Mitch Goldberg Director of the Retiree Benefit Fund

by Mitch Goldberg
Director of the Retiree Benefit Fund

Effective March 1, 2020, the optical benefit is $150. Hopefully, this increase will help all members eliminate or reduce any out of pocket costs for the purchase of new frames and lenses. While the full cost of some frames (e.g. Designer Frames) and lenses (e.g. Varilux) will still require a copay, that cost should be decreased due to the increased payment toward materials in general.

Surcharges will be applied for the following:

Polycarbonate single vision	$25.00
Hi index Single Vision	$50.00
Polycarbonate multifocal	$30.00
Hi index Multifocal	$60.00
Plastic photosensitive single vision	$60.00
Varilux Comfort 2 Progressive	$90.00
Plastic photosensitive multifocal	$65.00
Polarized Single Vision	$70.00
Standard AR coating	$35.00
Polarized Multi Focal	$75.00
Additional 6 month supply of covered contact lenses	$175.00

This is not a complete list of items with a surcharge but a list of the most common options chosen as upgrades to our basic allowance.

Optical vendors in the network can be located in several ways:
1. Via the CPS website at www.cpsoptical.com, on the website choose “Find a Provider”
2. On the Local 237 website at www.local237.org Under the Benefits tab, choose NYC Agencies then scroll down to Welfare Fund Optical Plan, which will take you to the “Find a Provider” link. Find Local 237 on the “Select Your Plan” pulldown menu, enter your zip code and submit.
3. If you do not have internet access or want to speak to a CPS representative to find a location, please call CPS at (212) 675-5745. For our out of metro area retirees who use the Davis or Visionworks Networks, the schedule of benefits has changed as well. Copays are now reduced $10 for lenses. Frames and exams are now covered by the Fund in full. Using your benefits is easy. Just log onto the m ember site at www.davisvision.com and click “Find a Provider,” or call them at 1-800-999-5431.

Significant savings on optional frames, lens types and coatings! Member Prices are as follows;

Davis Vision Collection Frames: Fashion | Designer | Premier     .$0 | $15 | $40 Tinting of Plastic Lenses.......................$15 Scratch-Resistant Coating .......................$0 Premium Scratch-Resistant Coating.......$30 Ultraviolet Coating ...............................$15

Anti-Reflective Coating: Standard | Premium.....................$40 | $55 Ultra | Ultimate............................$69 | $85 Polycarbonate Lenses...................$0/3-$35 High-Index Lenses 1.67 | 1.74 ...$60 | $120

Progressive Lenses: Standard | Premium ..................$65 | $105 Ultra | Ultimate ........................$140 | $175 Polarized Lenses .................................$75

Photochromic Lenses (i.e. Transitions®, etc.)/4 .....................$70 Digital Single Vision Lenses .................$30

Scratch Protection Plan: Single Vision | Multifocal Lenses ..$20 | $40 Trivex Lenses.......................................$50 Blue Light Filtering ..............................$15

The Board of Trustees hopes everyone utilizes the benefits provided by the Welfare Fund. Hopefully we can continue providing benefit improvements in the near future. The Board’s focus is to reduce or eliminate out of pocket costs for the benefits we provide to ease your financial burden.