Author: SAFPPA Editor

Join us for the monthly member meeting of the San Antonio Fire and Police Pensioners Association. This meeting brings together retired fire and police personnel to discuss important updates, reports, and community matters.

📅 Date: May 13, 2025
🕜 Time: 1:30 p.m.
📍 Location: San Antonio Fire and Police Pension Fund Office
11603 W. Coker Loop, Suite 201, San Antonio, TX 78216

🏛 Meeting Agenda:

1. Invocation – Led by Chaplain Rev. Smoot or Deacon Jerry Whitley
2. Pledge of Allegiance – United States of America and Texas Flag
3. Roll Call of the Executive Board – Attendance confirmation
4. Speaker of the Month – No speaker this month
5. President’s Report – Includes details on the May 13 Memorial Service, to be held immediately following the meeting
6. Reports from Board Members – Updates from the Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and Corresponding Secretaries for Fire and Police
7. Committee Reports – Family Assistance, Pre-89ers Health Care, PAC Fund, Pension Fund, and Retiree Health Care Fund updates
8. Members to Be Heard – Open floor for discussions
9. Door Prizes – Exciting giveaways!
10. Adjournment

This gathering is a great opportunity to stay informed, voice concerns, and connect with fellow retirees. We look forward to seeing you there!

The San Antonio Fire and Police Pensioners’ Association (SAFPPA) is hosting a heartfelt memorial service to honor the brave first responders who passed away in 2024. Join us as we pay tribute to their service, courage, and dedication to our community.

📅 Date: May 13, 2025
📍 Location: SAFPPF Headquarters
11603 W. Coker Loop, Suite 201
San Antonio, TX 78216

Program Highlights:

• Invocation: Deacon Jerry Whitley.
• Prayer for First Responders: Offering gratitude for their sacrifice.
• Bagpipes Performance: Featuring Amazing Grace and The Bells of Dunblane.
• Roll Call: Honoring the names of our departed firefighters and police officers.
• Lighting of the Eternal Candle: In memory of those we have lost.
• Speaker: Billy Anders
• Benediction: Reverend A. D. Smoot

This memorial service follows the regular member meeting, which starts at 1:30 p.m., and is a special opportunity to come together as retirees of the San Antonio Fire Department and San Antonio Police Department. Let us remember and celebrate the lives of these extraordinary men and women who dedicated their lives to protecting and serving us.

The San Antonio Fire and Police Pensioners’ Association is providing the following message from the Healthcare Fund representatives. Please remember that SAFPPA has no direct relationship with the operation of the HeatlhCare Fund. We are providing this notice as a courtesy to our members.  Members,

I am writing to you today, to discuss changes that we are implementing that will directly benefit our membership.  Our prescription plan is currently managed by  “Capital RX.”   Our  mail order pharmacy  is subcontracted by Capital RX (our plan manager), to “OptumRx.”   We have been made aware of numerous member complaints, regarding OptumRx,  in filling member prescriptions.  Capital RX (our plan manager) has tried unsuccessfully to rectify those issues.  It is time for a change.  
 
OptumRx operates within a rigid business model that is problematic when it comes to serving our membership.  The unfortunate result of this inflexibility has resulted in our membership being under-served.  Capital RX has advised us that we have the contractual ability to “opt out” with regards to using OptumRx as our mail order pharmacy.  For the convenience and benefit of our members, we have decided to switch our mail order pharmacy to “Costco.” 
 
Costco is an American multinational corporation and is one of the largest retailers in the World.  They have a very customer service oriented approach to doing business; and we believe that they will be better suited to provide the kind of pharmaceutical service that our members deserve and expect.  Due to their strong local presence in the San Antonio area, they will be able to provide a more comprehensive form of service.  If you wish to go to their store, they have four (4) storefront locations here in San Antonio, where you can pick up a 90-day supply of your medications.  For any questions on the process for in-store pick up, contact a benefit specialist at The Retiree Healthcare Fund at 1-866-652-4237.  Otherwise your prescriptions will be mailed directly to you for convenience as is the current practice.  
 
Beginning June 1, 2025, our new mail-order pharmacy provider will be Costco Mail Order and Costco Specialty Pharmacy. CapitalRx will send letters with detailed information about the Costco Mail Order and Specialty Pharmacy.  New ID cards are scheduled to be mailed in May. Members can start registering on the Costco member portal at pharmacy.costco.com beginning May 1, 2025. There is no need to register with CapitalRx again. For assistance with registering on the member portal or for questions about our new mail and specialty pharmacy, please contact our Benefits Specialist at The Retiree Healthcare Fund at 1-866-652-4237. Please visit our website at www.thefundsa.org for information on mid-year changes to the medical plan regarding GLP-1 drugs.

In conclusion, we believe this move will benefit all of our members.  As always, we will continue to monitor our providers, to assure that your insurance needs are being met.           
 
As your representatives both myself and Frank Gutierrez are always open to meeting with you on any issues or answer any questions.
 
Michael Despres  mdespres@thefundsa.org
Frank Gutierrez  fgutierrez@thefunds.org
 

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The San Antonio Fire and Police Pensioners’ Association invites all members to attend our upcoming Monthly Members Meeting. Let’s stay connected and informed about the latest developments that affect us.

Meeting Details

• Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025
• Time: 1:30 p.m.
• Location:
  San Antonio Fire and Police Pension Fund Office
  11603 W. Coker Loop, Suite 201, San Antonio, TX 78216

Agenda Highlights

1. Invocation: Led by Chaplain Rev. Smoot or Deacon Jerry Whitley.
2. Reports: Updates from the Executive Board, President, Treasurer, and other key committees.
3. Healtcare Fund: Updates on health care legislation now at the Texas Legislature ,
4. Memorial Service Update: About the event on May 13, 2025.
5. Committee Updates:

• Family Assistance
• Pre-89ers Health Care
• PAC Fund

Door Prizes: Don’t miss your chance to win exciting prizes!

We look forward to seeing you there! Your participation makes a difference.

A number of our members have asked about SAFPPA members Jesse Vera and his wife, Maria, who are both members of our association. Maria suffered a stroke while out of town and the family has been struggling financially to bring her home due to insurance issues.

Please read the image of an email we received below as an update on their current situation. The image contains an embedded link which can also be accessed here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-by-jesse-kids-hospital-support