It was a long, tough road but we have successfully brought the PBA health and welfare funds back from the brink of insolvency and are now able to begin providing improved benefits for both active and retired police officers. It's just one more way we're making today's PBA more responsive to the needs of its members.

In 1999, upon taking office, Pat Lynch and the new PBA executive team had the fiscal condition of the union audited only to find that the retirees' health and welfare fund was on the verge of collapse and the active members' fund was rapidly heading in the same direction. The only way the union continued to provide benefits to our retired members was by tapping into the active members' fund, a situation that would, if left unchecked, have crippled the active fund. Through a series of responsible fiscal changes and a change in prescription management services, both the active and retired health and welfare funds now have a healthy reserve to guarantee their operation for the future. The improved fiscal condition of the funds coupled with the increase in the city's contribution resulting from the recent contract arbitration is now allowing the PBA — for the first time in many years — to improve dental, optical and prescription drug benefits.

Here's the rundown on benefit enhancements for our members:

Dental Plan The schedule of allowances — the amount the fund will pay for each dental procedure — for both active and retired members will be significantly increased as of January 1, 2003. This will allow us to keep the trusted practicing dentists that we already have in the plan and attract new ones as well. We are also increasing the age of coverage for dependent children in school for orthodontic benefits from 19 to 23 years old. And we are adding dental sealants for eligible dependent children up to age 12. Sealants were not covered in the previous benefit package.

Prescription Plan The plan's annual maximum benefit will be doubled from $5,000 to $10,000 and the lifetime maximum will grow from $75,000 to $120,000 for both active members and retirees. Also, for retirees, we are eliminating the $50 individual and $100 deductible for medication. These improvements went into effect on September 1, 2002.

Optical Plan Active and retired members will now have a choice of "premier" designer frames, the ones that most of us want, included under the Davis Vision Program. The total number of PBA-plan frames will grow to 267 and there will no longer be a co-payment for designer frames. And our retired members will now be eligible for new glasses every year instead of every two years. Plus, the out-of-area co-pay for retirees will be eliminated. Under these enhanced features that went into effect on November 1, 2002, active and retired members now enjoy identical optical benefits.

These advantages are possible because of the sacrifices of our members and effective benefits-planning and management. While the PBA board continues the effective management of the health and welfare funds for the benefit of its members, past and present, it is incumbent on each of us to use the plans wisely and efficiently, particularly with the prescription drug program. Remember to ask your doctor to write for generic medicines that are less expensive for the plan to provide wherever possible.

Working together, we can keep our health and welfare benefits funds healthy so they can continue to serve us and our families over the years.