Retiree Legal Service Plan

What It Is

This plan offers access to legal assistance for personal legal matters. The Retiree Legal Service Plan provides many of the same services and benefits as the Legal Service Plan, but at a lower annual fee. The Retiree Legal Service Plan is provided by Feldman, Kramer & Monaco, P.C. and is administered by NYSUT Member Benefits Trust.

The law firm of Feldman, Kramer & Monaco, P.C. has been the service provider for the Retiree Legal Service Plan since 1980 and acts as the Retiree Legal Plan’s National Legal Office. Their firm has grown from 5 attorneys to more than 40 attorneys during these past 20-plus years, and the network of participating referral attorneys now exceeds 500 firms in New York state and several hundred firms in other jurisdictions across America.

The law firm of Feldman, Kramer & Monaco, P.C. has been honored by the largest, oldest and most prestigious law firm rating company, Martindale-Hubbell, which has awarded them the highest possible rating of "A-V". Several major newspapers and television news shows have featured exclusive stories on the firm and its unique delivery of cost-effective legal service plans.

The Retiree Legal Service Plan provided through Feldman, Kramer & Monaco, P.C. is a NYSUT Member Benefits Trust (Member Benefits)-endorsed program. Member Benefits has an expense reimbursement/endorsement arrangement of 15% of annual participation fees received for this program. All such payments to Member Benefits are used solely to defray the costs of administering its various programs and, where appropriate, to enhance them. Member Benefits acts as your advocate; please contact Member Benefits at (800) 626-8101 if you experience a problem with any endorsed program.

Agency fee payers to NYSUT are eligible to participate in NYSUT Member Benefits Trust-endorsed programs.

Eligibility

This plan is available to all NYSUT retiree members. In addition to the member, it covers his or her spouse or domestic partner who is living with the member, unmarried dependent children under age 19 (or under 25 if they are wholly dependent on the member and are enrolled as full-time students), and dependent parents. The Retiree plan is not available to associate members. Retirees of UFT receive coverage through the UFT Welfare Fund Retiree Legal Plan with Elder Law Supplement.

Features

For an annual fee of $36, you receive unlimited access to toll-free legal advice weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as a toll-free Hotline for urgent legal assistance outside of these hours. As part of the plan, you have access to a number of other services at no additional charge:

• 1 free, half-hour office consultation with a National Legal Office attorney or local referral attorney.
• legal letter writing or phone calls made on your behalf.
• 1 simple will or update of a simple will every year.
• Preventive Law Guide newsletter.
• free simple power of attorney

If your legal problem can’t be resolved by letter or phone, you will be referred to a participating referral attorney in your geographic area. These attorneys are located throughout the continental U.S. and discount their hourly rates for Plan members to either $150 an hour or 40% less than their standard hourly rate, whichever is lower.

You can also add optional riders to your coverage:

• Elder Law Rider – For $35 more per year, you can have access to Elder Law attorneys who have agreed to reduce their legal fees by 20% for Plan members. These attorneys specialize in the financial and health care needs of the elderly. This rider provides one, free Legal Security Package each year that includes a simple will, health care proxy, living will and durable power of attorney. Elder Law rider benefits are extended to spouse/domestic partner, parents, parents-in-law, grandparents and grandparents-in-law.
• Business Protection Rider – The cost of this rider is $55. If you have a business of your own, this rider gives you access to attorneys who charge discounted hourly rates to Plan members of either $150 or 40% less than their usual hourly rate, whichever is lower. They provide such services as incorporation and preparation of partnership agreements.

NYSUT retirees are eligible to participate in the Legal Service Plan or the Retiree Legal Service Plan. To determine which plan will best benefit you, consider how you intend to use the plan. Here are the differences between the 2 plans.

Retiree Legal Service Plan:
Annual fee is $36, reduced to $33 through pension deduction.
Plan provides 1 free, half-hour office consultation with a Plan attorney.
A Simple Power of Attorney is free.

Legal Service Plan:
Annual fee is $70, reduced to $65 through pension deduction.
Plan provides 2 free hours of office consultation with a Plan attorney.
A Simple Power of Attorney costs $25.

Payment Options

Payment options for the plan's annual fee of $36 include check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, or pension deduction. If you elect to pay through pension deduction, you save $3 off the plan's annual fee.

How To Apply

You may apply online only if you are paying by credit card. If you are paying by check or pension deduction, or if you're paying by credit card but don't want to apply online, please download the application, which is a PDF file. If you do not have a PDF reader installed on your computer you may download it for free.

For more information or to apply over the phone, call Member Benefits toll-free at (800) 626-8101, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time, or e-mail us at Member Benefits.

Contact

For more information, call Member Benefits toll-free at (800) 626-8101, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time, or e-mail us at Member Benefits.

The Retiree Legal Service Plan is provided by Feldman, Kramer & Monaco, P.C. and is administered by NYSUT Member Benefits Trust.

Educational Info

The Legal Services Consumer’s Guide can be downloaded below (in pdf format), is available to all members and agency fee payers, and provides clear, objective information.

• Legal Services

This guide answers such questions as “Do I really need it?” “What exactly is it?” and more.

You can request this or other Consumer's Guides by calling Member Benefits toll-free at (800) 626-8101, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time, or e-mail us at: Member Benefits.