Dedicated to Helping Members Affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma
To assist cooperative employees and their families living in areas that have been impacted by hurricanes Harvey and Irma, a new option is available on the Member Contact Center phone system. When they call 866.673.2299 and select option 2, affected members will reach a representative who is dedicated to helping them with their benefit needs. We encourage anyone who needs help or has question about their benefits because of these natural disasters to call us between 7 am and 7 pm, Central time, Monday through Friday.
NRECA is also providing the following temporary benefits relief for members in affected areas for both hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
Group benefits plans
In cooperation with our business partners, the following relief measures will be in effect up to January 31, 2018, for affected participants in group benefit plans:
- Claims assistance
- Waving prior authorization requirements
- Emergency prescription refills
- Extensions (up to 60 days) for certain life insurance activities, such as claims, appeals, premium grace periods and portability and conversion opportunities
401(k) Pension Plan
The Internal Revenue Service is relaxing certain rules for 401(k) plans for financial hardship distributions and loans for the benefit of individuals in disaster areas designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through January 31, 2018. For details about which geographic areas qualify for special treatment of hardship distributions and loans, please visit fema.gov/disasters. Other requirements include:
- Timing: This relief applies to hardship distributions and loans beginning August 23, 2017, for Harvey and September 4, 2017, for IRMA and completed by January 31, 2018.
- Eligibility: This relief is available for 401(k) Plan participants who:
(a) Are hurricane victims because their principal residence or place of employment is located in the designated disaster area on August 23, 2017, for Harvey or September 4, 2017, for Irma; and/or
(b) Live outside of the disaster area and wish to assist a relative (i.e., lineal ascendant (parents, grandparents) or descendant (children, grandchildren), dependent, or spouse) whose principal residence or workplace is located in a FEMA-designated disaster on August 23, 2017, for Harvey or September 4, 2017, for Irma.
Targeted emails detailing the available benefits relief for hurricanes Harvey and Irma have been sent to co-ops with employees whose primary place of residence or workplace is within one of the FEMA-designated disaster areas or nearby locales.
*For Hurricane Irma, CVS Caremark is providing these 10-day emergency refills for a limited time to residents in Florida and certain ZIP codes that have been impacted in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.