FROM THE BOARD, Barb Frank, President
2011 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Thanks to your Intel Retiree Organization volunteers, we are proud of our 2011 accomplishments.
1) Redesigned and expanded your retiree website. Kudos to Judy Goodman and our website team of John Coutu, Dorothy Erpelding, Kea Grilley, Mark Healy, Polly Jennings, Sam Louke and Elyce Wair. Thanks to Intel for funding it.
2) Quarterly paper newsletter moved to new electronic monthly News Flash saving hours of volunteer labor and Intel dollars. Thanks again to Judy Goodman who made sure we got this capability with our new website, and also Sharon Bernier as our chief editor.
3) Our volunteers answered retiree questions daily on multiple topics (discount programs, events, email address updates, volunteer programs, international impacts, SERMA) that are sent to our mailbox. An example is that we solved at least 49 health benefit issues for retirees in 2011. Thanks to all our 2011 volunteers who monitor the mailbox: Dorothy Erpelding, Elyce Wair, Sharon Bernier, Cheryl Pruss, Ben Manny, Caspar Helmer, Debbie Watson, Toni Hallenbeck, Duc Ngo, Sam Louke and Barb Frank.
4) Reached more retirees as our membership grew 14% from 1515 to 1721. Thanks to our Communications team: Howard High, Randy Williams, Judy Goodman, Barb Frank, Cheryl Pruss, Ben Manny and Sharon Bernier.
5) Annual dinners, partially funded by Intel, held in Oregon, the Bay Area and this year included Arizona and Folsom.
2012 PRIORITIES
Our top priorities for 2012 are working with Intel to expand employee discounts and Great Place To Work benefits to retirees. In addition, we will continue to provide retirees with a single venue for fast, efficient and accurate answers from Intel via our mailbox.
You can use our mailbox to help you solve issues you are having with any of Intel’s retiree programs. You simply go to our website, click on our Contact Us, and describe the issue you are having. We have a solid process in place with Intel to get issues resolved quickly, and your questions answered promptly. In 2012 we have already responded 51 retiree issues. Here are a few examples.
HEALTH AND BENEFITS COMMITTEE, Cheryl Pruss, Chairperson
COMMON VACCINE BENEFITS
For retirees using IRMP with prescription benefits (Cigna and Anthem Blue Cross Plans), you can receive vaccines at a $0 copayment or coinsurance even if you haven’t met the plan deductible, when administered at a participating retail pharmacy. Click here for the list of vaccines that are available and for a number to call to verify that your retail pharmacy participates in the Medco network. Some common vaccines on the list include shingles, influenza type A & B, yellow fever vaccine, and typhoid vaccine.
TAX IMPACT OF SERMA
For information on the tax impact of SERMA reimbursements click here. You are allowed to submit SERMA claims for reimbursement for payment of health insurance plans other than IRMP, for the prior year (2011) during the run-out period (January 1st to March 31st), as long as the premiums occurred while you were eligible under the plan. The run-out period provides you extra time to submit your claims. You must submit your claims with complete supporting documentation by March 31st, 2012 for the year 2011.
VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE, Ben Manny, Chairperson
2011 REPORTED VOLUNTEER HOURS DOWN 30 Percent
Intel retirees contributed $724,361 to the Fall Community Giving campaign and reported 37,495 volunteer hours for 2011. Donations to the campaign were UP about 2 percent from last year but reported volunteer hours were DOWN almost 30 percent from 2010. All major sites were down about the same percentage while current Intel employee hours were actually higher. Click here to see the full report and historical record.
Based on the higher number of questions about reporting hours, our numbers were expected to continue trending upward. Please pass along any insights to Ben Manny that might help explain this significant decrease. The Intel Involved program is a direct way every retiree can make a meaningful and positive impact to their communities.
COMMUNICATION TEAM, Randy Williams and Howard High, Co-chairpersons
RETIREES NEEDED FOR INTEL INTERVIEWS ON LONG-TERM RETIREMENT STRATEGIES
Intel is looking for non-HR folks who retired within the last five years to obtain input on future retirement strategies. Interviews will be done in a 30 minute phone call March 15 and 16. Check the announcement on our website for more details on the different profiles Intel is looking for as well as contact information for this excellent opportunity.
SITE UPDATES
BAY AREA – Join us for lunch on March 27th, at Cascal Restaurant, and bring your Vault card for a discount on your meal. On April 28th, we’re going to the Races at Golden Gate Fields. We have a limited number of discount tickets for this event. See our calendar for details.
FOLSOM – Pictures and details of the successful annual dinner have been posted on our calendar. See how many people you recognize.