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October 9, 2015

Late Breaking Updates on H.R. 711

October 8, 2015

SERO joins forces with Retired Teacher and Public Employee Retiree Associations to ask for assistance from Speaker Boehner regarding an important issue for Medicare Part B premium Increases. If changes are not made, the current laws could disproportionately affect those not receiving a Social Security check.

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September 30, 2015

Thank you Representative David Joyce for cosponsoring H.R. 711, the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act on September 11, 2015. H.R. 711 now has 41 cosponsors, six from Ohio. If passed, the bill would repeal Social Security’s Windfall Elimination Provision.

September 29, 2015

MEDICARE PART B INCREASE IN 2016 SERS Director, Lisa Morris submits the following letter to Speaker Boehner regarding a potential Medicare Part B increase that would fall disproportionately hard on Ohio’s retired public employees, especially those who worked in low-wage positions.

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September 28, 2015

IRAN/SUDAN DIVESTMENT POLICY
Please review Columbus Dispatch article (Sept. 14, 2015) regarding a re-surfacing of an old Iran/Sudan Divestment issue at the Ohio Pension Systems. SERS has offered the following statement with regard to a possible Constitutional Amendment proposed by State Treasurer Josh Mandel:

“Responsibly investing SERS assets to provide a secure retirement for its members is our utmost priority. Since 2008, at the request of the state legislature, SERS has been actively involved in reducing investments in companies that do business with Iran and Sudan, sponsors of terrorism and genocide. We have been steadily reducing our exposure to companies that do business with these countries in a responsible way to make sure our investment portfolios are not negatively impacted. To date, our investment exposure to scrutinized companies has been reduced by 95% and we continue to monitor the ever-changing list of companies that do business in these countries and liquidate holdings accordingly. We believe the current arrangement between the legislature and the pension systems has been a tremendous success and introducing a constitutional amendment to replace an already successful divestment program is unnecessary.”

August 25, 2015

New VSP Benefits: For members who are enrolled in our SERO VSP Choice Plan your benefits just got better. Effective August 1, 2015 your plan now carries a $150 frame allowance instead of $120. For a limited time, click here for a special coupon offered by VSP allows members to add an extra $40 to that $150 frame allowance on select frames- Bebe®*, Calvin Klein*, Flexon®*, or Nike frame*. The $40 is automatically applied to their purchase at their VSP Network Provider – no hassle, just great choice and value. This offer is available for purchases made August 1 through December 31, 2015. Also a change was made to the plan based on our utilization. Rather than carry the Lasik benefit, it is now a discounted item and the anti-reflective coating for lenses is now FREE for our members. This represents a better ability for our members to save on items that they are most likely to need. If you would like to enroll in SERO’s VSP Plan please contact the SERO Office.

*Available only to VSP members with applicable plan benefits. This value add is automatically applied at no additional cost to you. The extra $40 promotion is specific to the identified frame brands and does not replace the extra $20 to spend. The extra $20 promotion will continue to be available on all other featured frame brands through 2016.

(Coming Soon) New “FREE” VSP Program for current SERO members: AMBA, our benefits administrators are in the process of rolling out a new VSP program to all of our members who do not participate in the VSP Insurance. This program would be offered to all *current SERO members for FREE. This plan does not provide the coverage of the full insurance program but reduced rates on exams and special pricing on the most popular frames, lenses and lens enhancements. Watch for details on this plan coming to SERO soon!!

*Current SERO membership refers to all members who have paid SERO dues and are not inactive or past their expiration date. A current SERO membership is required to remain eligible for SERO benefits.

 
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August 21, 2015

SERS announces open enrollment meetings for 2016.

August 5, 2015

Thank you, Representative Bill Johnson for cosponsoring H.R. 711, the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act. H.R. 711 now has 38 cosponsors, five from Ohio. If passed, the bill would repeal Social Security’s Windfall Elimination Provision.

