It should be right around Independence Day when the July edition of PORAC Law Enforcement News finds its way to your mailbox. Truly one of our greatest holidays, marking the day when we told Great Britain, “We got this. No help needed.” And here we are some 246 years later.
As the youngest of PORAC’s three trusts, the RMT is closing in on 14 years of existence. But, unlike the United States of America years ago, the RMT is asking you for your help. I’ve asked before, and I need to ask once again.
We routinely lose contact with participants, including active, separated and retired. When that happens, we can no longer send you important information and updates with regard to your benefits. For us, the weakest link in the chain of communication revolves around a good physical mailing address.
One of the pitfalls surrounding this type of situation is this — the RMT is bound by rules to make a good-faith effort to locate missing participants. The folks who regulate trusts like ours insist upon it. And good-faith effort comes at a cost. We literally have to hire a skiptracer firm to try to locate folks. They get paid for their effort, not their results.
Obviously, the Trust has expenses that have to be paid. All expenses have a direct negative relationship to any potential benefit for the participants. The trustees are quite frugal, and try hard to keep a lid on the expense account. We would prefer to not have to pay to find people.
Help us help you. If you are in the RMT, please make an effort to get registered. The process is really simple and quite painless.
- Go to our website: PORACRMT.org
- Click the Member Login tab
- See “Don’t Have an Account?” and click Register
- Fill in the requested information
- The registration code is PORAC (all caps)
- Click Send Registration Request
Vimly, our third-party administrator, will review the information. If what you provide matches with our records, you will be provided with a temporary password that will allow you access to your account. Log in and create a new password of your choosing. Most importantly, while you are logged in, please go to My Details where you can provide us with your current contact information. If you have a spouse and/or dependents, you should make sure that information is up to date as well.
Just remember, don’t use your department’s address or city hall. That is typically where we lose you when you leave employment. We need a good physical address at which to send correspondence. A postal box will work as well.
So, registering is a small request. I’m really hoping you can help us out with that. If you encounter any issues or difficulty getting registered, call the Trust office at (877) 808-5994. They will be glad to help you get registered.
Our newest association to join is the San Mateo Police Officers’ Association. They were represented in their most recent contract bargaining by Tim Cantillon from the law firm of Goyette, Ruano & Thompson. The association leaders who helped make it happen included Scott Olcese, Rory McMilton, Alison Gilmore and Marisol Soto. Great job by everyone involved. Welcome aboard!
One last item to mention. The composition of the Board of Trustees for the Retiree Medical Trust could soon be changing. We are always looking for new faces, new blood and fresh ideas. If you have an interest in serving your fellow brothers and sisters in public safety, we would love to hear from you.
Questions, concerns or comments? Contact your region trustee or feel free to contact me at CPOAPrez@sbcglobal.net or (530) 588-5117.
