Fear, loathing and audits for Illinois retired teachers.

In the legislature they are debating whether to cut our meager 3% cost of living adjustment on our average $43,000 a year pension – a pension that we never failed to contribute our 9.4% a paycheck to, but into which the state regularly failed to pay their share.

To make matters more threatening and confusing, we have heard that the supplemental insurance, the part we pay for to go along with your Medicare, will change. Maybe today. Maybe not.

But we haven’t heard any details. However we have to make a decision about which option we will choose, and make that decision by January.

And Cigna, the insurance company that the state uses for our Teachers Retirement Insurance Program (TRIP) has just raised the deductible and co-pays.

Now we get a letter from Central Management Services, the company that runs TRIP on behalf of the state.

Are people claiming dependents when they have none? Has there been a sudden burst of fraudulent claims of dependent coverage? Who knows?

Is it reasonable to protect the system against fraud?

Sure.

But CMS has hired HMS to audit us. Not just audit suspected cheaters. Audit all of us. 

Audited? Who doesn’t get nervous when they hear that word?

CMS and HMS want proof that our dependent spouse is for real.

Can’t I just give them a copy of my marriage license?

Amazingly, my marriage certificate is the one document they don’t want.

A marriage license is not evidence that you are married as far as HMS Employer Solutions is concerned. HMS is the  company that CMS has hired to investigate teacher retirees on TRIP.

HMS is “the leader in healthcare cost containment,” says their website.

HMS wants two documents from us.

None is a marriage license.

They want an IRS transcript. That’s not the form you sent to IRS. That’s a form we must request from the IRS and then the IRS sends it to you.

Good luck getting that while there is a government shut-down.

And they also demand one of the following:  A document dated within the last 60 days showing current relationship status such as a bank, mortgage or credit card statement listing both names, or a Property Tax Statement issued within the past 12 months listing both names.

All by October 25th

Are any of those proof that I am married?

HMS and CMS demand similar documents for civil unions.

Will many retired teachers be terrified by being audited. Will they worry that a “T” might not be crossed or an “i” not dotted?

An audit, combined with the pension attacks by politicians and sudden healthcare cost increases all create an atmosphere of fear for retirees and seniors who have done nothing but spend their working lives teaching kids.

It’s really messed up.