 
 

July 8, 2015

Announcing New SERO Chapter (Butler County)
SERO, the School Employee Retirees of Ohio will be coming to Butler Tech on August 11, 2015 at 10 am for a meeting with School Employees. The purpose of the meeting will be to inform retired and active School Employees on issues pertaining to SERO membership and benefits. Topics covered at the meeting will include: SERS pension (funding), healthcare (future programs) and an update on Social Security Offset and Windfall laws. SERO members have requested a Chapter for this area and discussions on a local group for this area will be held during this meeting. For questions about the meeting, please contact Mike Lau at 513-815-5799 or at laumenator@gmail.com or Valerie Rodgers at (614) 431-0387 or email info@ohio-sero.com. SERO and AMBA representatives will be in attendance at this meeting.

The meeting begins at 10 am in the Educational Resource Center Building (ERC) on the campus and will conclude prior to lunch. (The Superintendent’s office is in this building)

Butler Technology and Career Development Schools
3605 Hamilton-Middletown Road
Hamilton, Ohio 45011

June 30, 2015

SERO DUES NOTICE: Effective July 1, 2015, a $1.00 transaction fee is required for any payments that are processed through our website.
Example: ($24.00/dues + $1.00/fee = $25.00)

 
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June 26, 2015

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: OHIO CO-SPONSORS for the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) H.R. 711
Rep. Patrick Tiberi (District 12), Rep. Steve Stivers (District 15), Rep. Joyce Beatty (District 3) and Rep. James Renacci (District 16) have all signed on in support of the bill. Please contact your representative and ask for their support of H.R. 711. If your representative is one listed above, please let them know you appreciate their support!! 2015 Congressional contact information below: (click on document to review)

June 22, 2015

SERO Director interviewed by Channel FOX28’s Cameron Fontana, Highlights include SERO benefits, current legislation and new changes that allow active School Employees to join SERO.

 
 

June 1, 2015

SERO announces that active School Employees are now eligible to join our organization as “Associate Members”. Associate members are eligible to participate in Chapter activities and enroll in SERO benefits but may not vote or hold office. This gives current School Employees the opportunity for education and information on retirement matters and to have a resource for supplemental benefits while they are working that they may not have had without this opportunity to join SERO.

2015 SERO ANNUAL MEETING RECAP

SERO 2015 Annual Meeting was held on May 12, 2015 at the Villa Milano Banquet and Conference Center. SERO members and Chapter Officers all agreed that this was the best of our Annual Meetings so far with a 20% increase in attendance. Members received updates from our SERO Executive Board and elected SERO officers for the next term. The SERO Executive Board extended appreciation to outgoing Board members Ray Hutchinson and Gaye Suver for their service on the SERO Executive Board. We welcome Betty Applegate as our Secretary, Paula Branscomb as our Treasurer and Betty Bishop as our Southwest District Representative. Members voted their approval for the organization to allow actively working School Employees to join SERO as Associate Members. Speakers from SERS included: Lisa Morris-Executive Director, John Grumney-SERS Director of Member Services and Anne Jewel-SERS Health Care Director. Attendees received updates on pension issues, retiree safety and security issues and health care changes for 2015. Jim Miller, SERO Lobbyist spoke to members on concerns for pensions in general with the many attempts to switch pension plans from Defined Benefits plans to Defined Contribution plans. Jim also spoke on Social Security legislation and what retirees need to do to pass those bills. Beverly Woolridge thanked the members for their support in her successful bid for the SERS Board seat for the retired members. Beverly takes that seat on July 1, 2015. Attendees went home with valuable information/literature and many prizes. One big winner went home with a “Kindle Fire” donated by Ameriprise Financial. Villa Milano prepared a delicious hot luncheon and a special dessert was provided by Costco.

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April 8, 2015

The Columbus Dispatch • Friday March 20, 2015 1:51 AM

Bank of New York Mellon Corp. has agreed to pay $714 million to resolve cases accusing the bank of overcharging pension funds and other clients for foreign exchange services, U.S. federal and state authorities said yesterday.

