With a few days to go before the deadline, [81%] of you have already returned your forms
As most of you know, every other year, we are required to conduct a process by which we verify all benefit recipients’ continued eligibility to receive payments.
This past January, we mailed blue and yellow Benefit Verification forms to our over 66,000 members who were receiving a monthly benefit as of December 31, 2018. We are very happy to report that, as we go to press, we have received [over 40,000] of these forms—a return rate of [81%] to date. Thank you for your cooperation!
If you have not returned your completed, notarized form by Friday, March 29, we will send you a second form in April, with a due date in May. Benefit recipients who do not submit completed forms by the beginning of July will have their MTRS benefit allowances interrupted, beginning with their July payments, and their benefits will not be reinstated until they complete and return their Benefit Verification forms.
What is the purpose of the Benefit Verification process?
Our job is to pay the appropriate retirement or survivor allowance to the unique person who is entitled to the particular benefit. In rare cases—none in recent years—we have discovered that, after a retiree has died, a family member has continued to collect benefits even though that family member is not eligible for any survivor benefits. In order to ensure that benefits are still being paid to the correct individuals, by law, we must confirm that the intended recipients are still alive and, therefore, eligible to receive benefits.
For more info and FAQs, see our webpage on the Benefit Verification process.