OSARC: The Organization of Staff Analysts' Retirees Club

The Organization of Staff Analysts' Retirees Club (OSARC) was formed in 1992, at a time when the union had roughly 75 retirees. OSARC began with five members and has grown, over the past 30 years, to more than 1650 dues-paying members. Each OSARC member pays $18-per-year in dues and an additional $2 at each in-person monthly meeting they attend. OSARC meetings usually draw an attendance of between 40 and 60 members. The two dollar per meeting donation is used to offset the cost per person of our annual Gala Luncheon, held at a restaurant in June.

Monthly meetings feature speakers of special interest to the membership on subjects from Social Security and medical issues/problems to political action, financial planning and taxes. Trips are planned for small groups. OSARC has a monthly newsletter which is sent several times a year to all retirees and, the majority of months, only to those members who have paid their annual OSARC dues.

Since late 2020, OSARC has been holding its monthly meetings virtually on Zoom rather than in person. In September of 2021, a discussion of the new Medicare Advantage health plan for Medicare-eligible retirees drew 325 attendees! Most meetings on Zoom have drawn more than 150 attendees from both the NYC metro area and across the country.

Information about the healthcare changes for Medicare-eligible retirees that have been in process since 2021 can be found by clicking on the tab for Medicare Advantage Plan Updates to the left of this page. Updates on Medicare Advantage plan implementation and court actions against the plan are summarized there with links to relevant documents.

You can catch a glimpse of the March 2011 OSARC meeting (held on Wednesday, March 9th - Ash Wednesday) in these photos by OSA Director of Media Services Rob Spencer. The subject was computer security.

OSARC Meeting March 2011

Celebrating OSARC's 20th Anniversary - June 13, 2012

The Organization of Staff Analysts' Retirees Club marked its 20th birthday on June 13, 2012 with a special June luncheon at Churrascaria Rodizio Plataforma in midtown. The luncheon drew more than 130 retirees and guests. The slideshow below, by OSA Director of Media Services Rob Spencer, assembled from photos he and late OSARC member and activist Jean Anmuth took over the years was screened for those assembled. (The slide show does not have audio.):

OSARC Newsletter

To view OSARC newsletters sent to all retirees, click on the appropriate year on the menu to left. The newsletters from the year 2000 on are stored on this site as PDF files. To view and print these files, and the forms on this page, you will need Adobe Reader installed on your hard drive. You can download a copy of Adobe Reader from the Adobe site.

Since 2022, we have been posting videos of the online membership meetings on this website. You can view them again (or for the first time) at your leisure.

Join OSARC!

To view and print out a copy of the OSARC Membership Form click here. Please mail the completed form to OSARC, 220 East 23rd Street, Suite 707, New York, New York 10010.

OSA Retirement Information Form

To view and print out a copy of the OSA Retirement Information Form, click here.

City Health Benefits Program Retiree Health Benefits Frequently Asked Questions

To view and print out a copy of a Frequently Asked Questions document produced by the City's Health Benefits Program, click here.

Information About Medicare Part B Reimbursements (Standard/Higher Income) and OSA Welfare Fund Drug Rider Premium Reimbursements For Medicare-Eligibles

There are two types of Medicare-related reimbursements that Medicare-eligible retirees receive each year.

The City's Basic Medicare Part B Reimbursement

The first type of reimbursement is for Medicare Part B, which covers doctors' visits. This reimbursement is made by the City's Health Benefits Program and is automatic. Each month a premium is deducted from your Social Security check to cover Medicare Part B. The amount of that monthly Part B premium is either the "standard" premium or a higher amount, if you are fortunate to have income above a set threshold for the year.

Part B premium reimbursement occurs because of union pressure on the City Council more than a decade ago. Reimbursement was initially won by the unions in 1966, but mayor after mayor from 1966 to 2001 said the City was too poor for full reimbursement of Part B premiums and paid back less than the full premium. Legislation was sought by the unions and passed in 2001 which has ever since mandated the full premium reimbursement.

