SRSRA Retiree Resource Center
If you want a Medicare Part D Rx Review done by the Retiree Resource Center for 2025
In-Person Office Rx Reviews
The fastest and easiest way to get an appointment is to use the Rx Review Appointment Scheduler on this website because:
- You get to see all open appointment slots, and you can enroll in the slot you choose immediately.
- You will receive an automatic email confirmation with appt info, including driving directions and a list of information you will need to bring with you.
- The number of In-person office appointment slots are limited so you will have first choice.
- Please note that if you are making an appointment for both you and your spouse, you will need two consecutive slots in the same office.
- You can call or email us for an appointment, but we are deluged with calls and emails this time of year so you will have to be patient for a callback. Many volunteers use their own phones for calls and their own email from home, and often retirees do not answer “unknown” callers or “unknown” or “Spam” email addresses, which slows the callback process considerably. Using this website Schedule an Appointment function is much more efficient so if you have a friend or family member who can help you enroll electronically, we highly recommend it.
Remote Rx Reviews done with Email or on the Telephone
- Most of our reviews are performed remotely (by phone or email) which has worked very well for many people over the years.
- Download the RRC Rx 2025 Application for Remote Review and 2025 Rx List Information Forms from this website.
- Transmit the completed RRC Application Forms in order of best choice first: (1) electronically by email, or (2) drop forms off at our location at 210 Newberry Street NW in Aiken, or (3) put the forms in the US mail. We have a locked Dropbox next to our front door which is available for drop off 24 hours and which we check regularly.
Our volunteers can accept a limited number of requests made before November 10, 2024. We date stamp them, so we start them in the order which we received them. The Medicare Rx enrollment period ends on December 7, 2024, and we will let you know if we are unable to accommodate your requests in time for you to make other arrangements
Rx Review Appointment Scheduling – Now Active
At this time your Resource Center has two offices available in which to schedule appointments.
Please select from one of the two Rx Office scheduling options below for an in office review.
Instructions: In office appointments. Individual appointments are 60 minutes each. If you and your spouse/friend both want a review conducted, please book two consecutive appointments in the same office. (This is done by clicking on the “schedule a new appointment” on the bottom left of the “thank you! Your appointment is booked” screen that appears upon booking first appointment.) Please note, you will receive a confirmation email, but it may go to your SPAM or TRASH folders so please check there as well.
The appointment scheduler is only for review of stand-alone Part D Rx Plans. These work in tandem with a supplemental plan for your medical issues. We can help retirees of DuPont, SRNS (includes WSRC, BSRA) and SRMC. Our volunteers do not review Medicare Advantage Plans (MAPs). If you want help reviewing MAPs please contact:
SRNS Retirees – LIG Solutions at 855-662-0681
SRMC Retirees – VIA Benefits at 800-848-1831
or
you can review on your own at Medicare.Gov
Please note after scheduling you will receive a confirmation email, but it may be delivered to your SPAM or TRASH folder in your email program.
Please find your confirmation page as it will contain additional information about your appointment.
Please reschedule if you are feeling ill on your appointment day.
Please bring the following to your appointment:
All of your prescription medications including creams, inhalers, refrigerated items OR a complete and up-to-date listing of your current medications including dosages and frequency of refills.
Your Medicare Card
Your Supplemental Plan Card (i.e. BCBS or other insurance company membership card)
Your Medicare.gov Username and Password (if you have not changed these since your last review with us, we should have it on file)
The SRSRA Resource Center address is:
SRSRA Retiree Resource Center
210 Newberry St. NW
Aiken, SC 29801-3920
SRSRA Retiree Resource Mission
The Retiree Resource Center is a free service, and it is not licensed to sell insurance nor to promote specific insurance plans, nor does it receive any commissions from insurance providers. The RRC can, which is very important, show you how to secure the information necessary to make informed decisions, advise you of critical time restrictions, and suggest important questions you may wish to ask providers. We were founded by the SRSRA to serve you.
The Retiree Resource Center works closely with SRS, LIG Solutions (SRNS), VIA Benefits (SRMC) and Health Equity (WageWorks), and the LSCOG, again always acting as the retirees’ advocate as a non-profit organization.
Retiree Resource Center Services
Very positively received, these three-hour sessions review important considerations and requirements for successful transition from the Site’s medical benefit plan to the post-65 Medicare-based Retiree plan. This training describes how your medical benefits will change, your options within Medicare, and the timing and process to enroll in Medicare and Medicare supplements using LIG Solutions (SRNS) and Via Benefits (SRMC), the contractors hired to assist retirees, and how to initiate the SRS stipend. The training includes a discussion of LIG Solutions (SRNS) and Via Benefits (SRMC) enrollment procedures and options, benefit coordination issues with Tricare, PEBA and other medical plans, and how to use Health Equity (WageWorks) and VIA to be reimbursed for out-of-pocket medical expenses. The sessions provide the sequence of events and the actions the Retiree must take to successfully transition into the post-65 Retiree Medical Plan. The RRC can also provide support and information for considering dental, vision, and other medical insurance.
