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2010 2011 2012 Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. “Highest Member Satisfaction among Commercial Health Plans in the New York- New Jersey Region, Three Years in a Row” * by J.D. Power and Associates. Our goal has always been to provide you with the exceptional customer service you deserve. We are proud of this award because it is based on your feedback, and we will continue to work hard each day to deliver the RedShirt SM Treatment. You Deserve the RedShirt Treatment. ® * Independent Health Association, Inc. received the highest numerical score among commercial health plans in the New York-New Jersey region in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2010-2012 U.S. Member Health Plan Studies Ṣ M 2012 study based on 32,686 total member responses, measuring 13 plans in the New York-New Jersey Region (excludes Medicare and Medicaid). Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of members surveyed December 2011-January 2012. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com. ©2012 Independent Health Association, Inc. Page 14 — The Communicator September 2012 PEF Information Line: 1-800-553-2445
PEF sues to protect privacy of members’ tax records By SHERRY HALBROOK Thanks to a lawsuit by PEF, the state is starting to backtrack on a gambit that would have let anyone at the state Inspector General’s Office (OIG) rummage through state employees’ tax records at will. In late January, PEF learned through a news story in the Times Union of an agreement between the state Department of Taxation and Finance (DTF) and the OIG to appoint all 62 employees of the OIG deputy commissioners of DTF for the sole purpose of getting around the confidentiality provisions of the tax law. It requires a judicial subpoena to allow the real DTF employees to disclose the tax returns of state employees to the OIG employees. On May 22, PEF filed an Article 78 petition in the state Supreme Court, Albany County, asking the court to void the agreement between the DTF and OIG, as well as the deputy tax commissioner appointments the agreement authorized. PEF also called on the court to force the halt of tax record disclosures without the judicial subpoena required by law. And PEF asked the court to award PEF attorneys’ fees and other legal costs incurred in defending its members’ rights. The state tax commissioner and inspector general must have been expecting the lawsuit, because the next day they posted a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the web, which cut the number of OIG employees to be named deputy tax commissioners from 62 to 10. It also somewhat changed the language describing the purpose of the appointments. The January 23 MOU had allowed OIG employees to “access and use tax return information only for the purposes of investigating the conduct of DTF employees or tax crimes potentially committed by employees of any covered agency.” The May 23 MOU allows them to “access and use tax return information for the limited purpose of investigating conduct of DTF employees or investigating crime(s) potentially committed by employees of any covered agency relating to a violation of their official duties, where confidential DTF records were accessed and/or utilized in the commission of said crime(s).” If the OIG or DTF thought PEF would just say, “Oh, that’s all right then,” they were wrong. “While the new MOU somewhat narrows the scope of infringement on our members’ rights, we do not believe the changes cure the legal defects we originally identified,” said PEF General Counsel Lisa King. PEF went back to court June 4 and moved to supplement PEF’s lawsuit to include the new MOU. The state countered by voiding its January MOU, which had remained in effect, in spite of the May agreement. That sent PEF back to court July 3 to again apply to amend its petition. PEF is waiting for the court’s permission to amend the petition, and for a court date to begin the proceedings. “If the court grants our motion to amend, which the state did not contest, we plan to assert all of the same causes of action concerning the new MOU as we did concerning the first one,” King said. NO OUT-OF-POCKET! Digital Hearing Aids are available with no out-of-pocket expense for PEF participants. WE SPECIALIZE IN audiological evaluations and advanced digital hearing aids. Nassau County 333 E. Shore Rd, Suite 102 • Manhasset • ( 516) 466-0206 1100 Franklin Ave, Suite 300 • Garden City • ( 516) 248-0068 2800 Marcus Ave, Suite 207 • Lake Success • ( 516) 622-3387 4045 Hempstead Tpke, Suite 202 • Bethpage • ( 516) 396-1017 Suffolk County 57 Southern Blvd, Suite 4 • Nesconset • ( 631) 238-5785 640 Belle Terre Rd, Building J4 • Port Jefferson • ( 631) 928-4599 994 Jericho Tpke, Suite 203 • Smithtown • ( 631) 238-5785 1111 Montauk Hwy, Suite 201 • West Islip • ( 631) 332-3274 Long Island’s Premiere Hearing Health Care Providers EarWorksAudiology.com www.pef.org The Communicator September 2012 — Page 15
Page 1 and 2: Official Publication of the NYS Pub
Page 3 and 4: THE COMMUNICATOR September 2012 The
Page 5 and 6: Transparency major issue for Execut
Page 7 and 8: Ready to build greater strength, re
Page 9 and 10: than 170 state, national elections
Page 11 and 12: Parole officer faces sudden danger
Page 13: Safe-patient-handling program creat
Page 17 and 18: 34 th ANNUAL PEF CONVENTION - 2012
Page 19 and 20: 34 th ANNUAL PEF CONVENTION - 2012
Page 21 and 22: Runoff, rerun elections fill five b
Page 23 and 24: Join PEF Black Caucus at NYC parade
Page 25 and 26: DR. ELISA PERREAULT / Professional
Page 27 and 28: www.buymbp.com Wholesale Clubs Free

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