August 2002

Association & Agency News

Contents

Commission approves action plan for Trans Texas Corridor
Agency: Texas Department of Transportation
Source: www.dot.state.tx.us/

A new concept in transportation moved closer to reality ... with the Texas Transportation Commission’s approval of the Trans Texas Corridor action plan.

The 95-page report accepted by the three-member commission at its regular monthly meeting outlines the basic design of a statewide 4,000-mile multi-use transportation system. The corridor - up to 1,200 feet wide - will include separate lanes for passenger vehicles and trucks, six rail lines (three in each direction for high-speed passenger rail as well as commuter and freight rail) and a dedicated utility zone for water lines, petroleum pipelines, electricity and data.

"This report, prepared by TxDOT at the request of Gov. Rick Perry, outlines the future of transportation in Texas," said Mike Behrens, TxDOT Executive Director. "Texas is at a crossroads, and today our commission took the first step down a new road that will literally pave the way to a better Texas."

The report identified four routes as priority corridor segments. These routes - only conceptual at this point - are from Denison to the Rio Grande Valley paralleling I-35, 1-37 and the proposed I-69, from Texarkana to Houston to Laredo paralleling the proposed I-69, from Dallas-Fort Worth to Houston paralleling I-45 and from El Paso to Orange paralleling I-10. Nearly 4 million people live within 10 miles of these priority corridors.

Under the action plan approved by the commission, TxDOT will designate a central office to oversee the development of the corridor. It is a process which could take up to 50 years, but the corridor report’s action plan sets forth a series of first steps beginning in August and continuing to December 2003.

Estimated total cost of the corridor ranges from $145.2 billion to $183.5 billion. The report discusses a variety of funding possibilities, though planners generally envision a public-private effort paid for with tolls, bonds and other financing tools.

"The Trans Texas Corridor is a Texas-sized idea," Behrens said. "It is the largest engineering project ever proposed for this state, much more extensive than the Capitol, the Galveston seawall, Texas’ portion of the Interstate highway system, you name it."

A 20-page summary of the report is available from the TxDOT Public Information Office. The full report can be viewed at www.dot.state.tx.us/ttc/ttc_home.htm.

"The bottom line is Texas needs the Trans Texas Corridor as part of its transportation system and it is doable," Behrens said

Mosquito Precautions Issued After West Nile Virus Detected in Texas
Agency: Texas Department of Health
Source: www.tdh.state.tx.us/

Harris County public health officials announced that the West Nile virus has been confirmed in two blue jays in the county. This is the first confirmation of the mosquito-borne virus in Texas.

Texas Department of Health (TDH) officials said finding the virus in Texas was not a surprise.

“We knew it was only a matter of time before West Nile showed up in Texas,” said Jim Schuermann with TDH’s zoonosis control division.

Schuermann said state and local public health officials have been conducting an expanded surveillance program since 2000, searching for the virus in mosquitoes, blue jays, crows and other animals. The surveillance has been concentrated in the eastern part of the state.

The virus, which can cause encephalitis, was first detected in the United States in New York in 1999 and has now been found in 28 states and the District of Columbia. The virus was detected in neighboring Arkansas and Louisiana last year. Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain.

TDH officials said the detection of the virus in Texas should not be cause for alarm. “West Nile encephalitis has not been as deadly as St. Louis encephalitis, another mosquito-borne illness that we’ve had in Texas for years,” Schuermann said.

He said no human cases of West Nile encephalitis have been reported in Texas.

“Fewer than 1 percent of mosquitoes in areas where the virus has been found actually carry the virus,” he said. “And fewer than 1 percent of the bites from infected mosquitoes cause illness.”

Schuermann said the best way to reduce the risk of West Nile encephalitis and other mosquito- borne illnesses is to reduce the chances of mosquito bites.

He said people should remove standing water from around their houses, wear an insect repellent containing DEET when outdoors in mosquito-infested areas and make sure windows and doors are properly screened.

What are the rules on return to work?
Agency: Employees Retirement System
Source: www.ers.state.tx.us/

Last September, SB 587 lifted the salary cap and annuity restriction for retirees returning to state employment. How does that affect you if you want to come back to work for the State or you already have come back?

Payroll break and reporting still apply
New legislation broadens support for retirees to come back to state employment. Return-to-work retirees were subject to a salary cap and could only receive nine months of annuity checks during the fiscal year. Those rules are gone now for state return-to-work employees. You still must be off payroll for a calendar month after retirement before you return to work.

If you are 65 or over, your earnings will not affect Social Security
If you are receiving Social Security and you are age 65 or over, your salary won’t affect your income from Social Security. Contact your nearest Social Security Administration office for specific information.

If you have insurance as a retiree, you can’t be insured as an active employee
If you return to work for a state agency following retirement, you are considered a return-to-work retiree and must continue your insurance enrollment as a retiree. If your insurance premiums are deducted from your annuity, they will continue to be deducted. If you pay your premiums directly to ERS, you must continue to do so.

When you return to work, your health insurance claims under Medicare will also change. Medicare requires that your group health plan pay first or “primary.” Medicare then pays second or “secondary.” If you return to work at a state agency, your state health plan becomes the primary payer and Medicare becomes secondary for every month you work. You should ask your health care provider to file claims with your state health plan first.

If you return to work at a higher education institution that participates in the state insurance program, your state health plan becomes the primary payer and Medicare secondary if you work 50 percent time or more for at least 4 1/2 months; if you work less than 50 percent time or less than 4 1/2 months, Medicare will be primary and your state health plan secondary.

Your participation in state programs will change
You will no longer participate in premium conversion (the deduction of premiums pre-tax) as a return-to-work retiree. You may still participate in TexFlex Reimbursement Accounts. If you previously had elected to participate in a reimbursement account during the plan year in which you return to work, you must continue that participation for the rest of that plan year after returning to work.

ERS Summer Enrollment
Agency: Employees Retirement System
Source: www.ers.state.tx.us/

Summer Enrollment (began) on July 15. During the weeks of the Summer Enrollment period, you should carefully consider your needs and your dependents’ needs for the coming Plan Year.

You can change to another health or dental plan for which you are eligible. You also can add or drop coverage and enroll in TexFlex reimbursement accounts to pay health care and/or dependent care expenses. (You must re-enroll for TexFlex accounts each year.) You also can apply for the State Kids Insurance Program (SKIP). If you already receive the SKIP supplement, you must reapply during Summer Enrollment to avoid a break in the supplement for your children’s health care premiums. During Summer Enrollment, you also can apply for several optional insurance coverages without going through the evidence of insurability process.

You can do it all on the Internet using ERS OnLine! You will need your Social Security number for your User ID, as well as your ERS OnLine password, which will be included on the Summer Enrollment Notice that you will receive prior to Summer Enrollment. (Your password also appeared on the Annual Statement of Benefits that you received in December.) Remember that you can check your enrollment anytime on ERS OnLine or by calling the ERS interactive voice response (IVR) telephone system at (512) 867-7711 or toll-free at (877) 275-4377.