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In this Edition:
- SBCERS Santa Barbara Office is Moving!
- Community Resource: Hospice of Santa Barbara
- HealthEquity and WageWorks Have Joined Forces
- 2020 COLA Tracker
- April 2020 Investment Results
- April 22, 2020 Board of Retirement Meeting Highlights
- May 27 & 28, 2020 Board of Retirement Meeting Agendas Available
- CareCounsel Information
- RESBC Membership Information
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SBCERS Santa Barbara Office is Moving!
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SBCERS Santa Barbara office will be conducting business at a new location beginning June 19, 2020.
Please update your records with our new address:
130 Robin Hill Road, Suite 100
Goleta, CA 93117
Our phone numbers, email addresses, and website will remain the same.
Please note that both Santa Barbara and Santa Maria offices remain closed to the public until further notice due to COVID-19. We look forward to greeting you in our new home when it is safe to do so.
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Community Resource: Hospice of Santa Barbara, Inc.
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Hospice of Santa Barbara, Inc. (HSB) is a nonprofit organization that provides free compassionate care to people within the community experiencing the impact of a life-threatening illness or grieving the death of a loved one.
They provide support services including care management, professional and individual group counseling, mentorship and compassionate care to children, families, teens, adults and seniors.
Hospice of Santa Barbara, Inc. is a Volunteer Hospice Organization, not a Medical Hospice. The medical models can provide care only when a prognosis of 6 months or less is given and the patient discontinues curative treatment, and focuses on relieving physical pain associated with end of life. As a Volunteer Hospice Organization, Hospice of Santa Barbara addresses the physical, social, emotional and spiritual suffering of those impacted by serious illness or grieving the death of a loved one.
Hospice of Santa Barbara can provide support for coping with the negative impacts of COVID-19 that you may be feeling, such as grief, loneliness, and isolation. To receive support or learn more, call their office at 805-563-8820.
Resources are also available
online at
http://www.hospiceofsantabarbara.org/.
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HealthEquity and WageWorks Have Joined Forces
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HealthEquity recently acquired WageWorks to bring together the best possible benefits experience, helping more people connect health and wealth than ever before.
You will be seeing several HealthEquity brand updates (including
WageWorks.com
, member portal, emails and other materials) in the coming months to introduce you to the HealthEquity brand.
The branding below is what you can expect to see from HealthEquity.
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More about HealthEquity
Established in 2002, HealthEquity administers Health Savings Accounts and other consumer-directed benefits for more than 12 million accounts in partnership with employers, benefits advisors, and health and retirement plan providers who share the mission to connect health and wealth. An industry leader, HealthEquity is the largest HSA administrator in terms of accounts and second largest in number of custodial assets.
HealthEquity and WageWorks combined to deliver the end-to-end, integrated solutions that help you connect health and wealth, including:
- 24/7 US-based remarkable service;
- Personalized, educational communications that inspire better choices and healthier habits; and
- Intuitive investing technologies and on-screen tutorials.
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For April 2020, Los Angeles Area Inflation (year over year) was 0.70%.
Click
HERE
or on the chart above to see monthly inflation figures compared to last year.
Want to track the COLA on your own? On the 15th of each month, the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor statistics releases CPI data for Los Angeles. Click
HERE
to read the current Bureau of Labor Statistics report.
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April 2020 Investment Results
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The Total Fund
returned 4.35% for the month of April net of fees. For the current fiscal year through April 30, 2020, the portfolio has returned -3.03%, experiencing a loss of approximately $92.5 million.
Click
HERE
to read the full April 2020 Investment Flash Report.
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April 22, 2020 Board of Retirement Meeting Highlights
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At the Board
of
Retirement's April 22, 2020 meeting, t
he Board voted to include the newly created County of Santa Barbara earnings codes PTL and XFL as items of compensation earnable and pensionable compensation. T
he Board also received March 31, 2020 Investment Performance Review and a presentation on the state of the Fixed Income Market, the SBCERS portfolio and potential upcoming investments in Private Credit from RVK, Inc.
Draft minutes for the April 22, 2020 regular Board of Retirement meeting can be found
HERE
.
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May 27 & 28, 2020 Board of Retirement Meeting Agendas Available
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The next Regula
r Board of Retirement meetings will be held remotely on May 27 and 28, 2020. The May 27th meeting includes investments items and the May 28th meeting includes disability and operations items. You can watch both meetings via Youtube live stream at
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC737ZNPI2eSJPcQlA5HfaNw/live
.
M
embers of the public who would like to make a public comment may email
clerkoftheboard@sbcers.org
for instructions on how to do so remotely.
Click
HERE
to access the agenda and board m
aterials on our agenda management website.
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Want help with your Health Care Inquiries and Concerns?
Looking for a stress-free solution to your healthcare inquiries and, or concerns? CareCounsel is our health advocacy partner and is a service offered as part of your benefit package. CareCounsel works independently from your insurance carrier and is a completely confidential resource.
It’s easy, call: (888-227-3334), or email
staff@carecounsel.com
Monday through Friday 6:30 am to 5:00 pm PST. After hours, you can leave a message and they will get back to you the next business day.
A few examples of why you should contact CareCounsel:
- Education
- Making Sense of Medicare
- Benefits and Coverage Questions
- Claims and Billing Assistance
- Eligibility Status
- Quality Concerns
- Grievances and Appeals
- Assistance with Locating Healthcare Providers
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RETIRED EMPLOYEES OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY (RESBC)
RESBC
is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of county retirees by providing information on critical retirement issues and offering educational/cultural social opportunities. Membership in RESBC is $2.50 monthly. Dues are deducted from the member’s Santa Barbara County pension payment. County employees may join RESBC by completing the RESBC Membership Deduction Authorization form at the time of their retirement exit conference.
Retirees may join at any time by requesting a membership form from SBCERS, 3916 State Street, Suite 100 Santa Barbara, CA 93105, 1-877-568-2940 or, by clicking
HERE
and sending the completed form to
benefits@sbcers.org
.
RESBC Membership benefits include:
- 4 issues of the RESBC newsletter per year
- 4 subsidized luncheon meetings per year held at various county locations
- Opportunities to participate in subsidized day trips and special events
- Attendance at special presentations on critical issues such as health insurance, pension litigation, pension-related court decisions, etc
- Opportunity to socialize and have fun with former co-workers and friends
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Have a question about an item in this newsletter?
Call a Benefit Representative at 1-877-568-2940. We are ready to help you!
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Want to look at prior Newsletters?
Click
HERE
to visit the SBCERS Newsletter Archive.
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