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To All Delegates and Members
July 14, 2009
Re: Line-of-Duty Prescription Drug
Co-Payment Reimbursement
Dear Member:
As a result of a grievance arbitration brought by the PBA in 2006, an arbitrator has directed the City of New York to cease and desist from refusing to pay for line of duty prescription drugs, which it is obligated to pay pursuant to statute and the PBA's collective bargaining agreement. To fulfill its statutory and collective bargaining obligations and to comply with the arbitrator's award, the City of New York has begun to reimburse the PBA for line of duty prescription drug co-payments paid by active police officers starting July 1, 2007. Please find enclosed a reimbursement check for co-payment(s) for an approved line of duty injury/illness from August 2008.
The Department is currently processing additional line of duty reimbursements for prescriptions for approved line of duty injuries/illnesses. Accordingly, you may be informed at a later time if you qualify to be reimbursed for co-payments that you may have made after July 1, 2007.
Another significant result of the PBA's arbitration was the creation of a new line of duty prescription drug program, which is funded by the City of New York and provides co-payment free prescription drugs to active members for approved line of duty injuries/illnesses. By Operations Order No. 36 dated August 11, 2008, the Department announced the implementation of its new line of duty prescription drug program.
To obtain prescription medication for approved line of duty injuries/illnesses under the program, you should:
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Obtain the Line-of-Duty Injury number from the Medical Division's Line-of-Duty Prescription Drug Unit, Monday through Friday, from 0700-1800 hours, at (718) 7603029/3059;
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Fill out the Line-of-Duty paper prescription card, which can be photocopied from the back page of Operations Order No. 36;
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Locate a participating pharmacy by contacting: The Medical Division's Line-of-Duty Prescription Drug Unit or Envision RX Options 24-hour Help Desk at 1-866-909-5167;
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Show the completed Line-of-Duty paper prescription card and your NYPD ID card to the Pharmacist. (There is no reason for the Pharmacist to make a copy of your ID card). NO CO-PAYMENT MUST BE PAID UNDER THIS PROGRAM.
We urge all active members who require prescriptions for approved line of duty injuries/illnesses to utilize the new program by following the instructions above and as detailed more fully in Operations Order No. 36. By doing so, we will ensure that the burden for payment appropriately rests with the Department. The benefit of utilizing the program is that active members will not be subjected to any out of pocket expenses for co-payments and the Health and Welfare Fund will be spared the expense of paying for prescription medications that the City has an absolute obligation to pay.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter, please feel free to contact the Health and Welfare Funds Office at (212) 349-7560.
Fraternally,
Patrick J. Lynch
President
Encl. (Note: this letter was sent with sample check.)
