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Family Benefits

Suffolk County Survivor Benefits

Survivor BenefitsUpdated June 2012

ONE-TIME DEATH BENEFIT

Contact:
Suffolk County Municipal Employees Benefit Fund
30 Orville Drive, Suite D
Bohemia, NY 11716
Phone: (631) 319-4099
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.scmebf.org

Covered members are those as defined by the Fund and include members on a leave of absence of up to one year due to extended illness, maternity or a job-related injury resulting in Worker’s Compensation status. Retired members, their spouses, and those on COBRA are not eligible for this benefit. The member will be the beneficiary upon the death of his or her spouse. The member’s spouse will be the beneficiary upon the death of a member unless a signed form naming another beneficiary is on file with the employee’s payroll office. Payment will be made to the designated beneficiary of single members.

The Fund will pay $1000 upon the death of either the member or the member’s spouse.

To apply for the benefit, submit a certified copy of the death certificate to the Fund office along with the member’s social security number and designation of beneficiary form.


FUNERAL BENEFIT

Contact:
Suffolk County Municipal Employees Benefit Fund
30 Orville Drive, Suite D
Bohemia, NY 11716
Phone: (631) 319-4099
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.scmebf.org

Covered members are those as defined by the Fund in an active payroll status only, with the exception of those members on a leave of absence of up to one year due to extended illness, maternity, or a job-related injury resulting in Worker’s Compensation status. Retired members or members on COBRA are not eligible for this benefit.

A death benefit in the amount of $10,000 payable to the beneficiary or beneficiaries named in writing by the member and filed with the member’s payroll representative. If no beneficiary is named, or if a named beneficiary is not living at the time of the member’s death, payment will be made to the member’s estate. Please note that the benefit is halved when the deceased is over 70 years of age.

To apply for the benefit, a copy of the original death certificate with the seal should be submitted to the Fund office along with the member’s social security number. In those cases where no beneficiary has been named or the named beneficiary predeceased the member, copies of Letters of Administration or Letters Testamentary from the Surrogate Court must also be submitted.

Designation of Beneficiary forms are filed with your payroll representative. If you wish to update information, complete another form at that time. This information will supersede the original form.


EDUCATION BENEFITS – CHILDREN

Contact:
Suffolk County Volunteer Firemen’s Association, Inc.
John Masem Scholarship Committee
c/o – Richard Vella 802 5th Street
West Babylon, NY 11704
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.scvfaonline.org/SCHOLARSHIP.html

The John Masem scholarship was instituted in Memory of John Masem Sr. in September 2002.

John spent a majority of his life serving his fellow man. He spent many years working with young people as an educator and served his country during the Korean War. He served his church as a lector and the people of the Medford Community for 40 years as a volunteer firefighter.

John held every office within the Medford Fire Department, including Chief of the Department. He was awarded the Department’s Louis Martinez Memorial Award in 1981 and received what is the greatest tribute any firefighter could receive when the Medford Fire Department dedicated their new headquarters building in his name.

John not only served on a local basis was also very active in firematic organizations at a Town, County, Regional and State level. John served as a trustee to FASNY Firemen’s Home in Hudson NY as Home Trustee for ten years. The scholarship which gives out four (4) $500 dollar scholarships each year to continue John’s commitment to education.

Recipients must be the child, grandchild, brother or sister of a member of the Suffolk County Volunteer Firemen’s Association and a resident of Suffolk County.


HEALTH INSURANCE

Contact:
Employee Medical Health Plan of Suffolk County
c/o – Employee Benefits Unit Building 158, North County Complex
P.O. Box 6100
Hauppauge, NY 11788
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.emhp.org

The County created the Employee Medical Health Plan of Suffolk County (EMHP) in 1991, through collective bargaining with its then nine (9) municipal labor unions (there are currently ten (10) municipal labor unions), by legislative resolution, with an effective starting date of January 1, 1992. County employees have the option of being covered by the EMHP or one of the Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) offered.

The EMHP currently covers active employees, retirees, dependent survivors, employees on leave of absence, self-paying faculty, terminated vesteds, union benefit fund employees and COBRA participants. The EMHP offers enrollees and their covered dependents a full range of benefits. These benefits include hospital benefits, major medical benefits, prescription drug benefits and mental health/substance abuse benefits.

The hospital benefits currently provides enrollees with 365 days of coverage for both in-patient and outpatient services. The major medical benefits currently provides enrollees with a preferred provider option subject to a co-payment and a traditional indemnity option subject to deductible, co-payments and charges above reasonable and customary limits. The prescription drug benefits currently provides enrollees with options to use participating pharmacies or mail order. The mental health/substance abuse benefits currently provides enrollees with a managed care program covered at a higher level of benefits. All of these benefits are as set forth in the EMHP Booklet.

Enrollment and COBRA administration and coordination with third party administrators is the responsibility of the Suffolk County Department of Civil Service/Human Resources, Employee Benefits Unit.

Responsible for the oversight of the Employee Medical Health Plan is the Labor Management Committee composed of a representative from each of the ten Suffolk County bargaining units and an equal number of County representatives appointed by the County Executive. In general, this joint committee is responsible for addressing all policy issues regarding the health benefits plan. It meets monthly to consider disputes over claimed benefit levels, monitor the performance of providers, and consider changes in the administration of the plan.

 


Disclaimer: The material contained in the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Survivor Benefits website is not the result of legal research, but rather is based on a scan of public documents. We have made every effort to be accurate and timely, but errors may exist. The material on this website is advisory only and should not be cited as evidence or proof that a benefit exists or that our facts are accurate. Always consult the decedent’s fire department for benefits assistance, or a benefits’ attorney. If, in the course of your own research, you see errors of fact, or new benefit information, please pass this information along to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.