Two Ohio pension funds — the Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund and the School Employees Retirement System of Ohio — were among the four pension funds that led the class litigation, said the office of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. Together, the two pensions stand to recover about $5 million as a result of the resolution. The bank was accused of executing currency trades at a rate that was less favorable than the “best possible” rate they promised their clients, enabling the bank to make extra cash.

Bank of New York Mellon — one of the world’s largest so-called custodial banks, which holds and safeguards financial assets for other banks and investors — said in a statement that it was pleased to put the matter behind it.

Information from The New York Times was included in this story.

SERS has informed us that when these funds are received, they will go back into SERS Investment Accounts.

March 10, 2015

SPECIAL EVENT from COSTCO & 2015 SERO ANNUAL MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT

Faculty and families of School Employee Retirees of Ohio, Inc (SERO) & Ohio Retired Teacher Association (ORTA) are invited to a SPECIAL EVENT on Monday April 20 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM at Costco- Gemini Place, Columbus, OH 43240. For more information please contact Valerie Rodgers at 614-431-0387 or by email info@ohio-sero.com.

SERO announces our 2015 Annual Meeting. It will be held at the Villa Milano at 1630 Schrock Road, Columbus, Ohio 43229 on May 12, 2015. Registration begins at 8:30 am and the meeting normally adjourns by 2 to 3 p.m.. School Employee Retirees and especially new SERO members are encouraged to attend this meeting. Attendees get to see close up what SERO is about and what we do to help our retirees. Current issues and retiree concerns will be discussed including pending legislation, health care and pension trends and concerns. SERS representatives as well as many retiree resources (medical vendors, Social Security, Ohio Dept of Aging, BBB, New Age Crimestoppers) to name just a few, will be available for one on one questions and literature for attendees. Registration forms are available in our SERO April Newsletter and through the SERO office. Your $12.00 fee per person, includes breakfast/lunch with all meeting materials. SERO members participate in door prizes and gift raffles during the meeting. Registrations received by April 27, 2015 are $12.00 per person and registrations received by May 5, 2014 will be $15.00 per person. Register early for the best rate!! For more details, contact SERO at 614-431-0387.

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February 26, 2015

Just In– A SERO member has submitted a petition to repeal the current Government Pension Offset (GPO) law.

Repeal the offset law and restore full social security benefits.
This is a grassroots effort to correct an injustice in the Social Security system that affects thousands of Ohioans. For public employees, Ohio is a non-Social Security state meaning public employees do not earn Social Security credit for time they work in a public job. However, almost all public employees at one time or another work in jobs that require them to pay into Social Security. Some people work in Social Security jobs much longer than they work in public service. Whenever a public employee works long enough to earn a public pension, Social Security severely reduces the Social Security benefits they earned outside of their public job. This reduction is called the Government Pension Offset. This injustice has been going on for more than 30 years and it is denying Ohioans the opportunity to receive Social Security benefits they earned. Often individuals are ignored, but will they ignore thousands? We can help ourselves, which in turn will strengthen the state economy. Together we can offset this unfair law!

February 23, 2015

H.R. 973 – Rodney Davis of Illinois has introduced a bill to repeal both the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision. This bill was introduced on Feb. 13, 2015 and was referred to the Ways and Means Committee
on that day.

H.R. 711 – “Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act” has been re-introduced on Feb, 4, 2015 and was referred to House Ways and Means Committee. The bill language is the same as was for the Public Servants Act in 2014. This bill will change the calculation to determine the Windfall Elimination Provision in a more fair manner based on the workers actual contributions. To view our letter to Representative Kevin Brady (R-TX) on our support for “The Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act”.

We urge you to send a letter of support to your Congressional representative today! Here is a contact listing for our Ohio United States Senators and Representatives- 2015 Ohio Congressional District Listing. If you are unsure of who your representative may be, please call 1-202-224-3121 to confirm your current representative.

 
 

January 15, 2015

The latest news on Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) legislation for 2015 is an introduction date for end of January or early February. Watch for title “Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act”.

