There are few things scarier than receiving an unexpected notice of unpaid taxes. Yet a new tax credit offered by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, better known as the stimulus package, could unintentionally cause retirees to owe next year. As a result of the "Making Work Pay Tax Credit" for 2009 and 2010, the Internal Revenue Service revised the withholding tables to be used by employers by April 1.

Although pensions are not considered earned income under the tax credit, the IRS is still requiring former employers to use the new withholding tables. For those who receive pensions, this may result in under-witholding.

In other words, retirees from the education field could owe hundreds of dollars by the time tax season rolls around--bad news for those on a fixed income.

Even worse, little has been done to change this outcome, and it doesn't seem the IRS plans to do so.

Well, not if NEA has anything to say about it. The Association stands by the use of old withholding tables for ineligible income under the Making Work Pay Credit and, along with other retirement groups, is lobbying Congress and the new Administration to rectify the issue.

NEA sent an official letter in March detailing the problems to Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana) and Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), who chair the Senate's Finance  Committee and the House's Ways and Means Committee respectively.

NEA is also urging the IRS to utilize the old tables. Yet, until changes are made, withholding from pension checks will continue.

What can you do in the meantime? Protect yourself. Contact a financial advisor immediately to inform your state pension plan to adjust your witholding. NEA representatives say the only way to change your witholding amount is to personally instruct your pension system. It's not automatic.

"NEA will continue to seek relief with the Administration and Congress; however, the prudent action would be to meet with your account and financial advisor prior to any legislative or Administration remedy," says NEA federal lobbyist Al Campos.

--Nina Sears

Cedar Wood UniServ Unit
Ken Freeman

Des Moines Education Association
Ruth Foster

East Central UniServ Unit
Bill Hynds

Geode Education Association
Fred Stark

Great River UniServ Unit
Sue Wiele

Lincolnway UniServ Unit
Phyllis Lewis

Mid-Iowa UniServ Unit
John Hawkins

Mississippi Bend UniServ Unit
Melva Lewis

Northeast Iowa Education Unit
Joyce Amber

Northern Pride UniServ Unit
Mabel Mantel

Polk Suburban UniServ Unit
Gary Post

Siouxland UniServ Unit
Terry Dahlquist

Southwest UniServ Unit
Patti Lu Ford

State Unit Nine
Arlin Anfinson

UniServ Unit Ten
William Maas

UniServ Unit Two
Stan Van Hauen

Ex. Brd.Rep.
Barb Cunningham

Staff Liaison
Joann Mackin

Read back issues of the ISEA Retired Review. To submit news items, contact Editor Sue Wiele .

• ISEA-R Fall 2005 
• ISEA-R Winter 2005
• ISEA-R Fall 2006
• ISEA-R Winter 2006 
• ISEA-R Summer 2007 
• ISEA-R Fall 2008

NEA-Retired Membership  
How to Join
Membership at a Glance

NEA-Retired Membership at a Glance

Join Today!

Questions about NEA-Retired membership? Click here.

NEA-Retired was created in 1983 to organize and serve retired education employees of the Association. However, NEA had long served its retired members prior to the establishment of NEA-Retired.

In 1950, the NEA Representative Assembly (RA) adopted an amendment to the NEA Bylaws to create a membership category for retirees who had been Active NEA members "for at least five years prior to retirement." The bylaw specified these members "shall have the same rights and privileges of an Active member, except the right to vote, to serve as a delegate in the Representative Assembly, and to hold office."

The San Francisco RA in 1951 granted NEA departmental status to the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA), which was founded in 1947. The NEA-NRTA relationship continued until September 1, 1975, the year the NEA Constitution and Bylaws (adopted by the 1973 RA) became fully operative.

An amendment adopted in 1983 by the RA established NEA-Retired as a special program of NEA and redefined the Retired membership class, the rights of Retired members, and included NEA-Retired representation on NEA's Board of Directors.

NEA-Retired membership today is more than 275,000 and we continue to lead the way in public education and on critical issues such as Social Security, health care, and adequate pensions.

One standout effort occurred in 1995 during the White House Conference on Aging. Thirteen NEA-Retired leaders developed resolutions advocating public education which were ultimately adopted by the conference and forwarded to the White House as recommended national policy. NEA-Retired was the only organization at the conference to advocate for public education in that setting.

