UnitedHealthCare change to their Fitness Benefit  -

for the year 2021:

  You have access to SilverSneakers®, a Medicare fitness program.   SilverSneakers includes a $0 membership fee for a standard, monthly membership at a participating fitness center.

   To get your SilverSneakers ID number or to learn more about this benefit, visit SilverSneakers.com or call  1-888-423-4632, TTY 711, 7a.m. to 7p.m. CT, Monday through Friday.

 for the year 2022:

  You will have access to Renew Active® by UnitedHealthCare at no additional cost.  Renew Active is the gold standard in Medicare fitness programs for body and mind.  It includes a gym membership at a fitness location you select from UHC’s nationwide network (including the YMCA and Fit Club).

 To learn more about Renew Active, visit UHCRenewActive.com.   Once you become a member, you will need a confirmation code.  Sign in to your plan website, go to Health & Wellness, and look for Renew Active or call the number on the back of your UnitedHealthCare member ID card to obtain your code.

The Illinois State Employees Retirement System has issued the following warning to its members:

Warning!  Many SERS members have recently received unsolicited, potentially misleading emails from companies not affiliated with SERS offering retirement counseling. These emails may appear to come from SERS or appear to represent SERS, they do not. SERS encourages members to be cautious of email solicitations and skeptical of any attempts by outside firms to request personal or financial information. SERS will NEVER contact you asking for personal information. If you are within a year of retirement and need an appointment, you can request an appointment by emailing [email protected] or by calling (217) 785-7444.

FLU SHOTS:

 CMS has released its Flu Shot Options for the fall of 2021 from September 28 through November 4. Because of Covid, access is different than in the past and for those outside of Springfield and the Chicago area, the best option may be your local health department.

 For the Springfield Area: https://www2.illinois.gov/cms/benefits/StateEmployee/Documents/Flu_Shot/2021/2021springfieldflu%20schedule.pdf

For the Chicago Area: https://www2.illinois.gov/cms/benefits/StateEmployee/Documents/Flu_Shot/2021/2021chicago%20and%20downstate%20flu%20schedule.pdf

 You may also wish to call your health plan to see where you can get your free shot. Or go to:

https://www2.illinois.gov/cms/benefits/StateEmployee/Documents/Flu_Shot/2021/2021acceptedvendor%20flu-shot%20options.pdf to see which providers are covered under your health plan.

 Wear short sleeves and bring you insurance card when you got your shot!

Just a reminder -

The MyBenefits Portal and the MyBenefits Service Center  will be down
Wednesday,  September 8,   beginning at 6pm CT,   until
Monday,   September 13 at 8am CT. in order to facilitate an upgrade to the system.