November 21, 2014

Just announced – Nov. 14, 2014, “The Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act”
Introduced by Rep. Kevin Brady (TX) and Rep. Richard Neal (MA)

This bill will repeal the current Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and would instead create a fair formula that will give our public employees the same treatment as for all other workers in America. This bill has bi-partisan support. This bill will allow our School Employee Retirees to receive the Social Security benefit that they earned based on their actual Social Security contributions and work history. We will be updating you on the progress of this bill for 2015 as we expect to see early movement in the legislature. We urge you to send a letter of support to your Congressional representative today! If you are unsure of who your representative may be, please call 1-202-224-3121 to confirm your current representative.

 
 

November 19, 2014

SERO Benefit Enhancements for VSP Participants- Great News!
Your SERO VSP Plan has some exciting News. Effective December 1, 2013 your SERO VSP Plan will include: PROGRESSIVE LENSES COVERED IN FULL; LASIK laser eyesight correction benefit is now more than a discount! It provides $350 for the next two years, and $700 in year three and beyond; Co-pays on eye exams have been reduced to $10; Frame allowance has been improved to $150; Expanded Network- your VSP network now contains thousands of retail locations including Costco Optical, VisionWorks, Eyemasters, and many others; Walmart & Sam’s Club will now process your benefit on the spot with no balance billing!

Also SERO VSP Participants have access to free hearing exams through our relationship with American Hearing Benefits!

If you have any questions about the VSP Plan benefits go to- https://www.vsp.com/go/sero or AMBA at 1-800-258-7041 or at https://www.myambabenefits.info/sero. SERO Membership is REQUIRED to enroll in SERO benefits. SERO Membership is $21 a year or an alternative payment method is our “Dues Deduction Program” which deducts $1.75 from your pension check each month.

 

November 4, 2014

November is national Long Term Care awareness month. Click on the image above to learn more about Long Term Care and any other insurances provide by Association Member Benefits Advisors (AMBA).

August 26, 2014

METLIFE AUTO & HOME® INSURANCE IS NOW AVAILABLE TO SERO MEMBERS
MetLife Auto & Home has announced that SERO members now have access to special group discounts*on auto and home† insurance. This new group insurance program makes members eligible for savings and benefits that could help save hundreds of dollars a year. In addition to special group discounts on auto and home insurance, SERO members also have the opportunity to apply for renters insurance, condo, boat, motor home and RV coverage, among other policies. Value-added features such as convenient payment options, personalized service, and excellent driver discounts are also available in most states. For more information about the group discounts offered through this program and to receive your FREE quote, please call 1-877-491-5089 and mention SERO Group Discount Code: C3V.

*Group discounts are filed on an individual basis in MA and may not be available as part of MetLife Auto & Home’s benefit offering in MA and other states.
†Home insurance is not part of MetLife Auto & Home’s benefit offering in all areas, such as FL and MA. MetLife Auto & Home is a brand of Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company and its affiliates: Metropolitan Casualty Insurance Company, Metropolitan Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Company (CA Certificate of Authority: 6730; Warwick, RI), Metropolitan General Insurance Company, Metropolitan Group Property and Casualty Insurance Company (CA COA: 6393; Warwick, RI), and Metropolitan Lloyds Insurance Company of Texas, all with administrative home offices in Warwick, RI. Coverage, rates, and discounts are available in most states to those who qualify.© 2012 MetLife Auto & Home L1212293844[exp1115][All States]

NEW CHAPTER MEETING: We will be meeting at the Trillium, 3500 Trillium Place, Dublin, Ohio on September 10, at 10:00 a.m. This will be the first meeting of a new SERO Chapter. Special speakers along with a tour and a lunch at the facility are planned for this meeting. You must RSVP at 614-431-0387 by Monday, Sept 8th for this meeting. New retirees are encouraged to come and learn more about SERO.

