65 and Ineligible for Medicare? What a disaster!

[Indigo Mule]

To clarify a couple of the points, In California, there is both an employer contribution of 1.45% and an employee deduction for Medicare. The original document with the signatures of those employees who did not opt into Medicare is kept by the position control manager, and there is a note on their mandatory deductions payroll screens (they come up each month during payroll edits as exceptions). I don't know if there are also individual documents scanned into each one's personnel file. (Our district was following legal requirements at the time. There was no special consideration being exercised.)

[Co2012]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bestwifeever It really does not seem right that you can get access to someone's else's personnel file like this; she would have to write to ask permission and set up an appointment but you can just get into it? Aren't there privacy safeguards no matter how good your intentions are?

You are absolutely right! After I thought about it, I had decided against it in regard to both of us. Although the person I was going to ask to check my file is a dear friend, I do not want her knowing too much of my personal information (but if she wants to know, she already does).

Anyone working in my position has a confidentially clause and if you were to divulge information from someone's file, you could be in serious trouble. maybe even fired. So this is something I never did even though I had been approached many times by friends asking me to do so. Especially when I was retiring, as some saw it as their last opportunity to get information. One friend still cannot forgive me because I would not give her the phone number and address of her son's girlfriend. They had a child together and girlfriend had moved and had not given them information on where they were. I think she blames me because her son has no contact with his son.

[JOHNNIE36]

I just hopped back on board after some time being away from posting. However, I have been on the website frequently just to see what's going on. I can't get over the binds some people get themselves into, whether their own fault or someone else's. I feel for all that are in this bind as I couldn't stand to go through those type situations. The school system is familiar to me only because I have so many friends that were teachers. Also, my brother was in the school system in Ohio and he is now retired. As far as I know, the school system there is still exempt from Social Security as the state has their own retirement fund. When my brother first started back in the late 60's, he had to work in the summers just to make ends meet. Someone told him back then about Social Security, the credits required, etc. Later in his career, he established a little side business and as an independent contractor, continued to pay into Social Security. When he turned 65 and went onto the Ohio state teachers retirement system, he was also able to get Social Security. Naturally, it was a reduced sum because of the amount he had contributed, but at least he's getting something. He's thankful to the person that clued him in years ago when he first started working.

[Mulligan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JOHNNIE36 I just hopped back on board after some time being away from posting. However, I have been on the website frequently just to see what's going on. I can't get over the binds some people get themselves into, whether their own fault or someone else's. I feel for all that are in this bind as I couldn't stand to go through those type situations. The school system is familiar to me only because I have so many friends that were teachers. Also, my brother was in the school system in Ohio and he is now retired. As far as I know, the school system there is still exempt from Social Security as the state has their own retirement fund. When my brother first started back in the late 60's, he had to work in the summers just to make ends meet. Someone told him back then about Social Security, the credits required, etc. Later in his career, he established a little side business and as an independent contractor, continued to pay into Social Security. When he turned 65 and went onto the Ohio state teachers retirement system, he was also able to get Social Security. Naturally, it was a reduced sum because of the amount he had contributed, but at least he's getting something. He's thankful to the person that clued him in years ago when he first started working.

And the longer the SS substantial years are the less they penalize you come time to draw. Back "in the good old days" for a period of time a teacher could draw unemployment during the summer. That was a sweet deal until the government put an end to that.

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulligan And the longer the SS substantial years are the less they penalize you come time to draw. Back "in the good old days" for a period of time a teacher could draw unemployment during the summer. That was a sweet deal until the government put an end to that.

Did teachers back then pay into the state and federal unemployment insurance funds? If they didn't, I don't see how they could have been eligible.

[Mulligan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 Did teachers back then pay into the state and federal unemployment insurance funds? If they didn't, I don't see how they could have been eligible.

I'm just guessing as this was told to me by the teachers who used to draw it back in the day which I assume was the 60s and 70s. I think the district would have paid into the funds, not the teachers themselves. It might have been a state specific occurrence, and not nationwide.

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulligan I'm just guessing as this was told to me by the teachers who used to draw it back in the day which I assume was the 60s and 70s. I think the district would have paid into the funds, not the teachers themselves. It might have been a state specific occurrence, and not nationwide.

Yes, I believe someone would have had to pay since it's an insurance fund.

[youbet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulligan I'm just guessing as this was told to me by the teachers who used to draw it back in the day which I assume was the 60s and 70s. I think the district would have paid into the funds, not the teachers themselves. It might have been a state specific occurrence, and not nationwide.

School districts pay UI premiums because they do lay off people from their jobs from time to time. A RIF'd janitor, administrator or teacher, etc., can collect UI while they are looking for a new job.

I don't know if teachers, with a contract to return in the fall, ever collected UI for the summer in Illinois. I don't go back to the dark ages (close though......). I can tell you from 1970 on they did not.

[youbet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 Yes, I believe someone would have had to pay since it's an insurance fund.

Mulligan's point was that it is the employer, not the employee as you said, that pays the UI premium.

[aja8888]

At some point along the way we got FUTA (Federal Unemployment Tax Act) which was paid by employees and employers (My Sub S Corp & employees paid in for years). This was in addition to the state's programs.