Local 604 Retiree Chapter

Meetings are scheduled on the second Tuesday of the month from September until May at 2:00 p.m. at the AFT Local 604 office in Crest Hill. All retirees are welcome to attend. Call the Local 604 office at 815.725.0402 with any questions.

Future programs planned are:
   
     September 9, 2008               2:00 PM    "Will County Legal Assistance"
                                                                Presented by Sue LaTour

     October 14, 2008                  2:00 PM   "Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie,
                                                                Wilmington, Guided tour by Pat Thrasher

     November 11, 2008              2:00 PM    "Identity Theft"
                                                                  Presented by a Will County State's Attorney
                                                                  representative
     December 3, 2008 (Wed.)    Noon          Culinary Arts Buffet and entertainment
                                                                  Renaissance Center, Joliet

                 Please RSVP for the luncheon in December.

Medicare Web Site Allows Beneficiaries to Compare Medication Prices
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services offers a Lower Cost Rx Comparison Tool on the Medicare Web site and a toll-free phone service (1/800/MEDICARE) to offer consumers a way to compare prices for some medications. The price comparison tool includes information on 52 brand-name and generic medications. The prices cited are those available to seniors who use Medicare drug discount cards, which became available in  spring 2005. For more information, click on the following link: http://www.medicare.gov

Retiring?
If you are preparing for retirement, the Retiree Handbook written by members of the IFT Chicago Suburban retiree chapter is full of helpful information. You can print a copy of this handbook from the following web sites:
    http://ift-aft.org/constiutencies/retiree0303.pdf       OR
    ift-aft.org and click on retirees
You can also call the Local 604 office for a copy at 815.725.0402 or 630.896.8220.

New guide available:
20 Common Nursing Home Problems and How to Resolve Them
Crucial information that nursing home residents and their families have needed for years is available to download for free on the AFT Web site. The easy-to-use guide includes information on how to use residents' legal rights to get more and better care from nursing homes.

Go to http://www.aft.org/retirement/downloads/NursingHomeProblems.pdf or the AFT Web site at www.aft.org and click on "Retirees" to download a free copy. If you prefer a printed and bound version, contact the National Senior Citizens Law Center at www.nsclc.org or call 202/289-6976, ext. 201. Printed copies are $9.95 plus shipping and handling.