MEDINA LOCAL CHAPTER: Paul Johnson is preparing for a Chapter meeting in September at the York Methodist Church in Medina. Past members of this chapter as well as new retirees are encouraged to attend. Please contact Paul for meeting details at 440-647-7680.

SEEKING CHAPTER LEADERS: District representatives are actively recruiting volunteers to assist them in starting new SERO local Chapters. We need a few members to volunteer for leadership in some local chapter’s. If you are in the Parma area and will help us with a local chapter, we want to hear from you. We are also seeking members to assist us in counties that currently do not have SERO representation. Please contact us if you reside in an area that does not currently have a local SERO Chapter. With as few as 10 interested members, we are able to start a new SERO Chapter. Ask how SERO can bring support to your own local area.

 
 

August 4, 2014

We welcome Joyce McCabe as our new Central District Representative to our SERO Executive Board. Joyce will be visiting the chapters in the Central District very soon.

July 1, 2014

DUES INCREASE REMINDER
Just a reminder for those renewing your membership, dues are $24.00/year effective July 1, 2014. NOTE: If less than $24.00 is submitted you may not receive credit for a full years membership. A note for newer members, SERO does not send out notices on your membership expiration date. Please make note of that date from your membership card or the mailing label on this Newsletter. If the words “Dues Deduction” are on your mailing label, you do not need to submit dues. For those who are interested, SERO has a Lifetime Membership program. Ask us how you can save money on dues!! Call our office for details.

 
 

2014 SERO ANNUAL MEETING RECAP

Attendees at our 2014 Annual Meeting unanimously agreed that our new location was excellent for our group. Members received updates from our SERO Executive Board and elected SERO officers for the next term. Sandra Lannen was elected as SERO President; Joan Owen as SERO Vice-President; and Betty Applegate as our Southeast District Representative. Several SERO Chapter leaders received honors for their work in their local areas. Speakers from SERS included Lisa Morris, Executive Director; John Grumney, SERS Director of Member Services and Anne Jewel, SERS Health Care Director. Attendees received updates on pension issues, health care changes for 2015 and met SERS new Chief Financial Officer, Tracy Valentino. Beverly Woolridge spoke to attendees about her intentions in seeking a retiree representative seat on the SERS Executive Board this Fall. Attendees went home with valuable information/literature and many prizes. One big winner went home with a “Kindle Fire” donated by Jared Hoffman at Ameriprise Financial. Villa Milano prepared a delicious hot luncheon and a special dessert was provided by Costco.

April 9, 2014

SPECIAL EVENT COMING SOON from COSTCO
Faculty and families of School Employee Retirees of Ohio, Inc & Ohio Retired Teacher Association are invited to a special event on Tuesday, June 3 12:00 PM–3:00 PM.

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January 3, 2014

2014 SERO MEMBERSHIP DUES INCREASE NOTICE
Plans to increase SERO dues several years ago were able to be held off due to strict budgeting and some cost increases that were absorbed over a longer period of time. The SERO Executive Board has approved a modest increase in SERO membership dues of 0.25 per month. For those members on dues deduction the new deduction will be $2.00 per month and for those who submit a check it will be $24.00 per year. This increase will be effective on July 1, 2014.

We have encountered increases with gasoline, postage costs; in our rent, printing, supplies and Newsletter production. We have updated our computer systems with new software, new programming to ensure continued security and safely with our important data.

Our SERO office has been maintained without increasing staff for many years even as our membership and services grow. This is our proof to you that members are our first priority and we are genuinely here to work for you. We plan to add new benefits and seek new ways to provide products and services that assist our members and School Employee Retirees.

2014 SERO ANNUAL MEETING UPDATE


We received notice that that our Annual Meeting location will no longer be available for us to hold our meetings. We have secured a new location that specializes in banquets and large meetings in the same general location. A tour of the facility indicates it is much better suited for members who may not be able to walk long distances. All meeting sessions as well as breakfast and luncheon will be held within the same room. We will seek feedback from attendees after this meeting regarding future meetings. We plan to maintain the same registration fee as last year, $12.00 per person. The meeting will be held on May 13, 2014 at Villa Milano on 1630 Schrock Road in Columbus, Ohio 43229. 

