Regional Rep Review
February 2009
“News from the Board of Pensions”
Note: This newsletter offers highlights and news from the Board of Pensions. Please feel free to share this piece with your communications director, webmaster and newsletter editor.
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For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.
— 1 Corinthians 12:12-14
2008 Investment Review and Report of Management available
Two important reports are now available on Pensions.org:
· the 2008 Investment Review, a review of the Board of Pensions Balanced Investment Portfolio
· the 2008 Report of Management, an assessment of the Board of Pensions’ response to the opportunities and challenges of 2008
Tax Resource Center provides key tools
The Tax Resource Center on Pensions.org provides specialized tax resources with an emphasis on tips and advice for ministers, church treasurers, and business administrators, including:
· the Tax Guide for Ministers & Churches for the 2008 Tax Year booklet
· the Federal Reporting Requirements for Churches* booklet
· tax questions and answers for:
o active ministers
o retired ministers
o treasurers and administrators
· links to IRS resources
Review these helpful resources as you begin to prepare your taxes.
*Please note: The Federal Reporting Requirements for Churches booklet will not be mailed to churches and employing organizations this year. If you would like a copy, please download it from Pensions.org or call the Board at 800-773-7752 (800-PRESPLAN).
New Plan
benefits offered
Effective
January 1, 2009, three new benefits help you engage in the
Stewardship of Self
initiative, enabling you to better care for the well-being of the spiritual,
vocational, financial, and health aspects of your life. This effort not only
improves your own life, but also helps you fulfill a responsibility to care for
the greater Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) community.
Office copay
waived for preventive care
All active
Medical Plan members and their covered spouses and dependents qualify for an
office copay waiver ($0 copay) for annual covered
preventive care
services with an in-network primary physician or gynecologist. Eligible
in-network preventive tests and screening services will continue to be covered
at 100 percent.
Financial
services enhanced
The new
financial services provided through the
Employee Assistance Program
(EAP) give you access to a team of financial experts. You can arrange for a
telephone consultation with an EAP counselor, who will help you clarify your
concerns, assist you with problem solving, and help you connect with appropriate
resources. If your situation extends beyond the scope of the initial call, you
will receive additional phone support and/or referrals to other resources.
New fitness
benefit available
The Board
has added a
fitness benefit
for active and retired members and their covered spouses and dependent children.
GlobalFit helps you make fitness a part of your life by offering three
membership options and reduced rates on fitness club memberships. Please see the
GlobalFit product sheet
for details about this new fitness benefit.
Benefits Connect provides
secure access to benefits information
Benefits Connect
provides secure access to your personal benefits information. In addition to
listing all of the benefits in which you are currently enrolled, you can submit
changes to your contact information and dependent status. You can also use
online calculators to estimate your pension and death benefits.
Benefits Connect is now available to retirees and surviving spouses, as well. It provides these members with additional information, including the payment history. Added features include the ability for retirees and surviving spouses to request a change in their direct deposit information online.
Please remember as your regional representative, I am available to assist those in your presbytery who are in any way related to the work of the Board of Pensions, by offering:
1. Retiree Luncheons,
2. Church Treasurers Workshops,
3. Committee on Ministry Workshops,
4. COPM Workshops, and
5. Benefits Overview Workshops for Presbytery Leadership Events, Pre-Presbytery Meetings, and congregations in your area.
These workshops can be tailored to meet the time limits that you may have for any one group. Please give me a call or drop me a email to set up a time and event in your presbytery.
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