General Membership Questions

• How do I join?
  
• I retired from active teaching, but I do a lot of substitute teaching. Does this affect my eligibility for NEA-Retired membership?
  
• I retired and receive a pension from my state's school employee retirement fund. However, I decided to accept an offer of a standard teaching contract and re-enter teaching. How does this decision affect my membership status?
  
• How will my liability insurance coverage be affected by my decision to stay a member of NEA-Retired or to return to Active membership?
  
• I have retired and moved from my non-unified "pension state" to a unified "residence state". Do I have to join the NEA-Retired state affiliate in my residence state?
  
• I have moved from my pension state to a new residence state, both of which have unified NEA-Retired affiliates. Do I have to join BOTH state affiliates?

Delegates, the NEA Representative Assembly, and the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting

• I am a Pre-Retired subscriber to NEA-Retired. Am I eligible to be elected as a delegate to the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting and the NEA Representative Assembly?
  
• I have been elected as a retired delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly. How do I become a delegate to the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting?
  
• Does NEA-Retired pay any of the costs of attendance to the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting?
  
• I hold NEA-Retired membership in my pension states but I have also joined NEA-Retired in my residence state and I have had my NEA-Retired governance rights transferred to my new home. Can I run for election in both my pension and residence states?

Transferring Membership

• I retired from one unified state and moved my residence to another unified state. Do I have to purchase another NEA-Retired membership because my "residence state" is unified?
  
• Is it true that I MUST be a member of my retirement state?
  
• But if I am a member of my retirement state, how can I be a delegate to NEA and NEA-Retired from my residence state if my membership is in my retirement state?
  
• I hold a lifetime membership in my retirement state. I'm glad that an opportunity exists to be active in my new residence state but shouldn't I be able to transfer my lifetime state membership to it?
  
• Am I eligible for NEA Dues-Tab insurance?   

Still have questions? Contact the NEA-Retired office.

General Membership Questions

Q: How do I join?

A: NEA-Retired members join through their state affiliates. Learn more…

Q: I retired from active teaching but I do a lot of substitute teaching. Does this affect my eligibility for NEA-Retired membership?

A: That depends. Some state departments of education and/or legislatures are authorizing extended substitute teaching contracts or agreements to avoid the expense of hiring permanent staff. In general, if you are at least 45 years old and are receiving a pension from either Social Security or from a state's education employee retirement system, you are eligible for membership in NEA-Retired. It is possible, however, that a state affiliate could specify a maximum length of continuous substitute teaching service in a year beyond which a teacher is designated "Active." In such a case, the state retired member would have to revert to "Active" status and place the retired membership in an inactive category similar to NEA-Retired's "Pre-Retired subscriber."

Q: I retired and receive a pension from my state's school employee retirement fund. However, I decided to accept an offer of a standard teaching contract and re-enter teaching. How does this decision affect my membership status?

A: Be sure to discuss your options with your NEA state affiliate. If you are a Lifetime or Annual NEA-Retired member who signs a standard contract to teach, the NEA Bylaws require you to return to Active membership. NEA will convert your NEA-Retired Lifetime membership to that of a Pre-Retired subscriber. NEA-Retired recommends that an NEA-Retired Annual member working under a standard contract join NEA-Retired as a lifetime Pre-Retired subscriber.

Q: How will my liability insurance coverage be affected by my decision to stay a member of NEA-Retired or to return to Active membership?

A: If you maintain your NEA-Retired Lifetime membership, you are covered by NEA's Education Employee Liability (EEL) insurance. If you return to active teaching, you are required by the NEA Bylaws to return to Active membership (see above) and, of course, you have liability coverage under that category. You are NOT covered by the liability insurance if you are hired by a school district as an individual consultant and report your earnings to IRS on form 1099 and, judged on a case-by-case basis, you might not be eligible for EEL if you actively teach or substitute in a non-public school.

Q: I have retired and moved from my non-unified "pension state" to a unified "residence state." Do I have to join the NEA-Retired state affiliate in my residence state?