We recommend scheduling your training 3-4 months before you (or your spouse) turn 65. Certain decisions you will make will be irrevocable, or at best, very difficult to change, and you will need the time to make decisions that fit your specific situation. You can enroll in the monthly session by calling or emailing the RRC.
Retirees are encouraged to bring spouses or friends along, and the facility is handicapped accessible. Your family is always welcome.
2025 Medicare & You Handbook
Enrollment in a Medicare supplement or Medicare Advantage plan must be completed through LIG Solutions (SRNS), or VIA Benefits (SRMC) in order to qualify for the SRS stipend. The enrollment selection process is lengthy involving many decisions and legally-required procedures. There are also benefit coordination issues to discuss. There is not just “one right plan” for everyone.
Many people feel more comfortable working with an RRC volunteer counselor to review options for their decision. They then call LIG Solutions (SRNS), VIA Benefits (SRMC) with any final questions and to complete the enrollment process. RRC offices are equipped with computers with dual screens so you can see the same information as the volunteer counselor in reviewing options, and we have speaker phones so that we can jointly participate in the lengthy process of telephone enrollment with a LIG Solutions (SRNS), VIA Benefits (SRMC) agent. Since our volunteer counselors have been through this process many times, they can be helpful in explaining your options and helping you understand the decisions and questions which the LIG Solutions (SRNS), VIA Benefits (SRMC) agent must work through in order to successfully complete the enrollment.
In most cases you will also need to enroll in a Medicare Part D drug plan. We can help you evaluate your options and complete the enrollment in our office if you choose to enroll here on-line directly with Medicare rather than by telephone with LIG Solutions (SRNS), VIA Benefits (SRMC). This approach provides a larger selection of plans than the limited selection offered by LIG Solutions (SRNS), or VIA Benefits (SRMC), and is much faster and easier. You are not required to enroll in Part D Rx Plans through LIG Solutions (SRNS), VIA Benefits (SRMC) in order to receive your stipend, but you may do so.
You can set up an appointment for a one-on-one session (you are welcome to bring a spouse, family member or friend) at the end of a training session, or by calling or emailing our office. We recommend you complete the enrollment process into a plan through LIG Solutions (SRNS), or VIA Benefits (SRMC) at least one to two months before turning 65 to be sure all is in place for the right effective starting date. You do not want a gap in coverage.
Volunteer counselors will help you understand benefit coordination issues with plans like Tricare and PEBA, and how your choices can affect your SRS stipend. They can also direct you to the appropriate resources for pension, SIP and life insurance questions.
SRMC Retiree Medical Benefit Changes – 2024
SRNS Retiree Medical Benefit Changes – 2024
The age brackets are based on your age at the end of the calendar year. For example, if you turn 75 on or before January 31, 2024, you fall in Tier 3 and would get the $3,000 allocation.
After you transition to the Retiree Plan, you will need to learn how to be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses by WageWorks. The RRC can work with you to submit claims, or assist you in setting up systems where claims are filed automatically or annually, greatly reducing the burden of filing frequent small claims. WageWorks claims are filed much more efficiently through electronic means rather than mail, and we can do this in our office or show you ways to do this from home. We can assist you in obtaining the documentation needed to file a claim and will work with you, WageWorks, and providers to resolve any claims issues.
Prescription drug copays are the largest out-of-pocket expense for most retirees so it is critical that each retiree closely examine the many options for Medicare Part D drug plans, both at initial age-65 enrollment and annually thereafter. Unlike the Medicare Supplement Plans, the Medicare Part D Rx plans can be easily changed each year. These plans have an open enrollment period every year (October 15th to December 7th) and it is very important that every retiree review their options EACH and EVERY year. Even if your drugs haven’t changed, the terms of the plans change every year – premium and deductible amounts, which drugs are covered at which level of coverage (formulary), and even what drug stores are in network or “preferred” for lower co-pays. The RRC offers these important Medicare prescription plan drug reviews every year during the open enrollment period.
Over 70% of the RRC drug reviews in the past nine years have resulted in a total of out-of-pocket savings of $3.7 million to retirees. The RRC process uses the medicare.gov website, which includes all licensed plans for comparative purposes. You can also use the medicare.gov website yourself
Appointments
Our counselors meet with retirees for scheduled appointments, so telephone calls go to voicemail where they are returned on a first call first return basis. You will usually receive a return call back within 48-72 hours based on our appointments and volunteer staffing. Appointments can run long due to conference calls with retirees and vendors and times on hold and online to resolve complex issues.
Please recognize that Hurricane Helene has affected response time and some volunteer availability.