Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Kaiser is a hero!
Scooby's note:
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This was comment elsewhere in the BLOG that deserves to be seen as a new post.
Awful what LLNS is doing!
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Anonymously contributed:
Kaiser is a hero in this mess.
Hewitt/BofA/LLNS etc. failed to process my application for several months after my Kaiser coverage expired, despite my requests months in advance, and REPEATED requests to all parties for help.
Hewitt's (aka AON Hewitt) favorite response is that they will "Research" the issue, which is their code for GAK: "Go Away, Kid." They almost never get back to you, much less "within 10 business days."
Kaiser, after several calls over months, said that they had seen this many times from LLNS, and had faith that LLNL would eventually make this right, even months late, so they provided me temporary coverage while the LLNS keystone cops continued to stall.
(LLNS Benefits was sympathetic, but not empowered. They did provide help to show that they HAD paid Hewitt, despite Hewitt's denials)
Turned out I needed it, and the temporary coverage was actually far better than the LLNS Group Kaiser Senior Advantage that I eventually got.
Note that LLNS no longer pays for your Medical, instead they offer an B of A HRAccount good for up to $2400/year, that if you go thru their maze might be funded and then used to help pay for coverage or meds.
This is related to Medicare when you get to be 65.
IF you have less than 20 years service they "prorate" this, but down to the lowest whole year. Example: 15 years 11 months plus is called 15 years. So you'd only get $1800 in the HRA. But then they prorate again the first year you become 65. So you get a percentage that year, based on how many months are remaining in the calendar year.
There is a group suing to get UC to cover the Medical for retirees who worked for UC (like all other UC employees). UC Retirees do get their pension from the UCRP.
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10 comments:
If so how come Germany lost WWI?
Different Kaiser.
This one also built the Victory Ships in WWII,
and for a while automobiles.
I'm glad to hear Kaiser came through for you, but I'm appalled to hear about the rest. Unbelievable that we treat our retirees like this.
I thought it was just those of us still stuck working under Bechtel that were taking crap 24/7.
Thanks for sharing your story...with the 15% pay cut(aghm, pension contribution) coming in a few months and these types of stories regarding the post-retirement benefits...I don't see much incentive to stick around until 50.
which, I guess, is precisely what they want....to get all us TCP1ers to quit. I'm sold.
They hire someone younger, cheaper, and who's never had a job with benefits, so doesn't expect them.
Is there an end to all of this?
Seems there have been a pile of reports written, newspaper articles, lawsuits....what's it going to take to change these Bechtel-run labs???
My Kaiser Senior Advantage starts next month.
I have activated my BofA HRA card.
I don't understand how money is supposed to get into the BofA HRA account. Is there something that I need to do?
As of now, Hewitt is set to charge MY CHECKING account for the monthly Senior Advantage fee.
Phone calls to Hewitt sent me to BofA who sent me to Kaiser Senior Advantage who all seem clueless.
Next step taken by the Bechtel-ized LLCs will be to get rid of retiree medical as it is not a "guaranteed benefit". They'll then follow that up by freezing the TCP1 pensions.
They'll do this because they can. These Bechtel bastards don't really care much for the general employees who toil away at the national labs which Bechtel manages for an nice annual profit fee. The only lab employees they care about are their buddies in the top executive positions at LLNL and LANL. Those top executives are paid very well to do Bechtel's bidding. Follow the money....
You do have to be willing to stand up for your rights with Kaiser, and don't blindly follow their lead.
I needed a Sleep Apnea Study.
But here in Pleasanton we are in Kaiser's "Diablo District", as devilish as that sounds. It meant they wanted me to go all the way to Martinez (45 minutes away) a couple of times: Once to sit thru a 15 minute class, once to pick up the home test machine, and once more, by 9AM to return it.
Turned out I can do all this thru the Hayward office, which is just 20 minutes away.
To The Kaiser Senior Advantage person 4:34 PM.
The run around sounds very familiar. They had claimed these were "temporary glitches" , but this has been the story for years.
My advice is to document all your interactions, take names and numbers, dates, times, try to do as much as you can by registered letter, but don't give up. Seems like that is what they are hoping for.
And could you please let us know how it goes? THANKS!
Note that the LLNL Retirees Club has recently become independent of LLESA, mostly because LLNS said they could not help Retires with such issues. Maybe talk to them and see if they have any suggestions.
Q. Can or will ELLEN O. TAUSCHER actually help anyone, like on the Medical issues for retirees?
To read about the LLNL Retirees separation from LLNS:
http://www.llnlretirees.org/2012-08-16Lab_Retirees_Form_New_Group.html
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