I am completing my 27th year of service (inclusive of out-of-district service) at the end of this school year. When will I start receiving the payment for longevity 28? You should start receiving it this coming September. Members should be aware that you start to receive each longevity at the beginning of each of those years (13, 16, 19, 22, 25 & 28).

If I were to retire mid-year during either of the next 2 school years will I receive any additional health insurance coverage from the most recent Memorandum of Agreement? No, the benefit of being considered an “active” employee for July and August health coverage is only available to those retiring as of June 30 of the years 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010.

A few years ago I taught for about 1 month prior to taking a Child Care Leave for the rest of the year. Why does my TRS Benefit Profile show 3 months of service credit for that school year? You received the 3 months credit because the month you worked plus the 6 weeks of pay that you received while using your sick time generated enough pay to get credited for 3 months of service.

I am Tier 3 and paid my 3% for 17 years. Am I going to get credit for the extra 7 years of contributions? At this time there is no credit for the extra 7 years of payments, but the NYSUT legislative package has a bill for giving teachers 1 month service credit for each year of contribution beyond 10. This situation is one of the many reasons members should contribute to VOTE/COPE so that tier inequities can be addressed prior to a member’s date of retirement.

Any questions regarding retirement, salary, or the Benefit Fund, may be e-mailed to: questions@middletownteachers.org. All questions will receive a reply; some may appear in future newsletters. Visit our archives at: middletownteachers.org!