OCTA TAXPAYER OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE (TOC) RECRUITMENT

Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is looking for new committee members for the Taxpayer Oversight Committee (TOC).  OCTA strongly encourages residents and community leaders to get involved and help monitor how transportation tax dollars are spent in Orange County. 

The Taxpayer Oversight Committee (TOC) is an independent 11-member committee that monitors OCTA’s use of revenue collected through OC GO (also known as Measure M), the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements. Members of the TOC work to ensure the transportation projects specified in OC Go are built as promised. There are open positions in the Second and Third Supervisorial Districts. TOC applications are available here. 

Applications must be received by May 5 and for more information, please contact Allison Imler at (714) 560-5643 or aimler@octa.net.

 The OCTA Board of Directors is expected to select members by the end of June 2023.  

COST OF LIVING (COLA) ADJUSTMENT

A discussion was held at the February 21, 2023 OCERS Board Meeting regarding the Cost-of-Living adjustment for 2023.  This item was approved by the OCERS Board at their meeting.

For 2023, the COLA is 3%. This is based upon a change in the CPI of 7.45% which was rounded to 7.5% as is required by statute. For all benefit recipients, who began or will begin receiving benefits on or before April 1, 2023, this adjustment will increase their allowances by 3% with the remaining 4.5% added to their “COLA Bank.” The COLA adjustment will appear on the May 1st check.  For more information about the COLA process, click here.

A REMINDER REGARDING OUR NEW LUNCHEON LOCATION

Our luncheons will now be held at the centrally located, attractive and newer facility of the Elks Lodge located at 1751 South Elks Lane, Santa Ana, CA 92705.  All the luncheons will provide a main dish, a salad with vegetables, rolls and dessert.  Coffee, tea, and ice water will also be served.

The Elks Lodge is next to the OC Credit Union building on St. Andrews Place. You will find plenty of parking spaces!  The major cross streets are Grand Avenue and Edinger in Santa Ana.

We hope to see you at our next luncheon on May 31, 2023!

HEALTH PLAN RATES FOR 2023

The County of Orange Board of Supervisors approved the new rates for the retiree health plans for 2023 at their meeting on July 19, 2022. The rate charts may be accessed below.

Click here for the PPO rate charts (Wellwise and Sharewell)

Click here for the HMO rate charts (Kaiser, Scan and Blue Cross)

MEDICARE SAVINGS PROGRAMS

If you or someone you know is having trouble paying for healthcare costs, there may be ways to save money on Medicare premiums and other costs. You can get help from your state paying your Medicare premiums. In some cases, Medicare Savings Programs may also pay Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and  Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)  deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments if you meet certain conditions. Please click here for additional information.

REAOC BOARD OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

The REAOC Board will continue to meet on a monthly basis although we will follow the CDC guidelines and not meet in person.  Our Board meetings will continue to be held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month and we will utilize the online Zoom platform.  If you have any issues or questions you would like to have us discuss, please contact the REAOC office at (714) 840-3995.

NEWS WEEK OF MARCH 13, 2023

Alaska considering return to DB pension model in public sector 

Benefits, a Canadian publisher that focuses on HR related issues, report:  “To bolster Alaska’s public sector, a bipartisan effort is underway to relaunch the state’s pensions as defined benefit plans. “I’m carrying this bill on behalf of thousands of state employees who have worked for more than a decade to refine it,” said Cathy Giessel, leader of the state senate’s Republican majority during her introduction of Bill 88. “It will give our employees a secure and livable retirement and also be affordable to the state.”

– – – – “The bill, which is co-sponsored by five Republicans and four Democrats, aims to help the state attract and retain public employees. After both pension plans transitioned from traditional DB plans to defined contribution arrangements in 2014, Alaska’s public sector workforce dipped by 24.6 per cent.” (Read More)

Silicon Valley Bank shuts down; pension funds, investors measure their losses 

Pensions and Investments reported: “Pension funds and institutional investors are taking the measure of their exposure to Silicon Valley Bank, the high-profile venture capital and startup lender shut down Friday by regulators and taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.  Almost anyone invested in an index fund may hold Silicon Valley Bank to a tiny degree. For private equity and venture capital firms and their investors, this moment may have as big an impact on the private market world as the 2008 global financial crisis, making investors laser-focused on their managers’ liquidity, industry insiders say.” (Read More)

