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Question: On page 28 of our contract, it talks about a Supplemental Benefits Fund. What is that and what does it do?
Answer: The Supplemental Benefits Fund (Fund), outlined in Article XXXIII of our contract, is a negotiated benefit for all LUT members. The general idea of the Fund is to provide members with benefits that are not already provided to them as part of their health care plans or through a union supported resource.
Question: What are some examples of benefits provided by the Fund?
Answer: Dental care and eye care for LUT members and their eligible dependents are covered by the Fund. There is also a legal services benefit, a hearing aid benefit, and benefits regarding life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment and long-term disability. A full breakdown of all the benefits in the Fund can be found in the Supplemental Benefits Fund booklet that is available for view and download from our union website. Click the link below to access the booklet.
https://levittownteachers.org/
Question: Do we pay for the benefits provided by the Fund?
Answer: The Fund is paid for through contributions by the Levittown School District. The amount that the district is obligated to contribute to the Fund each year is outlined in Article XXXIII, Section C of our contract. Some benefits provided by the Fund are voluntary and some benefits may require co-pays that members have to pay. All the specifics are described fully in the benefits booklet.
Question: Who runs the Fund and decides what benefits we get?
Answer: The Fund is managed by a Fund Director who is a member of the LUT. Our current Fund Director is Lisa Poggioli. Lisa works in conjunction with our Fund Legal Counsel and our Fund Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees consists of our LUT President and additional Trustees who are appointed by the LUT President and approved by the LUT Executive Board (the executive board includes all of the union officers and building representatives). The Board of Trustees meets regularly throughout the school year to review financial statements and monitor how the benefits provided by the Fund are being utilized. The Trustees decide on adding, expanding, or removing benefits based on financial statements, advice from counsel, and member benefit utilization.
Question: Does the Levittown School District place any restrictions on the benefits?
Answer: As explained in Article XXXIII, Section B of the contract, the Trustees of the Fund must provide the District with financial reports that are audited by a certified public accounting firm. However, the District does not decide which benefits are included in the Fund. The only specific restriction the District has for the fund is that our legal services benefit cannot include coverage for any controversy, dispute, claim or legal proceeding with or against the District or the Board of Education or their members, agents, officers or other employees.
Question: I actually need to go for an eye exam and someone said I need to get “the form” to bring with me. Where do I get that?
Answer: All the forms you need for dental care, hearing air reimbursement and vision care can be viewed and downloaded from the Member Benefits page of our union website. The URL for that page of the website is listed below.
https://levittownteachers.org/
This page also has a general, bullet-bullet pointed description of many of the benefits provided by the Fund for quick reference as well as the contact information for our union office. Our LUT office manager, Gina Murphy, also serves as the office manager for the Fund.