Sick or Injured
OFF SICK OR INJURED
Health Insurance for a member who goes on a Medical Leave of Absence:
Rail covered by Iron Road (UPREHS)
IRHCC (Continuance)
-3 months covered by FMLA then 3 months covered by premium waiver.
-then up to 24 additional months at $100 per month.
COBRA
-6 months of FMLA
-then up to 23 additional months at $714 per month.
When on a Medical Leave of Absence, at 6 months you will be given a choice of either Continuance or COBRA. The difference is that with Continuance, if you are granted a RRB Disability Annuity, your Insurance will terminate 3 months after the month that you are granted a disability.
Under COBRA you have the right to continue your health Insurance for up to 23 months.
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Rail covered by the National Plan
Health Insurance is covered, for free, for 2 years, after a year, in which the member had compensated service. Vacation taken in a year can be considered as compensated service.
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Dependents
Health coverage is for a year after a year in which the member had compensated service, for free.
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Dental & Vision
Coverage for the Rail is for two years after a year in which the rail had compensated service.
Dependents are covered for one year after a year in which the rail had compensated service. Vacation paid to the Rail will add an additional year of coverage.
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Call Railroad Enrollment Services, 1-800-753-2692, to ensure that you have continuing health, dental and vision care. If they do not show you as receiving continuing benefits take the following form to your Doctor, then send to Railroad Enrollment Services:
POD_Form_2011[1].pdf(181.8kb)
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If the employee has Iron Road Health Insurance. contact membership services at 1-800-547-0421 on questions of coverage.
Getting back to work
From experience, it seems that if a rail gets back to work within 30 days of an issue, that is not Heart or brain, it will only take an OK from your doctor and local UP Nurse to get back to work.
Once a person is off work for 30 days, most cases go to the Fit For Duty Nurse. At this point it becomes a fight to get back to work You will need to send every scrap of information on your condition to the FFD Nurse and they will take it to UP Medical to make the decision on going back to work.
Keep GOOD records and push, push, push.
We have a board award, that if the UP drags their feet getting you back to work, you can send a letter to the head of UP medical, with your doctors release for duty and get a decision within 5 days. Talk to your Union for examples of how this works.
Fraternally,
Larry J. Romine
Reliable Retirement Solutions
541-910-4568
1-1-2023