Water restrictions lifted for millions in SoCal, but region still urged to conserve 

“Mandatory water restrictions are being lifted for nearly 7 million people across Southern California following winter storms that have boosted reservoirs and eased the severe shortage that emerged during the state’s driest three-year period on record.”   Los Angeles Times (Read More)

COVID-19 study reveals 15% to 25% of adults who have had virus suffer from ‘long COVID’ 

News 12 in the Bronx ran this story: “This is as big of a public health problem as many other things that we spend the time trying to track and understand,” said Denis Nash, a professor of epidemiology at the City University of New York. “We don’t know how long or how many people who have this condition will suffer from it.”  (Read More)

Seeking Alzheimer’s clues from few who escape genetic fate 

This Associated Press article begins with “Doug Whitney inherited the same gene mutation that gave Alzheimer’s disease to his mother, brother and generations of other relatives by the unusually young age of 50. Yet he’s a healthy 73, his mind still sharp. Somehow, the Washington man escaped his genetic fate. So did a woman in Colombia who dodged her own family’s similar Alzheimer’s destiny for nearly three decades.  To scientists, these rare “escapees” didn’t just get lucky. They offer an unprecedented opportunity to learn how the body may naturally resist Alzheimer’s.” (Read More)

ABOUT OUR LUNCHEONS

WHY
REAOC luncheons are held for the purpose of bringing Orange County retirees together for an afternoon of camaraderie, entertainment, and information. Friends and family are always welcome! Each luncheon features a different theme, with door prizes, and special gifts. As an added bonus, there is a valuable Progressive Drawing. They also serve as a general meeting for the membership.

WHERE

Please note that we have a new venue for our REAOC luncheons.  We will hold our luncheons at the new Elks Lodge in Santa Ana!  The Elks Lodge is located at 1751 South Elks Lane, Santa Ana, CA 92705.  All the luncheons will provide a main dish, a salad with vegetables, rolls and dessert.  Coffee, tea, and ice water will also be served.

The Elks Lodge is right next to the OC Credit Union building on St. Andrews Place. You will find plenty of parking spaces!  Attend and have fun visiting with your friends and guests at the Elks Lodge.   Please see your upcoming Informer newsletter for additional information.

For directions, see map below showing where the Facility is located. Please DO NOT call the Facility to make reservations. Reservations are made by sending in the reservation form in The Informer or by calling the REAOC office at (714) 840-3995.

WHEN

For 2023, the luncheons will be held on Wednesdays on the dates listed below:

January 25, 2023

March 15, 2023

May 31, 2023

September 27, 2023

December 6, 2023

To ensure a parking spot please arrive by 11 a.m. Please carpool if possible.

Cost for the luncheon is $17.00 per person. A reservation form is provided in The Informer (on the current Luncheon page), in the “Forms” section of the REAOC web site or you may email the REAOC office of your request (reaoc@reaoc.org). Reservations for the May 31, 2023 luncheon must be received by no later than May 24, 2023.

HEMET CHAPTER LUNCHEONS

Luncheons in Hemet have been traditionally held on the second Tuesday during the months of February, April, June, October and December.   Attendees arrive around 11:30 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in the Fellowship Hall located at 515 E. Kimball Avenue in Hemet and lunch is served between 11:45 and noon. The cost is $9.50 per person.  The Hemet Chapter would like new members and encourages all REAOC members who live in the area or within driving distance to join them for the luncheons.

REAOC’s Hemet Chapter have not yet been scheduled for 2022.  We hope to once again meet in 2023. 

HEALTH PLAN RATES FOR 2023

The County of Orange Board of Supervisors approved the new rates for the retiree health plans for 2023 at their meeting on July 19, 2022. The rate charts may be seen below.

Click here for the PPO rate charts (Wellwise and Sharewell)

Click here for the HMO rate charts (Kaiser, Scan and Blue Cross)

THE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS RESOURCE LINE – MY OC BENEFITS™

Call the My OC Benefits™ Line toll-free at (833) 476-2347 or they may be reached at mybenefits.ocgov.com

SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE BENEFITS

For information about the supplemental insurance including dental and vision coverage, please click on the link below. 

Supplemental Insurance Benefits