NCAE Helps Resolve Disability Issues

Membership in the Association has its privileges and each year, members seek assistance for everything from issues dealing with benefits to legal matters. Recently, three members received help with disability claims and were able to get resolution thanks to NCAE.

CASE #1: A member in western NC who became disabled earlier this year applied for disability. While waiting for the 60-day waiting period to end, he opted to use paid leave, which he used until school closed in mid-June. The remainder of June, all of July and the first 19 days of August he received no salary compensation due to being a 10-month employee or disability benefits, which is paid over 12 months. When school reopened in mid-August, he was able to use personal leave the first four workdays and exhaust all of his paid leave. From that point to the end of the month, his disability was prorated, although he was eligible to receive payments beginning in June. The member’s UniServ director coordinated a meeting between the district’s superintendent of personnel, the HR director, the school board attorney, NCAE attorney Verlyn Chesson Porte, and Marge Foreman to work out the issue. Foreman shared that the member had been entitled to disability beginning in June, but wanted to exhaust his paid leave, which was an acceptable option. However, when school ended, that was no longer viable, at which point disability payments should have started. The member exhausting his leave did not mean he gave up the right to receive disability. Because of NCAE’s help, the member received a check of more than $7,000 in disability pay.

CASE #2: When a member applied for and began receiving social security disability, she ran into an issue that only NCAE could help with. Because she was receiving disability through the Retirement System, she had to inform them of the social security disability she was receiving, which is subject to a counterbalance process by law. The Retirement System mistakenly did not implement the process and when it discovered, requested the member repay more than $20,000. The member called

Marge Foreman, who spoke with a representative at the Retirement System on her behalf. Foreman knew the statute required repayment but told the rep the repayment option was unfair since it was the Retirement System’s error. The issue was resolved by allowing the member to repay over an extended period of time without causing a financial hardship. “The member was so thankful and excited about the outcome and having more time to repay the money,” Foreman said.

CASE #3: The member’s disability application, which was to be reviewed by the NC Medical Board to determine long-term disability eligibility, was on hold because he was asked to provide more information. The member, who thought he had provided the board with the best documentation possible, questioned why the application was continuing to be rejected. He had made the decision to retire early, but that would have meant not receiving full retirement compensation (there is a penalty for retiring early that affects the amount of one’s pension for life). He talked with Marge Foreman, who explained the best route was to apply for disability. After supplying the additional piece of documentation, she was able to assist him with obtaining another appointment with the Medical Review Board and he was granted disability. As a result, he will receive 65 percent of his total employment compensation and will earn a free year of retirement service credit for every year he receives disability until he reaches 30 years at any age or age 60 with at least 25 years of service but less than 30. In addition, he will continue to receive health coverage and a yearly cost-of-living adjustment based on the Consumer Price Index.

Four Members Named Regional Teachers of the Year and Will Vy for State’s Top Teaching Honor

Kimberly Jones

North Central Regional Teacher of the Year

Four NCAE members, out of nine teachers from across the state, have been selected as Regional Teachers of the Year. They will compete for the title of 2023 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, which will be announced on April 14. These educators were chosen for their dedication, innovation and ability to inspire students to achieve.

The North Carolina Teacher of the Year program is a partnership between the Department of Public Instruction and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund to honor North Carolina’s teachers, which began in 2013. However, the state has recognized outstanding teachers through its program since 1970. The mission of the program is to promote the profession through advocacy and support while recognizing outstanding teaching professionals who are implementing best practices in classrooms across North Carolina. Click here to learn more about the program.

Congratulations to:

Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill/Carrboro City Schools

Casey Schulte

Northeast Regional Teacher of the Year

Bath Elementary School/ Beaufort County Schools

Laura Wilson

Southeast Regional Teacher of the Year

Roger Bell New Tech Academy/Craven County Schools

Tiffany Wynn

Piedmont-Triad Regional Teacher of the Year

Thomasville Middle School/Thomasville City Schools

Teacher Honors Students’ Identity by Learning Real Names

Here's a “feel good” story about an assignment member Justin Parmenter did to help him learn to pronounce students’ names correctly. “Our kids flourish when they feel valued and respected at school, and sometimes it's the little things that help us get there,” said Parmenter, who teaches seventh-grade language arts at South Academy of International Languages in Charlotte. Click here to read more.

Charlotte Member Recognized as the Manilow Music Teacher of the Year

Walter Suggs, a music teacher at Phillip O’berry Academy of Technology in Charlotte, is the recipient of the Manilow Music Teacher Award. He was personally congratulated by renowned singer-songwriter Barry Manilow and presented with a check for $10,000 from The Manilow Music Project during a recent celebration.

“I was overjoyed at winning the award,” said Suggs, a 29year teaching veteran. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment and it was an honor to meet Barry Manilow.”

Suggs said he will use the monetary prize to purchase as many instruments as possible for students. Each year, at least five or six students transitioning from middle to high school use a school-owned instrument to be able to continue playing. “The goal is to put an instrument in the hands of every student who wants to learn or continue to play. This money will be a great start in helping to do that.”

On average, 76% of each generation thinks they will have a harder time achieving nancial security than their parents did,1 and 80% of women believe it’s important to save more to generate more income for their future.2 Yet nearly half of the women surveyed by Retirement Insights, LLC in February, 2020, were saving 6% or less in their retirement plans.3

Some of the challenges women cite when trying to save for retirement include4:

It’s important for you to manage your savings and begin planning for retirement. Contact your local Horace Mann representative to help get on track for the retirement of your dreams.