NEA-NM Member Benefits

Insurance Trust Guidelines of Eligibility

In February 2009, the Trustees of the NEA Members Insurance Trust (NEA MIT) and the Executive Committee of the NEA approved an amendment to the NEA Members Insurance Plan to add additional categories of eligibility for former NEA members. This action was the result of the NEA MIT’s discovery that individuals with lapsed NEA memberships were participating in Trust insurance programs.

The Trust also determined that a significant percentage of these former members were either elderly, disabled, laid off or the spouse of a deceased member. Because these former members continued making premium payments, believing — albeit erroneously — they were still eligible to participate in the Trust programs, the Trustees agreed to allow them to continue participation.  However, they MUST inform the Trust that they fall into one of the new eligible categories.

If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Cupolo or Ben Profitt at (800) 637-4636. 

SEPTEMBER SPECIALS FROM MEMBER BENEFITS

Hot Deals and Discounts from NEA Member Benefits

NEA Click & Save “Buy-lights” for September 2009

NEA Click & Save, the online discount buying service for NEA members, highlights select retailers and merchants each month. Check out these featured “Buy-lights” for September:

Priceline.com:        Save up to 50% on hotels

BlackBerry:             Unbeatable savings on BlackBerry Smartphone devices

Home Depot:         Up to 60% off

Restaurant.com:   $25 gift certificates for $8

Join the 80,000 NEA members already registered for NEA Click & Save.  Go to www.neamb.com/clickandsave today!

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Take an EXTRA $5.00 OFF Over 100 Titles

at the NEA Magazine Service

 NEA Members save an EXTRA $5.00 on great magazines like Cooking Light, Weight Watchers, and EatingWell.  Get a year of delicious recipes, healthy eating tips, and weight loss advice when you order these member favorites – and now you save even more with your NEA Member Discount!  Go to www.neamag.com/health to find these special offers and more than 100 others!

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Hertz Local Edition        

$15 Off Your Weekend Rental - And, We'll Come and Get You®!

Save $15 on a minimum 3-day weekend rental of any car class at Hertz neighborhood (off-airport) locations.  Go to www.neamb.com/hertz or call your travel agent or Hertz directly at 1-800-654-2210.  Be sure to use CDP# 50655 to get your NEA discount, and PC# 115894 to get $15 off!

Advance reservations required. This offer has no cash value, may not be used with Pre-Pay Rates, Tour Rates or Insurance Replacement Rates and cannot be combined with each other or with any other certificate, voucher, offer or promotion.  Hertz age, driver and credit qualifications and weekend rate restrictions for the renting location apply.  Taxes, tax reimbursement, age differential charges, fees and optional service charges, such as refueling, are not included.  Discounts apply to time and mileage charges only.  Discounts in local currency on redemption. This offer is valid for vehicle pick-up on or before 12-31-09.

Back to School Specials from Member Benefits

Because NEA Member Benefits wants you to save money while you're preparing for a new school year, it has negotiated several special offers and discounts. Plus, it's easier for you to access these great deals in one place – just visit the Welcome Back page in the Professional Resources Channel at neamb.com.

 

Barnes & Noble

Get 10% off instead of the regular 5% - that’s double the savings!

 

uBoost.com

Receive 60% off membership to this popular online student rewards program.

 

Instructor Magazine

Get a free 1 year subscription.

 

Rapid Resources

Receive a free, 30-day trial for individualized lesson plans.

 

SmileMakers.com

Save twice as much on supplies with 10% off instead of the usual 5%.

 

Kmart

Receive special savings on clothing and school supplies.

 

Bank of

America

Receive a $50 statement credit when you sign up for the NEA Platinum Plus credit card with WorldPoints rewards.

 

 

RESOURCES AND SUPPORT     

During such a busy time of year, managing your time between family, school, and everything else isn’t easy. That’s why, on neamb.com, you’ll find a variety of resources to help get things done, including lesson plans and activities for classes, grants for funding, and articles with tips on everything from planning meals for the week to fitting a simple exercise routine into your busy schedule.

 

• Weekly newsletters like The Dish and Kitchen Timesavers give pointers on how to prepare easy, delicious recipes in no time, so you can plan for your busy week without worrying about meals.

 

• You can also learn about available grant opportunities, or how to write a compelling grant proposal – we did the research for you to save you precious time. Just look in the Professional Resources channel.

 

• Exercise is important – in our Health & Wellness Channel, you’ll find a wealth of articles and tools to not only make exercise more fun, but time-efficient too. 

If you haven’t already – register online at the new neamb.com to take advantage of all the great deals, and to enter for your chance to win some valuable back-to-school sweepstakes prizes. Remember to check back often, as there's a different prize every two weeks!

 

 

Summer Specials from NEA Member Benefits

Enterprise Rent-A-Car now provides exclusive benefits for NEA members: 5% discount off everyday low rates; No Holiday Blackout dates; over 6,000 rental locations in the U.S.; free pickup for local customers; and additional seasonal offers that may include auto upgrades or special rates for specific rental periods

 

Pr        Progressive Book Club (PBC) is an online bookseller that provides the opportunity to buy new books and support progressive causes with every purchase. It offers special membership features for NEA members. Select two free books and pay only shipping and handling; cancel any time after fulfilling the basic purchase commitment; books are only shipped with the member's approval.

 

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Hearing Aid and Vision/Prescription Savings Plans

The NEA Hearing Aid Savings Plan and the NEA Vision and Prescription Savings Plan offer attractive discounts and features to NEA members and their families. Both programs are showcased in the Health & Wellness section of the NEA Member Benefits Web Site (NEAMB.COM).  Features of the programs include a partnership with HEAR IN America hearing plans, free screening for members and their families, discounts of 30 to 70% on many brands of hearing aids, three years of free hearing aid batteries and lifetime cleaning and checkup service. For more information and to sign up, call 1-800-286-6149.

The NEA Vision and Prescription Savings PLan is provided by Outlook Benefit Solutions. The annual family membership fee is $10 (regularly $29), with an additional savings for a two-year membership fee. The savings are for a range of 5% to 50% off vision care and prescription drugs. Over 55,000 pharmacies honor the Outlook Vision Card in all 50 states. For more information, call 1-800-342-1788.

 

For additional information about these new programs, call the NEA Member Service Center

toll-free at 1-800-637-4636 or visit the Health and Wellness section of www.neamb.com.

$50,000 in prizes over the next four months!

In order to celebrate the new NEA MB Web Site, more prizes will be offered over the four months. This includes a total of $50,000 in prizes instead of monthly giveaways. To cap off the four-month promotion, every NEA member who registers on the new site from now through the month of August 2009 will automatically be entered into a drawing for a $5,000 cash grand prize to be awarded in September 2009.

For more information, go to the NEA Member Benefits web site.

No Interest on Saturn Loans for Educators

The Saturn "Thanks Educators" program gives educators associated with a credit union the Credit Union Member Discount¹ on any new Saturn. In addition, qualified buyers can get 0% APR financing for 60 months² on eligible vehicles. Learn more: www.saturn.com/educators.  Must be a member of a participating credit union. A statement or membership card from the credit union will be required as proof of eligibility at the retail facility. Not available with some other offers. Residency restrictions apply. See retailer for details. Discount available to members no matter where they finance their purchase. Take delivery by 1/4/10.  Monthly payment is $16.67 for every $1,000 financed. Average example down payment is 11%. Some customers will not qualify. Eligible vehicles include 2009 AURA^TM, AURA Hybrid (very limited availability), VUE^®, VUE Hybrid and OUTLOOK^TM. See retailer for details. Take delivery by 6/1/09.

 

 

Gift Bonus for Home Financing From Member Benefits

As of April 1, 2009, the NEA Home Financing Program, operated through Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, is offering a $200 Hallmark Insights Gift Card bonus for NEA members signing on a new mortgage or refinance loan.

 

The $200 gift card bonus is available on all mortgage and refinance loans, including Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans. (Previously, the bonus offer was a $200 closing cost rebate bonus, which did not apply to FHA loans due to U.S. Housing and Urban Development regulations.)

The Hallmark Insights gift card may be used by members to make purchases at dozens of merchants nationwide including department stores, restaurants, movie theaters, electronics and book/music retailers, drugstores, hotels and more.

FHA loans are now eligible for this benefit If you have any questions about home financing, contact the Member Service Centerat 1-800-637-4636.

POSSIBLE CHANGES IN NEA MEMBER BENEFITS CREDIT CARDS

Bank of America (BAC) intends to modify certain aspects of the NEA Credit Card Program and NEA Personal Loan Program to ensure the programs remain stable and competitive. 

NEA Member Benefits says that individual cardholders could experience some credit line reductions based on their use or misuse of credit. With these assurances in place, NEA MB and BAC worked collaboratively to create the fairest possible scenario for affected members.

 Approximately one quarter of existing NEA cardholders will be impacted by rate changes that take effect June 1, 2009. BAC will begin notifying members of these changes in April 2009 by letter and through statement messages and inserts. Members wishing to opt out of these changes will be instructed to call or write BAC.  Any use of a card after opting out will be considered an acceptance of the new terms and conditions.

Changes to the NEA Personal Loan Program are effective April 1, 2009, and apply only to new account holders. Due to regulatory requirements imposed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the NEA Personal Loan Program may no longer offer a four-month payment deferral feature.  

 If you have any questions regarding the information contained in this bulletin, please feel free to contact the NEA Member Benefits Service Center at 1-800-637-4636 or Marie Mancuso, NEA Financial Services Program Manager, at mmancuso@neamb.com.

SATURN CARS DISCOUNTED FOR EDUCATORS

There's a special discount available for educators associated with a credit union through the Saturn Thanks Educators Program. To register for the authorization code needed to receive a discount, go to www.saturn.com/educators. In addition to the Credit Union Member Discount, choose between cash offers or 0% APR financing for up to 60 months. Eligible vehicles include 2009 Saturn AURA, AURA Hybrid (limited availability), VUE, VUE Hybrid, OUTLOOK or 2008 ASTRA.