The RECOSA Nominating Committee is currently accepting nominations for Four (4) RECOSA Board positions that will be elected at the November 15th Annual Membership Meeting.

The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, October 25, 2019.

If you are a RECOSA member interested in serving on the Board, please submit a brief interest statement including your: 1) reason for interest; 2) experience; 3) availability; and 4) ability to meet the following expectations of Board members:

• serve a two-year term beginning January 1, 2020
• attend monthly Board meetings (currently first Tuesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at City of San Antonio Solid Waste Management Dept. located at 4410 W. Piedras Dr.)
• attend quarterly meetings with the City’s Human Resources Department, if possible
• attend quarterly Brown Bag events for retirees
• serve on one or more Board committees, such as membership, finance & fundraising, and health benefits
• potentially serve as an officer of RECOSA, if elected (i.e. Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary)

Nominations may be submitted to John German, RECOSA Treasurer and Chair of Nominating Committee, as follows:

EMAIL:
jgerman1962@gmail.com
(subject “2019 RECOSA Board Nominations“)

– OR –

MAIL:
RECOSA
Attn: Chair, RECOSA Nominating Committee
P.O. Box 12973
San Antonio, TX 78212-0973

The Nominating Committee will review qualified nominees and select a slate of candidates — one person per open Board position — to be nominated and placed on the ballot for the November 15th Annual Membership Meeting.

Nominations will also be accepted from the floor at the November 15th Annual Membership Meeting. All nominees from the floor must: 1) be members in good standing with RECOSA; 2) be in attendance at the Annual Membership Meeting; and 3) express their interest verbally as indicated above. The four candidates with the most votes will fill the vacant positions. Numbers will be drawn by the elected individuals to determine the Board positions they will fill. The RECOSA Board Chair will announce the results at the conclusion of the Annual Membership Meeting.

Questions may be posed by calling RECOSA’s phone line at (210) 504-9567 and leaving a message, or emailing RECOSA at info.recosa@gmail.com.

For those retirees planning to attend the Annual Enrollment Information Sessions scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, October 17, 2019, please note the time has changed for the Mission Library session as follows:

• Mission Library (3134 Roosevelt Ave.) from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (noon)

Reminder, there is another session in the afternoon as follows:

• Phil Hardberger Park – West Entrance – Gathering Hall (8400 N.W. Military Hwy.) from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

If you have any questions or concerns about this change, please contact City of San Antonio Human Resources Customer Service at (210) 207-8705 from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday, or email them at AskHR@SanAntonio.gov.

The October 2019 edition of the Retiree Matters newsletter has been mailed to retirees. Click here to read the digital version.

Highlights of the current edition include:

• November 15th RECOSA Annual Membership Meeting & Brown Bag Session
• Retiree Annual Enrollment: October 7th – November 1st
• 2020 Retiree TMRS Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COSA)
• Low-Cost Pet Services

With the fall comes the time when the RECOSA Board begins its search for members to serve on the board for the next two calendar years.

RECOSA’s success hinges on the active participation of its board and membership. With the anticipated loss of some current board members it’s critical that other members consider serving on the RECOSA Board.

Interested members should have:

• a willingness to serve
• an interest in retiree benefits
• the time to devote to the organization

Board meetings are usually held on the first (1st) Tuesday of each month at the City of San Antonio’s Solid Waste Management Dept. Conference Room, 4410 W. Piedras Dr. Meetings are open to all members and usually begin at 11:30 a.m.

If you are a RECOSA member and interested in serving on the board and/or have any questions, please call (210) 504-9567 and leave a message, or email info.recosa@gmail.com.

Your COSA health benefits information will be mailed to you soon. We have provided the following link to a presentation on 2020 retiree benefits by City of San Antonio Human Resources Director, Lori Steward.