When you become Medicare-eligible and enroll in Part B, you should submit the form that you can download at the link below, along with a copy of your Medicare Card:

Medicare Part B Premium Reimbursement Form

For those who have automatic direct deposit of their pension payments into a bank account, the Part B reimbursement is likewise made by direct deposit into that account and the deposit timeframe for reimbursement for basic premiums is the end of April of the year following their payment. Those without direct deposit receive a check.

For 2022, Medicare-eligible retirees and their Medicare-eligible dependents will be reimbursed annually for the standard Medicare Part B amount of $170.10 per month ($170.10 x 12 months = $2,041.20), excluding any penalties and late enrollment fees, and subject to being pro-rated if they were Medicare-eligible for less than the full year.

2022 Medicare Part B reimbursements were issued in April 2023. Please check your bank account/statement (or the mail, if you are receiving a physical check).

For 2021, Medicare-eligible retirees and their Medicare-eligible dependents were reimbursed in April 2022 for the standard Medicare Part B amount of $148.50 per month ($148.50 x 12 months = $1,782), excluding any penalties and late enrollment fees, and subject to being pro-rated.

If you do not or did not receive the standard reimbursement, you should contact the City's Health Benefits Program, which moved last year to 22 Cortlandt Street.

PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CRISIS, the Health Benefits Retiree client service walk-in center remains closed to unscheduled visitors. You can make scheduled appointments on a first come, first served basis. However, they recommend submitting inquires and documents as follows:

  • Inquiries and questions can be emailed to healthbenefits@olr.nyc.gov

  • Forms and documents can be submitted electronically through LeapFILE. Before you begin, you may wish to view instructions and a short video on how to submit your forms/documents.You can review the video and instructions on this page.

  • When you are ready, use the following link to submit your forms and documents: https://nycemployeebenefits.leapfile.net

  • Please do NOT submit your form/document more than once. This will only delay processing.

  • You will immediately receive notification stating "Success! Your file has been received" upon completion of your document upload. You will not receive a separate email confirmation.

  • Please allow 30-45 days from the day you submit your document(s) for them to be processed. Coverage will be retroactive to the effective date of retirement.

  • Also, please do not send forms or documents via express mail.

  • If you are a HIP-HMO member turning 65 or on Medicare due to a disability, please contact HIP at 1-800-447-9169 to enroll over the phone. Please identify yourself as a City of New York retiree or dependent of a retiree. For all other members enrolled in an HMO plan, please contact your health plan at the customer service numbers on the back of your ID card.

  • Download Adobe Scan at this link to convert your documents into PDFs. Use your smart phone or tablet camera to take a picture of your paper form and Adobe Scan will convert it to a PDF. Adobe Scan mobile app is available for iPhone and Android.

    The City's Medicare Part B Reimbursement For Higher Income Retirees

    When payments are made for the "standard monthly part B premium" for the prior year, the City issues a special form called the IRMAA form for those who have higher incomes and paid more than the standard Part B premium. Forms must be completed and submitted to the City's Health Benefits Program. The form for 2020 - 2022 is available at the link below.

    Payment is processed for the extra money paid and a check issued or funds are direct deposited into the same bank account which receives your direct deposit pension amounts. That has taken place in October of the year after payment.

    The City's Medicare Part B Differential Reimbursement

    In addition to the standard Part B premium reimbursement and the IRMAA high income premium reimbursement, the City has instituted a reimbursement process for those Medicare enrollees who have received less in their standard Part B reimbursement than they actually had deducted from their Social Security payments. To determine if you are eligible for this differential reimbursement, be sure to read the forms. You can find a copy of the forms for 2017, 2018 and 2019 and the instructions lower down on this page, below the forms for IRMAA reimbursement. You must look at the total amount of Part B premiums reimbursed to you by direct deposit or check in April 2020 and compare that number to the amount of Part B Premiums on your 2019 SSA 1099 which you should have received in January or February of 2020. If the amount of the deductions is higher than the reimbursement you've received, you are likely eligible for the differential reimbursement and should complete and submit the form to OLR along with the proofs required.

