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SMART-TD is pleased to announce that the open enrollment for the Voluntary Long-Term Disability (VLTD) and Voluntary Group Life (VLIFE) insurance plans has begun. This will be the only opportunity this year for members to get protected.

The last date for enrollment is Aug. 23, 2024, to be covered for a Sept. 1, 2024, effective date. This opportunity is open only to members who are not current participants in the SMART-TD VLTD or VLIFE programs.

Coverage highlights

VLTD

  • Protects members’ income if they cannot work due to injury, illness or surgery.
  • Tax-free benefits — no medical exams/questions required to enroll.
  • Up to $5,000 of monthly benefits for up to 5 years.
  • Benefits start paying after the SMART VSTD stops — 238 days for rail members and 365 days for bus members.

VLIFE

  • Members can elect up to $250,000 with no medical exams/questions required.
  • Benefits double in the event of an accidental death.
  • 24-7 on- and off-the-job protection.

Members can explore options such as cancer insurance, accidental death & dismemberment, and hospital indemnity insurance via the UTUIA.

Members can learn more and enroll by visiting www.smart-vltd.com.

Thank you for your dedication.

In solidarity,

SMART Transportation Division

metlifeActive and retired railroad employees covered under The Railroad Employees’ National Health and Welfare Plan or The NRC/UTU Health and Welfare Plan may be eligible for life and accidental death and Dismemberment benefits from MetLife.

For eligible active employees, the death benefit is in most cases $20,000, and there may be an additional AD&D benefit that could pay up to $16,000. For eligible retired employees, the death benefit is $2,000.

Most employees filled out a designated beneficiary form when they began work for a participating railroad and MetLife urges employees and retirees to keep this form with your other important papers. If you need to update your beneficiary form, or if there is doubt as to whom you designated, it is recommended that you complete a new form and send it to MetLife.

A beneficiary form, as well as a copy of the full summary plan description book, can be found at www.rrinfodepot.com. There is a direct link to that web page from www.utu.org. Hovering over the “Healthcare” tab on the UTU home page will provide you with a drop down menu for the Railroad Information Depot.

You can also obtain information about this benefit by calling MetLife toll-free at (800) 310-7770.

This is a very important benefit for all eligible active and retired railroad employees covered under the national health and welfare plans, although many employees, especially retired employees, may not be fully aware of it. We urge you to post this notice at appropriate work locations on the property and remind all retirees with whom you may come in contact that they should contact MetLife to inquire about their eligibilty for the $2,000 death benefit.

Living in the Nashville area, affected by the floods, and in need of your prescription drugs from Medco?

Medco advises that the U.S. Post Office has established temporary mail facilities at two locations in the City of Nashville:

  • The Melrose Station, located at 798 Berry Road, was damaged by flood waters, but a mobile postal van is available in the parking lot of the facility to meet the needs of customers. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday only, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT. Post Office box customers at Melrose may also pick up their mail from the mobile van during normal hours with proper identification.
  • The homes of many customers served by Nashville’s Bellevue Station are still inaccessible for mail delivery. Mail is being held at the post office located at 7619 Highway 70, and may be picked up during normal business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 am. – 6 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. CT). Customers must present proper identification.

These special services will be available at both locations until further notice.

Earlier, Medco advised that flooding in the Nashville area was affecting timely delivery of Medco shipments.

Medco said Accredo’s Hemophilia Health Services (HHS) location in Nashville is inaccessible due to flooding.

HHS Clearance Management employees were working from home to clear priority shipments and local operations management and on-call staff are available via cell phone and are moving to a backup site. HHS is shipping immediate-need orders to patients through its other pharmacies to maintain continuity of care.

The Medco Pharmacy has placed shipping restrictions on temperature-sensitive and narcotic orders to specific ZIP codes in the Nashville area.