Columbus, Ohio to 1630 Schrock Rd, Columbus, OH 43229
1-71 North 17.6 miles, 24 minutes
Head east on Eakin Road toward Binns Blvd —-135 feet
Take the 1st left onto Binns Blvd —-0.3 mile
Take the 3rd right onto Sullivant Ave —-2.1 mile
Slight right to merge onto 1-70 East toward Wheeling —2.9 mile
Continue onto 1-71 North (signs for Airport/I-71 North Cleveland) —9.5 mile
Take exit 117 for OH-161 East Dublin-Granville Road/Ohio 161 West —0.2 mile
Turn left onto East Dublin Granville Road —0.4 mile
Turn right onto Busch Blvd —-1.0 mile
Turn right onto Schrock Road (Destination will be on the left) —-1.1 mile

Dayton, Ohio to 1630 Schrock Rd, Columbus, OH 43229
1-70 East 84.5 miles, 1 hour 19 minutes
Head north on South Main Street toward West 3rd Street —-0.8 mile
Turn left onto the Ohio 4 North ramp —-0.5 mile
Follow signs for Keowee Street and merge onto OH-4 North —10.2 mile
Take the OH-4 North ramp to Columbus —0.7 mile
Merge onto 1-70 East/OH-4 East Continue to follow 1-70 East —51.3 mile
Take exit 93B to merge onto 1-270 North toward Cleveland Ave —18.6 mile
Take exit 27 to merge onto OH-710 North/Cleveland Ave —-1.2 mile
Turn left onto Schrock Road (Destination will be on the right) —-1.3 mile

Cincinnati, OH to 1630 Schrock Rd, Columbus, OH 43229
1-71 North 119 miles, 1 hour 51 minutes
Head south on Walnut Street toward East 6th Street —0.1 mile
Turn Left onto East 5th Street ­­–0.4 mile
Take the Interstate 71 North ramp on the left to Columbus –0.2 mile
Merge onto 1-71 North –116 mile
Take exit 117 for OH-161/East Dublin-Granville Road/Ohio 161 West –0.2 mile
Turn left onto East Dublin Granville Road –0.4 mile
Turn right onto Busch Blvd —1.0 mile
Turn right onto Schrock Road (Destination will be on the left) —–1.1 mile


Cleveland, OH to 1630 Schrock Rd, Columbus, OH 43229
1-71 South 135 miles, 2 hours 6 minutes
Head southwest on Frankfort Ave/Public Square toward West 3rd Street —157 feet
Turn left onto West 3rd Street –318 feet
Turn right onto West Superior Ave —0.1 mile
Turn left onto West Prospect Ave —0.6 mile
Turn right onto East 9th Street –0.3 mile
Slight right to merge onto 1-90 West toward 1-71 —1.3 mile
Continue onto 1-71 South –129 mile
Take exit 119A for 1-270 East toward Wheeling —0.3 mile
Merge onto 1-270 East —-1.1 mile
Take exit 27 to merge onto OH-710 North/ Cleveland Ave —1.2 mile
Turn left onto Schrock Road (Destination will be on the right) –1.3 mile

Toledo, Ohio to 1630 Schrock Rd, Columbus, OH 43229
1-75 South and US-23 South 134 miles, 2 hours 13 minutes
Head west on West Bancroft Street toward Parkwood Ave —0.5 mile
Turn left onto Lawrence Ave —0.1 mile
Keep right to stay on Lawrence Ave —0.1 mile
Turn left onto West Woodruff Ave —43 feet
Turn right onto the Interstate 75 South ramp to Dayton –0.1 mile
Merge onto 1-75 South —10.2 mile
Keep left to stay on 1-75 South –36.1 mile
Take exit 156 to merge onto OH-15/US-68 South toward US-23/Kenton/Columbus —2.8 mile
Continue straight onto OH-15 East —14.5 mile
Continue onto US-23 South —13.5 mile
Slight left to stay on US-23 South (signs for Columbus) —53.4 mile
Turn left onto East Wilson Bridge Road —1.1 mile
Continue onto Huntley Road —0.5 mile
Turn left onto Schrock Road (Destination will be on the left) —1.4 mile