    Payment is processed for the extra money paid and a check issued. The City has indicated that reimbursement is likely in 2021. If you are submitting an IRMAA Form as a higher income retiree, you do not have to submit the Differential Form as the differential amount is automatically calculated and reimbursed along with the IRMAA amount.

    Medicare Part D Premiums for Higher Income Retirees

    Starting in 2011, retirees with incomes above a set threshold pay a premium for Medicare Part D, which covers drugs. These higher income individuals see a deduction from their Social Security check each month for Part D premiums, in addition to the monthly deduction for Part B premiums. Unlike Part B, there is no reimbursement for the Part D premiums for higher income retirees.

    The OSA Welfare Fund's Partial Drug Rider Reimbursement For Medicare Eligible Retirees

    The second type of reimbursement is provided by the OSA Welfare Fund rather than the City and represents a partial reimbursement by the union of drug rider premiums for Medicare-eligible retirees. This reimbursement, which amounts to $50 per month for each covered member ($600 maximum a year) and their covered spouse/domestic partner (another $600 maximum per year) is issued in one of two ways.

    If you are enrolled in GHI's Medicare plan, GHI Senior Care, the monthly cost of your Medicare Part D Enhanced drug rider is deducted from your pension check and is reduced by $50 a month for each covered individual. The OSA Welfare Fund's $50 subsidy is paid directly to the City. Since GHI enrollees receive the drug rider reduction of $50 on a monthly basis from the Welfare Fund, they receive no additional payment from the Welfare Fund in the following year.

    Enrollees in all other Medicare Part D enhanced drug riders on other City health plans, such as HIP VIP, do not have their drug rider premiums reduced during the year. Instead, the OSA Welfare Fund sends that member a lump sum check for the full prior year for themselves and any covered spouse/domestic partner, usually by April of the following year.

    Frequently Asked Questions About Medicare Part B Reimbursement

    2020-2022 Medicare Part B Higher Income Reimbursement Form

    To view and print out a copy of the New York City Employee Benefits Program's form and instructions for reimbursement of higher Medicare Part B premiums paid by certain beneficiaries who earned beyond certain thresholds in 2020, 2021 and/or 2022 click here. This form is to be filed by those Medicare beneficiaries who paid more than the standard Medicare Part B premiums in 2019, 2020 and/or 2021. You must supply copies of specific documents including the 1099 form for the prior year you received from the Social Security Administration at the beginning of the following year. You can expect the additional reimbursement sometime in or after October 2023.

    2019 Medicare Part B Differential Request Form

    To view and print out a copy of the New York City Employee Benefits Program's form and instructions for reimbursement if you paid a monthly Part B premium in 2019 between $110 and $135.50 but only received the standard reimbursement for $109/month for 2019 click here. It explains what proofs of payment you must submit. Note: If you are applying for IRMAA reimbursement, you do not have to submit this form. You will automatically receive a separate payment for the differential amount, in addition to the IRMAA reimbursement.

    2018 Medicare Part B Differential Request Form

    To view and print out a copy of the New York City Employee Benefits Program's form and instructions for reimbursement if you paid a monthly Part B premium in 2018 between $110 and $134 but only received the standard reimbursement for $109/month for 2018 click here. It explains what proofs of payment you must submit. Note: If you are applying for IRMAA reimbursement, you do not have to submit this form. You will automatically receive a separate payment for the differential amount in November 2019, in addition to the IRMAA reimbursement.

    2017 Medicare Part B Differential Request Form

    To view and print out a copy of the New York City Employee Benefits Program's form and instructions for reimbursement if you paid a monthly Part B premium in 2017 between $110 and $134 but only received the standard reimbursement for $109/month for 2017 click here. Please read the information contained in the letter from OLR that you can read at this link. Both explain what proofs of payment you must submit. Note: If you are applying for IRMAA reimbursement, you do not have to submit this form. You will automatically receive a separate payment for the differential amount, in addition to the IRMAA reimbursement.You can expect the reimbursement in the first quarter of 2019


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