• Human Resources Presentation on 2020 Retiree Benefits

Annual Enrollment Dates:

• Non-Medicare (pre-65) Retirees: October 7, 2019 – November 1, 2019
• Medicare (post-65) Retirees: October 21, 2019 – November 1, 2019

Please take note of the following:

1. If you do not wish to make any changes to your health, dental or vision plans, you do not need to do anything; your coverage will roll over to 2020.
2. If you have any questions:
   • Annual Enrollment Information Sessions are scheduled for Thursday, October 17, 2019 at the following locations and times:
     • Mission Library (3134 Roosevelt Ave.) from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
     • Phil Hardberger Park – West Entrance – Gathering Hall (8400 N.W. Military Hwy.) from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
   • Please call Human Resources Customer Service at (210) 207-8705 from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday, or email them at AskHR@SanAntonio.gov.

Mark your calendars to attend our RECOSA Annual Membership Meeting & Brown Bag Session on Friday, November 15, 2019. City Manager, Erik Walsh, is slated to speak. Once the time and location have been finalized that information will be posted here and emailed to retirees.

Retirees will soon be receiving in the mail a Special Budget Edition of Retiree Matters, including proposed FY 2019-2020 retiree benefits and costs. Click here to read the digital version.

City of San Antonio City Manager, Erik Walsh, presented the FY 2019-2020 Proposed Operating and Capital Budget to the San Antonio City Council on August 8, 2019. Following is a summary of proposed retiree benefit changes:

ALL RETIREES

• 1.3% ad hoc Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for retirees to be reflected in January 2020 TMRS annuity checks

• no dental or vision plan premium changes for all retirees

PRE-65 (NON-MEDICARE) RETIREES

• no premium increases for the New Value medical plan
• decreased premiums for the Consumer Choice medical plan
• third new medical plan, Blue Essentials HMO

• additional medical plan features, including expert medical opinion and treatment options, as well as travel reimbursement

POST-65 (MEDICARE) RETIREES

• increased rates due to restoration of health insurance fee by federal government 

• new transportation benefit for rides to medical appointments

Retiree Open Enrollment is October 7-25, 2019. Pre-65 (non-Medicare) retirees will be receiving enrollment information from the City of San Antonio, while Post-65 (Medicare) retirees will be receiving information from Aenta.

Please note, if you do not wish to make any changes to your current medical, dental or vision plans, you do not need to do anything. Your coverage will continue (roll over) to 2020.

RECOSA invites you to a special proposed budget presentation for retirees at the Brown Bag event on Friday, September 6th from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Mission Branch Library, 3134 Roosevelt Ave. (NOTE THE REVISED LOCATION FROM THE CENTRAL LIBRARY TO THE MISSION BRANCH LIBRARY). The Retiree RSVP Line is open, so to reserve your seat, leave a message at (210) 207-7000 or email AskHR@sanantonio.gov.

If you have any questions, please contact the Employee Benefits Office at (210) 207-0073 or Human Resources Customer Service at (210) 207-8705. You can also send an email to COSARetiree@sanantonio.gov.

The next Brown Bag session will be held Friday, September 6th from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Mission Branch Library, 3134 Roosevelt Ave.

This session will include a presentation by City of San Antonio Deputy City Manager, María Villagómez, on the  FY 2019-2020 City of San Antonio Proposed Budget, presented to the City of San Antonio City Council on August 8, 2019.

In addition, City of San Antonio Human Resources Director, Lori Steward, will present the retiree benefit changes in the FY 2019-2020 City of San Antonio Proposed Budget.

If you would like to review the FY 2019-2020 City of San Antonio Proposed Budget, please click on the following links:
Presentation
Highlights (English)
Destacados (Español)
Budget
Employee Compensation and Benefits Section (incl. Retiree Civilian Benefits)

The City will provide a healthy snack, water, and coffee, but feel free to bring a bag lunch. Free parking will be available in the library’s parking lot. The Retiree RSVP Line is open, so to reserve your seat, leave a message at (210) 207-7000, or email AskHR@sanantonio.gov.

As always, spouses and domestic partners are welcome to attend this event.

Air Methods (the emergency flight service) has informed us that effective immediately, they are no longer selling memberships for their service. Please see the attached flyer for more information.