Trust board reverses plan to charge retirees for previously promised benefits packages
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- An El Paso County spokesperson confirms that the El Paso County Health Plan Trust Board has voted unanimously to reverse its decision to begin charging retirees for previously promised health care benefits.
The decision follows a KRDO13 report on the issue.
READ MORE: After 20+ years with the sheriff’s office retirees are losing their free healthcare benefits
“I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the El Paso County Health Plan Trust Board for today’s decision to reaffirm healthcare coverage (at no cost) for our retirees. This outcome restores faith in a promise made to those who have spent decades protecting and serving this community with honor," said Sheriff Joseph Roybal in a press release.
It should be noted, Sheriff Roybal is on the Health Plan Trust Board. According to El Paso County records, the sheriff was not present at their meeting on Sept. 22 when the board voted to begin charging retirees for their benefits.
The change would have impacted former county employees with 20 or more years of service. El Paso County planned to pay more than $1,000 a month in benefits per person, but was looking to have retirees pay into the plan and pick up some of the cost.
Already struggling, retiree Emil Lucero said that when he first learned of initial plans to charge him a fee to receive some of his benefits, it felt like everything was being taken from his family all at once; his wife is currently going without pay during the government shutdown, and the news added to their stress.
"My wife also, she is a chief for the 911 dispatch on Fort Carson, so she works for the Department of War, and so she's not getting a paycheck, so to find out we're also gonna be spending additional money for healthcare was also quite a shock," he said.
Emil Lucero tells KRDO he is happy about this decision being reversed.
"It was disheartening, so to speak…. So when I attended the meeting this morning, I was a little apprehensive at what was gonna happen. I started this, and I was hoping for a positive outcome, not just for myself but for my brothers and sisters out there who not only work for the sheriff's office but also work for the county," he said.
We received a joint statement from the board saying, "We recognized that it’s never too late to do the right thing, and today’s action reflects our commitment to transparency and respect for our retirees and their years of service."
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