and get involved with the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services’ comprehensive initiative called All Ages, All Stages NC: A Roadmap for Aging and Living Well. Key areas of the plan include Strengthening Communities for a Lifetime, Optimizing Healthcare, Supporting Older Adults and Their Families, and Affording Aging. All of these areas are ones that NCRGEA directly or indirectly supports and lobbies for on your behalf at the legislature.

I invite you to visit the website for All Ages, All Stages NC to find more details, including how to easily fill out an online form to join a stakeholder workgroup.

You were an integral part of building North Carolina into what it is today. Now you have an opportunity to continue that building by contributing your wisdom and expertise as you advocate for North Carolina’s future.