This form is to request reimbursement for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized over-the-counter at-home COVID-19 tests that may be covered under your medical plan purchased on or after January 15, 2022.
NYS Office of Mental Health: It’s time to Fund Our Future!
We’re pleased to share with you this video highlighting issues at OMH. Sign our petition here to let elected officials know that the time is now to invest in rebuilding safety net mental health for at risk New Yorkers and provide much needed services for those experiencing significant mental health and addiction issues at OMH and OASAS. New York needs to maintain sufficient facilities to accommodate stabilization and addiction services and to provide statewide treatment options at every OMH and OASAS facility!
NYS OPWDD, it’s time to Fund Our Future!
Please share this video highlighting issues plaguing the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities and the clients they serve. Sign our petition here to let elected officials know that the time is now to reinvest in services to the developmentally disabled! They must address critical staffing shortages, closures of state group homes and restore the services they are obligated to provide to New York’s most vulnerable citizens.
PEF public employees on what they do for New Yorkers
Members of the NYS Public Employees Federation share their diverse titles and job descriptions as part of a testimonial booth held at the union’s 2021 Convention in Niagara Falls.
Winter Storm FAQs
With a winter storm expected to start overnight on Feb. 24 and continue throughout the day on Feb. 25, President Wayne Spence asked PEF Contract Administration to answer frequently asked questions about work absences during extraordinary circumstances. Please see the full memo from Director of Contract Administration Debra Greenberg.
ARTICLE 15 REMINDER: Retroactive reimbursement deadline is March 1
PEF members, don’t miss out on this valuable benefit!
We wanted to be sure you are aware of the upcoming March 1, 2022, application deadline for retroactive tuition reimbursement, license renewal and other Article 15 professional development programs. Mark your calendars with the following information, so you don’t miss out on this valuable benefit guaranteed by your collective bargaining agreement.
Members applying for retroactive reimbursement for the College Tuition Reimbursement(CTR) Program, Nurses’ Enhanced College Tuition Reimbursement (NECTR) program, Workshop and Seminar Reimbursement (WSR) Program, Nurses’ Enhanced Workshop and Seminar Reimbursement (NEWSR) Program, and Certification and License Exam Fee Reimbursement (CLEFR) programs should make note of the following information.
Applications for courses or events that began on or after January 1, 2020, and ended prior to December 1, 2021, must be submitted by March 1, 2022. The postmark or email date will be used to determine the timeliness of the application.
Members applying for retroactive reimbursement for the new Certification and License Renewal Fee Reimbursement (CLRFR) Pilot Program please make note of the following information.
Applications for license/certification renewals required for your job that were paid for on or after April 1, 2020, through December 1, 2021, must be submitted by March 1, 2022. The postmark or email date will be used to determine the timeliness of the application.
Guidelines and applications for all of PEF’s negotiated educational benefit programs can be found online at the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations: https://goer.ny.gov/public-employees-federation-afl-cio-pef
If members have questions or need more information, please contact Kim Loccisano at Kim.Loccisano@PEF.org
Zoom backgrounds about bullying, telecommuting & hazard pay
PEF Communications has created a variety of Zoom backgrounds you can use to convey union messages about a few of our priorities. Just click the links below and then right click to save the image to your computer as a jpg. If you aren’t sure how to add backgrounds in Zoom, watch the video below for a tutorial.
Zoom Backgrounds:
• Stop the bullying, PEF members deserve respect
• Stop the bullying
• PEF members deserve respect
• I should be telecommuting
• I should be earning hazard pay
• This is what telecommuting looks like
How to add a background image in zoom:
PEF budget testimony
Hearings are underway at the state legislature as they review Gov. Kathy Hochul’s executive budget proposal. Stakeholders like PEF were allowed to testify virtually before one committee and PEF chose a joint hearing on Workforce Development. Vice President Randi DiAntonio delivered PEF’s testimony on Jan. 31 and answered questions from lawmakers. You can watch her complete testimony and Q&A here. She begins at about 3:45 in the video.
The follow-up questions from lawmakers and the panelists’ answers are worth watching as well. In particular: Assemblymember Ra asks about telecommuting, Sen. Harckham asks about bed closures and outsourcing, and Sen. Ramos asks about decreases in the OCFS budget and cuts to psychiatric beds. Each of those questions allowed for expanded testimony by both PEF and CSEA.
Prior to PEF testifying, the commissioners from the Department of Labor and Civil Service, as well as GOER Director Michael Volforte gave testimony and then were asked questions by various lawmakers. PEF made legislators aware of our priority issues in advance and some were able to ask questions that pertained to those issues. To watch the entire Workforce Development hearing, please click here. Here are some timecodes to direct you to the most relevant exchanges given PEF’s budget priorities
- Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon begins at 12:00 minutes in.
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- She is asked a question by Sen. Ramos concerning Unemployment Insurance during COVID @ 13:33
- Acting Commissioner for Civil Service Rebecca Corso begins testifying at about 1:56:30.
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- Sen. Jackson asks about retention of state employees and Tier 6 adjustment @ 2:05:18
- Sen. Jackson asks a question about hiring more parole officers to decrease caseloads @ 2:06:53
- Sen. Jackson asks about investing in the state workforce @ 2:10:30
- Sen. Savino asks about succession planning with the state workforce @ 2:18:04
- Assemblywoman Reyes asks about SUNY Nurse staffing shortages @ 2:31:23
- Sen. Jackson asks about increasing state nurses salary grades @ 2:35:29
Additionally, PEF has submitted the following written testimonies to budget committees so far:
Here, also, is an 11 minute highlight reel of commissioners Reardon and Corso and GOER director Volforte answering questions about PEF issues.
We are commencing letter-writing campaigns focused on PEF’s budget priorities this month and will keep members informed about how you can participate.
PEF applauds Attorney General James’ approach to telecommuting, COVID
PEF President Wayne Spence issued the following statement on Jan. 28, 2022:
“PEF applauds New York Attorney General Letitia James’ common-sense approach to telecommuting. In a memo to her staff this week, James noted that offices statewide will be “at or below 50% capacity” unless operational needs dictate otherwise. She also committed to continuing in-office contact tracing whenever employees exhibit COVID-19 symptoms, are exposed to a positive individual or they or someone else in their household tests positive. Social distancing and masking are required at all times for those who must work in the office, and KN95s are available for all employees. Until the Omicron variant recedes and the risk of contagion lessens, PEF will advocate that other New York State agencies follow the Attorney General’s lead.”