Benefits Committee Report

Pat Bowslaugh, Chair

As Chair of the RTAM Benefits Committee I am thrilled to report that our committee of six includes two brand new retirees. We welcome Shannon Culbertson and Dave Najduch with their lists of new perspectives as well as Joan Rink who is a veteran having served on other RTAM committees. Brian Paterson, Bill Cann and Pat Bowslaugh round out our contingent which has been very busy operating via the zoom platform.

At our two meetings we have endeavoured to forge forward in spite of COVID-19. It is easy to see that COVID-19 has had a very negative impact on some of our benefit packages.

For example, when COVID-19 started its scourge in March many of our Snowbirds were in the sunny south!

Johnson, Inc. worked hard to encourage our travellers to hasten home to safety. In addition Johnson staff was faced with hundreds upon hundreds of trip cancellation claims.

Thank you to those who maintained patience as Johnson’s overloaded staff waded through the mounds of claims. Our contact , Jessica Simpson, reported that it was early June when the surge of claims were close to being completed.

The next situation was the recognition that the borders were closed and travel had virtually ground to a haunt. Again, on our behalf, Johnson Inc. arranged for our Prestige Travel premiums to be suspended; Prestige Travel plan members were excused from their premiums for four months beginning with September and ending in December. Premiums will start again on January 1, 2021.

It is important to note that Johnson has updated its policies regarding COVID. You are strongly encouraged to read your contracts and if you have any questions please call Johnson at 1-877- 989- 2600. It is imperative that you have the correct information.

We have just completed our discussions with Johnson regarding our premiums for Extended Health Care, Dental and Travel which will begin with the renewal date of April1, 2021. While the details have to be confirmed with our insurance carriers before we can disclose the details, your committee feels very strongly that you will be pleased with the upcoming rates.

We had been very excited during our last term to introduce Trip Merchant to you. Again, with COVID weaving its nasty web travelling has been negatively impacted. Please check the RTAM web pages to participate in the Trip Merchant offerings. They are trying to maintain our hopes while attempting to gauge when travel will once again be viable.

Our plea to you, our precious 10 000 members, is to help us find another 7000 retirees who are not our members. We know that our brochures and other information to raise awareness of this organization was compromised this year because of COVID. So we beg of you to please try and check with former colleagues to verify if they are members and encourage them to join. The annual fee is $36.00 or $3.00 a month. It is deducted at source through TRAF. Non TRAF members are invoiced from our office.

As we enter this Red Level of COVID we pray for your safety throughout these very stressful times.

Take care! Stay safe! 

Your RTAM Benefits Committee works hard to listen to your needs in order to create our packages. While we have several plans the most popular/most used plans are Extended Health Care, Dental Care and Prestige Travel. We also have home insurance. You will find these packages to be very eclectic in coverages and very competitive in premium costs. Check us out and call Johnson, Inc to join any one of these options and to ensure your coverages.