MAINE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RETIRED
MAINE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RETIREDMAINE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RETIREDMAINE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RETIRED~Promoting the economic, professional and social welfare of retired educators.
MAINE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION RETIRED
~Promoting the economic, professional and social welfare of retired educators.
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A Message From Our MEA-Retired President
The historic Social Security Fairness Act has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. It was signed by President Biden on Sunday, January 5. History has been made! This is amazing news for those who have fought so hard for many years. Perseverance has paid off in a monumental way.
MEA-Retired thanks its members who lobbied in D.C., wrote letters and emails to representatives, and made countless phone calls over the years. We were always kept abreast of the situation by MEA’s Government Relations Director, Jan Kosinski, and MEA-Retired Legislative Chair Crystal Ward. Many thanks to these two for all of their efforts. Together, we have righted the wrongs of GPO and WEP. Hooray!
Over 2 million people are affected by this nationwide. If you are one of those people NEA-Retired has some advice for the steps you should take.
JoAnn Smith Mashburn of the NEA-Retired Executive Council and Ross Dill, NEA-Retired Legislative Committee Chair make the following suggestions:
1. If you already receive reduced Social Security benefits, the Social Security Ad-ministration (SSA) has all your information. After SSA makes decisions on how to proceed, you should hear from them.
2. If you only receive partial benefits because of the GPO, Social Security is aware of your status and the change in your award will be extended as their process continues.
3. If you have applied for spousal or survivor benefits and have received nothing because of the GPO, SSA has your information and should inform you of your change in status as the process develops.
JoAnn and Ross go on to advise the following two groups of retirees to contact SSA at www.ssa.gov.
(1) If you know that SSA does not have your current address or marital status.
(2) If you have never applied for benefits and you are a qualified spouse, divorced spouse, or a widow/widower of a Social Security beneficiary. You are now eligible to apply for spousal or survivor benefits.
It will be a complex process for SSA. Our patience may be tried at times, but the good news is that we will soon have Social Security fairness for ALL!
(Excerpted and edited from February 2025 The Clarion Note from President. Check out The Clarion for the full message from the MEA-Retired President, Robert Jean.)
Robert Jean
President, MEA-Retired
Maine Education Association Retired
35 Community Drive, Augusta, ME 04330 (207) 622-5866
Legislative News
Legislative News Is Time Sensitive
The 132nd Maine Legislature’s first regular session convened on December 4, with a statutory adjournment date of the third Wednesday in June. The Democrats control both the House of Representatives and Senate by slimmer margins. Governor Janet Mills has two years left in her final term.
Go HERE to get links to the latest information. Go HERE to go to the State Legislature's Home Page.
The Clarion is recognized at 2024 NEA-Retired Annual Meeting
Left to Right: MEA-Retired President Bob Jean, NEA-Retired President Anita Gibson, Jean Dobashi, Hawaii, and Marilyn Warner, NEA-Retired Secretary, Florida.
The MEA Retired newsletter, The Clarion, gained additional national recognition when it again won first place in the “Established State Print Retired Newsletter” category. The Clarion won in 2020, 2021, and 2024. The name of our newsletter will be placed on the NEA-Retired Communications Committee’s “Hall of Fame” list. This recognition is awarded because we have won first place for three years.
MEA-R at the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting and RA, July 2024
Representing nearly 5,400 members of MEA-Retired at the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly in Philadelphia in July are left to right: Belinda Micucci, Yarmouth; President Bob Jean, Rockland; James Ford, Brunswick; Ben Paradis, Cross Lake; President-Elect Molly Smith, Lisbon; and Bo Zabierek, Sherman Mills.
Delta Dental Plan
Open enrollment for Northeast Delta Dental Insurance closed on December 13, 2024. Effective date for changes is February 1, 2025.
For additional information, go here. If you have questions about the dental plan as a member of MEA-Retired please contact Lisa Collins at the Caribou MEA Office. She can be reached by email at lcollins@maineea.org or by phone at 207.888.3804.
Helpful Links and Important Messages
LINKS TO:
NEA-Retired: https://www.nea.org/nea-councils/nea-retired
STATE-WIDE FOOD PANTRIES
The Good Sheperd Food Bank has a list and link to a map of state-wide food pantries here. You can also find the location of nearby food pantries in your community by calling your town office.
CDC Covid-19 page HERE
Maine CDC page HERE.