Vaccine for the highly contagious H1N1 virus (commonly called “swine flu”) is now being released to the public as supplies become available. The information below will help you decide if you should obtain the vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends that certain priority groups should receive the H1N1 flu vaccine. These groups are:

  • pregnant women;
  • caregivers for children younger than six months of age;
  • health care and emergency medical services personnel;
  • children and young adults from six months through 24 years old;
  • persons aged 25 through 64 years who have underlying health conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, conditions that suppress the immune system, heart disease and kidney disease) that might increase their risk for flu-related complications.

In an effort to minimize the occurrence of H1N1 flu among railroad plan participants and their dependents, the Railroad Employees National Health and Welfare Plan and the National Railway Carriers and United Transportation Union Health and Welfare Plan and their medical vendors (Aetna, Highmark and UnitedHealthcare), as well as the Railroad Employees National Early Retirement Major Medical Benefit Plan and its medical vendor (UnitedHealthcare), have taken a number of steps to reduce the cost of immunization.

To that end, effective immediately, the plans named above will cover the administration of the H1N1 vaccine through the end of December 2009 for covered plan participants and dependents, with no co-pays, deductibles or coinsurance payments.

A decision as to whether or not this special coverage handling will be extended into 2010 will be made by the end of the year.

Where to get the vaccine

Employees and their dependents have a broad range of options from which to choose where to get the H1N1 flu vaccine:

  • Public health clinics: The H1N1 vaccine should be available at most local public health clinics at no cost. Please call the health clinic first to make sure it has the vaccine.
  • Retail pharmacies and other clinics: Please call the pharmacy or other clinic first to make sure it has the H1N1 vaccine available.
  • Doctor’s office: Contact your primary care physician or network provider to find out if the H1N1 vaccine is available and if you should be immunized. Please note office visit co-pays will not apply if you see your doctor solely to obtain the H1N1 flu vaccine.

For the latest information on the H1N1 flu vaccine, please visit the Centers for Disease Control website (www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/) and/or contact your benefit administrator:

Vaccine for the highly contagious H1N1 virus (commonly called “swine flu”) is now being released to the public as supplies become available. The information below will help you decide if you should obtain the vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends that certain priority groups should receive the H1N1 flu vaccine. These groups are:

  • pregnant women;
  • caregivers for children younger than six months of age;
  • health care and emergency medical services personnel;
  • children and young adults from six months through 24 years old;
  • persons aged 25 through 64 years who have underlying health conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, conditions that suppress the immune system, heart disease and kidney disease) that might increase their risk for flu-related complications.

In an effort to minimize the occurrence of H1N1 flu among railroad plan participants and their dependents, the Railroad Employees National Health and Welfare Plan and the National Railway Carriers and United Transportation Union Health and Welfare Plan and their medical vendors (Aetna, Highmark and UnitedHealthcare), as well as the Railroad Employees National Early Retirement Major Medical Benefit Plan and its medical vendor (UnitedHealthcare), have taken a number of steps to reduce the cost of immunization.

To that end, effective immediately, the plans named above will cover the administration of the H1N1 vaccine through the end of December 2009 for covered plan participants and dependents, with no co-pays, deductibles or coinsurance payments.

A decision as to whether or not this special coverage handling will be extended into 2010 will be made by the end of the year.

Where to get the vaccine

Employees and their dependents have a broad range of options from which to choose where to get the H1N1 flu vaccine:

  • Public health clinics: The H1N1 vaccine should be available at most local public health clinics at no cost. Please call the health clinic first to make sure it has the vaccine.
  • Retail pharmacies and other clinics: Please call the pharmacy or other clinic first to make sure it has the H1N1 vaccine available.
  • Doctor’s office: Contact your primary care physician or network provider to find out if the H1N1 vaccine is available and if you should be immunized. Please note office visit co-pays will not apply if you see your doctor solely to obtain the H1N1 flu vaccine.

For the latest information on the H1N1 flu vaccine, please visit the Centers for Disease Control website (www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/) and/or contact your benefit administrator: