$500 Disaster Grants Available
To Help Union Plus Program Participants
Impacted By Hurricane Sandy
Union Plus Disaster Relief Grants of $500 are available to help eligible participants in the Union Plus Credit Card, Insurance or Mortgage programs who are facing financial hardship due to the disaster. The money does not have to be repaid. Funds are limited to the nearly $370,000 available in the Union Plus Disaster Relief Fund.
To qualify for a Union Plus Disaster Relief Grant, you must:
- Have been a victim of the severe weather in counties designated by FEMA as qualifying for individual assistance. (List of qualifying counties available at UnionPlus.org/Sandy)
- Have experienced a significant loss of income or property within the last six months due to the disaster.
- Have had a Union Plus Credit Card, Union Plus Insurance policy or Union Plus Mortgage for at least 12 months with the account or policy in good standing (be up-to-date on payments).
- Describe his or her circumstances and document the income or property loss.
To apply for a disaster relief grant, union members who participate in any of the following programs can call:
- Union Plus Credit Card: 1-877-761-5028
- Union Plus Insurance: 1-800-472-2005
- Union Plus Mortgage: 1-800-472-2005
Union Plus programs are truly unique in looking out for the welfare of union members. Credit card holders are also eligible for Union Plus grants that help union members who lose their job, are recently disabled, face high hospital bills or are forced to go on strike. The mortgage program also offers assistance that includes interest-free loans and grants for union members who are unemployed, recently disabled, locked out or on strike.
Union Plus Credit Card holders are encouraged to contact Capital One, the new Union Plus Credit Card issuer, at 1-877-761-5028, if you need additional assistance. Capital One has programs in place to help customers who are experiencing difficulties due to the storm.
Union Plus Mortgage holders, including anyone who is in the process of receiving a new Union Plus mortgage, are encouraged to contact Chase, who provides Union Plus Mortgages, at 1-888-356-0023 or tweet @ChaseSupport, for additional assistance and information.
For more information about the Union Plus disaster benefits, visit UnionPlus.org/Sandy
Amtrak Employee Disaster
Assistance Information
Employee Disaster Assistance Information
Amtrak employees have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy in numerous ways; the tragic loss of loved ones, homes destroyed or severely damaged. Many families in the hard-hit regions are without power and were forced to evacuate from their homes.
President Obama declared major disasters for New York and New Jersey, making disaster assistance available to those in the heaviest hit areas affected by the storm. Individuals and business owners in the declared areas (counties that have declared a state of emergency) in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey can begin applying for assistance by:
- registering online at www.disasterassistance.gov
- applying via a smartphone at http://m.fema.gov
- applying via a phone by calling (800) 621-3362 or TTY (800) 462-7585
In addition to these three ways to apply, you can visit a disaster recovery center in your area and search for disaster recovery centers on your smartphone.
The American Red Cross has emergency shelters in many states. You can search for open shelters by visiting the Red Cross website, downloading the FEMA smartphone app, or by texting the word “shelter” and a zip code to 43362 (4FEMA). For example, if you’re searching for a shelter in the 01234 zip code, you would text Shelter 01234.
New York and New Jersey have established some additional contacts:
New York has the following contacts:
a. Hurricane Sandy Helpline for general assistance and applications for disaster assistance 855-NYS-SANDY
b. Additional helpline for information on other resources 888-769-7243
c. Food and water distribution points in NYC http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/foodandwater.html
New Jersey:
a. www.state.nj.us/njoem
Employee Assistance Program
It is critical that if you have not seen or heard from a fellow employee in several days, please call our 24-hour EAP Hotline at 1-800-327-6448 and report this information.
We know that in such devastating situations employees may have numerous issues which may need to be addressed. EAP is available to help you with crisis support and please don’t hesitate to reach out. This number is for our employees only.
How to Help
Many employees have asked how they can help. At this time we are encouraging donations to the American Red Cross and other relief organizations.
Numerous blood drives have been cancelled as a result of the storm and the Red Cross has a need for blood donations. To schedule a blood donation or for more information about giving blood or platelets, please visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Express Scripts — Refill-Too-Soon
Express Scripts has implemented emergency procedures for Refill-Too-Soon edits due to Hurricane Sandy. Emergency procedures will be in effect until November 26, 2012.
Due to Hurricane Sandy, ESI is implementing Emergency Refill Too Soon Procedures in:
Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, the West Virginia counties of: Jefferson, Brooke, Marshall, Ohio, Hancock, Wetzel, Barbour, Lewis, Upshur, Nicholas, Webster, Pocahontas, Randolph, Harrison, Tucker, Greenbrier, Preston, Doddridge, Gilmer, Braxton, Ritchie, Tyler, Taylor, Marion, Monongalia, Grant, Mineral, Hardy, Pendleton and the North Carolina counties of: Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Tyrrell, Washington, Wayne.
This is effective October 27, 2012 and expires on November 26, 2012.
Effective immediately, if a patient from the disaster areas attempts to fill a prescription for lost or damaged medication resulting from the disaster, and the claim rejects with a Reject 79 "Refill Too Soon," the pharmacy should enter override code 91100000001 in NCPDP vD.0 field 462-EV "Prior Auth Number Submitted."
This override code should be used to process claims only for affected members in the designated disaster areas thru November 26, 2012.
BRS members may also contact Grand Lodge at (540) 622-6522 for information.
