Dear colleague,
If you’re an international scholar here at Rutgers (whether a faculty member, postdoc, or grad worker) and you have dependents on your health plan, you may have recently received a letter sent in error from the State’s Division of Pensions and Benefits. The letter (with the heading “Your Benefit Elections Require Action”; click here to see a copy) was meant only for parents of children who were born in the United States. The State periodically does an audit to make sure enrollees have proper documentation on record, like a Social Security Number.
Our union has worked with the State over the years to accept alternative documentation for dependents holding a visa. When members alerted us to this problem yesterday, we immediately contacted the Division of Pensions and Benefits, and they quickly acknowledged the error.
If you received this letter, your union can assist you in reinstating your dependents’ benefits: contact our union’s Executive Director Patrick Nowlan at pnowlan@rutgersaaup.org. You may need to resubmit documentation, such as your child’s visa, to the State—but Patrick can assist with this process. We’ve resolved the issue for three members in the past day.
Please forward this message to any colleagues, especially postdocs, who you know are on visas or have dependents on visas—it’s essential that we get the word out. If you have any other issues that you’d like to discuss with us, please email us at aaup@rutgersaaup.org.
In solidarity,
Andrés, Vik, and Hugo
Andrés Morera, Vice President for Postdocs, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Vik Meadows, Executive Council Representative for Newark Postdocs, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Hugo Désiré Bujon, Executive Council Representative for Camden Postdocs, Rutgers AAUP-AFT