It’s getting close to that time of year when we all get together for fun, food, networking, education and, of course, some super entertainment. It’s the Annual PORAC Conference of Members. I can always remember how old they are because they incorporated in the year of my birth. And I am not young by any means, nor is PORAC. They have been around long enough to have become both the largest law enforcement organization in California as well as the largest statewide association in the nation. Mighty impressive, indeed. We have some great folks leading us.
This year, the Conference returns to the beautiful JW Marriott in Palm Desert. The PORAC Retiree Medical Trust (RMT) will be hosting a meeting on Thursday, November 21, at 4 p.m. We are hoping to be able to meet with anyone and everyone who would like a bit more information on the RMT. We would love to have conversations with association members, association leaders, labor representatives and attorneys.
This will be very informal. We aren’t selling anything. Rather, we really just want to share with you the opportunity to learn about the RMT and see if it might be something beneficial for your members.
One thing I know for sure: Each year that goes by, I learn of yet another city or county government that has stripped an association of their paid medical benefits in retirement. Typically, the employer will identify a date, much like California did with PEPRA. Those hired before the date get to retain some or all of the benefit. You might be wondering what happens to those hired after the date. Well, it’s a bit of a crapshoot. Generally speaking, they seem to get a whole lot less. Sometimes less equals zero.
The RMT has been able to step into that situation many times and put a Band-Aid on that wound.
It just doesn’t make sense to approach retirement without some sort of plan in place to address those pesky medical bills and insurance premiums.
Maybe you have been looking into the RMT, wondering why your association hasn’t taken a deeper dive to see if it’s a good fit. Perhaps your association leaders have been busy taking care of other pressing matters. No problem.
That situational quandary reminds me of an article that appeared in the October 2021 edition of PORAC LE News. It was a profile story about Jesus Montana of the San Diego Schools Police Officers’ Association. Jesus discussed his decision to become the association’s president and help lead the members as they worked to solve and address various problems and issues. That morphed into leadership roles within his chapter and eventually the PORAC Executive Committee. Someone might ask, “Why?” Jesus responded, “If not me, who?” It became a guiding tenet.
It seems that oftentimes if you want something, you may have to take on the challenge yourself and get to work. Like doing the research on the RMT. Asking questions will cost you nothing.
So with that in mind, we invite you to join us at Conference for an hour or two. We promise to be finished in time for everyone to attend the exhibitor hospitality reception and raffle, which will start promptly at 6 p.m.