Belmont, Ohio to 1630 Schrock Rd, Columbus, OH 43229
1-70 West 119 miles, 1 hour 49 minutes
Head east toward John Street — 92 feet
Turn left onto John Street —0.3 mile
Continue onto Palmer Road —0.2 mile
Turn right onto OH-149 North Belmont Morristown Road —2.0 mile
Turn left to merge onto 1-70 West —-98.7 mile
Take exit 108A-108B for 1-270 North/1-270 South toward Cleveland/Cincinnati —0.2 mile
Take exit 41A on the left for Main Street toward I-270/Cleveland/US 40 West/Whitehall -0.9mile
Merge onto 1-270 North —13.0 mile
Take exit 27 toward Otterbein College –0.3 mile
Keep right at the fork, follow signs for Ohio 710/Cleveland Ave North/ Schrock Road –453 feet
Turn right onto Cleveland Ave –0.2 mile
Turn left onto Schrock Road (Destination will be on the right) — 1.3 mile

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December 5, 2013

Exciting New Benefit Announcement!
Do you enjoy dining out? Exploring local restaurants? Saving Money? SERO now offers dining discounts through our partnership with AMBA. SERO members can now purchase significantly discounted Restaurant.com gift cards for use at local and national restaurants in your area. Buying a $100 gift card for only $20! A $50 gift card for only $10! And $25 gift card for only $5! To take advantage of the Dining benefit, go to https://www.myambabenefits.info/sero and select Dining from the navigation menu or go directly to http://www.myambadining.com . Happy Dining! For other benefits available to SERO members please visit https://www.myambabenefits.info/sero for more details. As a reminder, you MUST be a SERO Member to obtain these benefits. Please see our website for more details-http://ohio-sero.com

Please review the current items on an approved trip to Hawaii for 3 SERS Board members.
SERS Board Travel to Hawaii article on NBC4- http://www.nbc4i.com/story/21848140/school-retirees-fired-up-about-hawaii-tr#.UVskdsxqEJE.facebook

SCHOOL EMPLOYEE RETIREES OF OHIO, INC. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date- March 15, 2013
Media Contact- Valerie Rodgers
Phone- 614-431-0387
Fax- 614-431-0391

School Employee Retirees of Ohio, Inc. (SERO)
6161 Busch Blvd., Suite 131
Columbus, Ohio 43229
www.ohio-sero.com

SERO requests Pension Board Members to re-consider trip to Hawaii

As an organization that provides advocacy and support for School Employee Retirees exclusively, we request that the SERS Executive Board members rescind their approval to send three Board members on this trip to Hawaii this May.

We agree that Board education is important, however, we do not support sending more than one or two members to any given conference under most circumstances. In this time and age with information technology we believe that much information could be gained without the large travel costs that have been incurred by SERS Board members. We understand that there may be alternate conferences as well as other options for SERS Board to gain knowledge without significant cost to the retirees. We would like to see new SERS Travel policies that limit the total expenditures available as well as new and less costly options included for consideration.

In reviewing the level of spending at SERS compared to other Ohio pension systems, we are highly disappointed that these Board members have chosen not to consider the retirees that they are on this Board to serve. In past years, the SERS Board approved substantial cost increases to the retirees for both health care premiums and out of pocket costs. Pension reform has also made many changes to School employee age and service eligibility criteria requiring retirees to work more years before retiring.

On behalf of SERO members, and School Employee Retirees we respectfully ask that you reconsider this expense as well as review and consider less costly learning tools and resources available for SERS Board members.

