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Recently, the Comptroller's Office sent notice to all employees regarding changes to the HEP requirements.  Basically, the new requirements are far easier to remember and make it easier to obtain compliance with your healthcare requirements.  Some of the changes will be implemented for 2024 and some will become effective calendar year 2025.

View the new HEP Requirement Chart

In 2024, dependent children (up to age 26) will only be required to have 1 dental cleaning per year starting at age 6+; there will be no other HEP requirements for dependent children going forward. Employees and Spouse

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The following release was issued by SEBAC:

The risk-sharing provision of the Tier IV pension plan – which covers most state employees hired after 7/31/2017 – was implemented for the first time on July 1, 2023 and will run through June 30, 2024. That provision permits the State to increase employee contributions by half of the amount by which the plan’s investment returns failed to reach the projected average amount of 6.9% in the prior calendar year, up to a maximum of  2%.

In calendar year 2022, the SERS fund’s investment income was far below the 6.9% annual benchmark with a net

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Have you ever had a chance to sit down with your State Rep or State Senator?  AFT-CT has set up Lunch Meetings with local State Reps/Senators.  These are low-pressure meetings where you and many other union members in your area get to grab a meal and talk to or listen to their State Legislators.  The meeting and lunch are free to all A&R members and we actually have a very important item that we need the legislature to support this session: our wage increases!!!

One of the worst things we can put forth is a message to the legislature that we really don't care enough to show up and tell them

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Everyone is aware that the Governor closed Executive Branch offices due to the snowstorm...unfortunately, he also continued his streak of improperly applying the State's Telework agreement with the Unions.

The Governor's written directive states: 

          All level 2 executive branch state employees whose job duties can be completed remotely should telework, or they may request use of accrued leave

The actual Telework Agreement states in item 8.3.2.:

          In addition, teleworkers may be requested to telework on non-telework days as operational needs dictate or in the event of an

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Tier 4 Update

This isn't new news, but we can confirm that the state employee pension fund did hit its target of a 6.9% return rate for calendar year 2023.  As such, the 2% surcharge that went into place on July 1, 2023 will cease on July 1, 2024.  This means that all Tier 4 employees will not have the 2% pension surcharge deducted from their paychecks starting July 1, 2024.

The next evaluation period for the pension return rate will be at the end of calendar year 2024.

A&R is still conducting discussions related to a General Wage Increase for July 1 as well, we will keep you posted as this process moves along.  If you want to have a say/vote in the July GWI for A&R, you must be signed up as an A&R member...if you are a fairly new hire into state service and haven't signed up with A&R, the process is simple, just follow this link

Today, the A&R Convention Call was mailed out to all members (non-members will not receive the Convention Call mailing).  The Convention Call is a notice to members that our elections for Officer, Member Representative, and Delegate positions are forthcoming.  It is important to note that ONLY A&R members can vote in the union elections.  If you are not signed up as a member then you cannot vote...so how do you know if you are signed up as a member?  Basically, most people are signed up (we only have 150 people who have not signed up and the VAST majority of those are recently hired employees

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