A: If you choose to have your NEA-Retired membership transferred for governance purposes, yes. If you opt to leave your NEA-Retired governance rights in your pension state, you are not required to join the residence state retiree organization. In brief:

• You are not required to join the retired affiliate in a non-unified state.
• You are required to hold state and national membership in a unified state.

Q: I have moved from my pension state to a new residence state, both of which have unified NEA-Retired affiliates. Do I have to join BOTH state affiliates?

A: No. If you have transferred your NEA-Retired governance rights to your new residence state and you wish to run for delegate from your residence state, you may wish to join in the residence state for the political advantage to your candidacy. But you are not required to do so. Remember you must maintain your membership in your pension state, regardless of your membership status in your residence state. Your membership resources help your pension state affiliate protect and improve your retirement benefits.

Delegates, the NEA Representative Assembly, and the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting

Q: I am a Pre-Retired subscriber. Am I eligible to be elected as a delegate to the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting and the NEA Representative Assembly?

A: No. As an Active member you are eligible to be elected as a state or local delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly, but you must be retired and eligible for a pension before you can be a retired delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly or a delegate to the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting (with full voting rights). You are welcome to attend the Annual Meeting where you can debate and vote on NEA-Retired business but you cannot vote for—or be a candidate for—elective office until you have retired.

Q: I have been elected as a retired delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly. How do I become a delegate to the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting?

A: NEA-Retired Retired members elected as delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly are automatically voting delegates to the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting.

Q: I am a retiree and have been elected as an alternate delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly. Am I a voting delegate to the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting?

A: If you are on the official list of alternates and the president or executive director of the NEA state affiliate certifies in writing that you have been elevated to delegate status, you will have full voting status in the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting from the time of your certification as a delegate through the remainder of the meeting. Until you are elevated to delegate status, you are welcome to attend the Annual Meeting on the same limited basis as other non-delegate NEA-Retired members.

Q: Does NEA-Retired pay any of the costs of attending the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting?

A: No. Except for NEA-Retired officers or Advisory Council members, all costs related to state delegates' attendance at the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting are handled by the state.

Q: I hold NEA-Retired membership in my pension states but I have also joined NEA-Retired in my residence state and I have had my NEA-Retired governance rights transferred to my new home. Can I run for election in both my pension and residence states?

A: If you have had your governance rights transferred, you are eligible to be elected as a delegate only in your residence state. If you had not requested the transfer, you would be eligible only in your retirement state.

Transferring Membership

Q: I retired from one unified state and moved my residence to another unified state. Do I have to purchase another NEA-Retired membership because my "residence state" is unified?

A: No. Transferring your NEA/NEA-Retired governance rights does not change your NEA-Retired membership. However, it does mean your NEA-Retired membership is, following your application to transfer the NEA-Retired governance rights, credited to your residence state and that you may be a candidate for NEA/NEA-Retired delegate from that state only.

Q: Is it true that I MUST be a member of my retirement state?

A Yes. This policy recognizes that the affiliate in the state from which you retired and from which you draw your pension carries a substantial obligation to protect your rights in retirement. These obligations are costly and absolutely critical to your retirement security.

Q: But if I am a member of my retirement state, how can I be a delegate to NEA and NEA-Retired from my residence state if my membership is in my retirement state?

A: You may run for a delegate position from the state that holds your NEA-Retired governance rights. It is your right to have your NEA-Retired governance rights transferred to your residence state and to run for a NEA/NEA-Retired delegate position in that state. If you do not transfer your NEA-Retired governance rights, you must run for the delegate position in your pension state.

Q: I hold a lifetime membership in my retirement state. I'm glad that an opportunity exists to be active in my new residence state but shouldn't I be able to transfer my lifetime state membership to it?

A: State memberships are governed by the state affiliates. Please check with your state about its membership transfer policies.

Q: Am I eligible for NEA Dues-Tab insurance?

A:  As an Eligible Member in good standing of the National Education Association (“NEA”), you are automatically covered under the NEA DUES-TAB Insurance Program. NEA Retired members are only eligible for one of the benefits: Up to $50,000 of AD&D insurance for any covered accident that occurs while on the job or serving as an Association leader.The key here is that the Retired member has to be serving in the capacity of an Association (NEA Retired) leader at the time.