 
 

2013 SERS OPEN ENROLLMENT MEETING SCHEDULE

CENTRAL OHIO
Monday, September 17, 2012 Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. COLUMBUS – DOWNTOWN
SERS’ O’Keefe Center
300 E. Broad St.
Columbus, OH 43215
Tuesday, September 18, 2012 Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. COLUMBUS – NORTHWEST
Bridgewater Banquet & Conference Center
10561 Sawmill Pkwy.
Powell, OH 43065

NORTHWEST OHIO
Monday, Oct. 1, 2012

Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m. Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. TOLEDO
Toledo Hilton
3100 Glendale Ave.
Toledo, OH 43614
Tuesday, October 2, 2012 Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. PERRYSBURG
Holiday Inn French Quarter
10630 Fremont Pike
Perrysburg, OH 43551
Wednesday, October 3, 2012 Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. FINDLAY
Findlay Inn Conference Center
200 E. Main Cross St.
Findlay, OH 45840
Thursday, October 4, 2012 Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. LIMA
Lima Senior Center
3400 West Elm St.
Lima, OH 45807

NORTHEAST OHIO
Monday, October 8, 2012    
Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m. Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. AKRON/CANTON
Holiday Inn Canton
4520 Everhard Rd.
Canton, OH 44718
Tuesday, October 9, 2012 Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. INDEPENDENCE
Holiday Inn Independence
6001 Rockside Rd.
Cleveland, OH 44131
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. STRONGSVILLE
Holiday Inn Strongsville
15471 Royalton Rd.
Strongsville, OH 44136
Thursday, October 11, 2012 Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. YOUNGSTOWN – BOARDMAN
Holiday Inn
7410 South Ave. (McKay Dr.)
Boardman, OH 44512
Friday, October 12, 2012 Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. KIRTLAND
Lakeland Community College
Health Technologies Building, Room H101
7700 Clocktower Dr.
Kirtland, OH 44094
Friday, October 19, 2012    Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. MANSFIELD/BELLVILLE
Der Dutchman Restaurant
720 St. Rt. 97 West
Bellville, OH 44813

SOUTHWEST OHIO
Thursday, September 20, 2012 Meeting: 9-11 a.m. CHILLICOTHE
The Ballroom at Christopher Conference Center
20 North Plaza Blvd.
Chillicothe, OH 45601
Thursday, September 20, 2012 Meeting: 2-4 p.m. JEFFERSONVILLE
S&J Banquet Center
1173-74 McArthur Rd.
Jeffersonville, OH 43128
Monday, September 24, 2012 Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. DAYTON – FAIRBORN
Wingate by Wyndham Dayton
3055 Presidential Dr.
Fairborn, OH 45324
Tuesday, September 25, 2012 Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. DAYTON – MIAMISBURG
Wyndham Garden Dayton South
31 Prestige Plaza Dr.
Miamisburg, OH 45342
Wednesday, September 26, 2012 Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. CINCINNATI – EASTGATE
Holiday Inn Eastgate
4501 Eastgate Blvd.
Cincinnati, OH 45245
Thursday, September 27, 2012 Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. CINCINNATI – NORTHWEST
Nathanael Greene Lodge & Reception Hall
6394 Wesselman Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45248

SOUTHEAST OHIO
Monday, October 15, 2012Morning meeting: 9-11 a.m.
Afternoon meeting: 1-3 p.m. GALLIPOLIS
Quality Inn Gallipolis
577 St. Rt. 7 North
Gallipolis, OH 45631
Tuesday, October 16, 2012Meeting: 9-11 a.m. MARIETTA
The Lafayette Hotel
101 Front St.
Marietta, OH 45750
Tuesday, October 16, 2012Meeting: 2-4 p.m. CAMBRIDGE
Prichard Laughlin Civic Center
7033 Glenn Highway
Cambridge, OH 43725

WEBINARS
Wednesday, September 12, 2012Meeting: 10-11 a.m. EST Online registration is required for webinars.Register at www.ohsers.org/open-enrollment
Friday, October 5, 2012 Meeting:10-11 a.m. EST Online registration is required for webinars. Register at www.ohsers.org/open-enrollment