News

COVID-19 calls. Traumatic events in the workplace. Unrest, uncertainty, quarantine. 2020 has been an extraordinarily hard year to be a first responder. Join Too Strong for Too Long, a free, confidential support group for first responders, led by first responders from Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health. Using a virtual platform, join other men and women who serve and protect society for an interactive discussion on ways to maintain balance and structure in our lives, promote physical and mental wellbeing, and develop resiliency needed for your personal and professional success. Group facilitators are licensed therapists who are or have been first responders themselves, serving in the military, police, corrections, fire, and EMS services. The group will be held virtually via the BlueJeans video conferencing platform, which can be accessed from a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Participants will be emailed a link to join the video conference. Groups meet weekly, and participants can sign up for any number of sessions. All first responders and military members are welcome to participate.

Division of Pensions and Benefits, SHBP/SEHBP COVID-19 Response The Division of Pensions and Benefits, together with our vendor partners Aetna, Horizon BCBSNJ, and OptumRx, are taking action to ensure that State Health Benefits (SHBP) and School Employees Health Benefits (SEHBP) members have the support and resources they need during the COVID-19 situation, which remains dynamic and evolving. The Division of Pension and Benefits has advised the Third Party Administrator for the SHBP and SEHBP that, effective immediately, all cost sharing for emergency room (in or out of network hospitals), urgent care (in network), or provider office visits (in network) associated with medically necessary testing for COVID-19 are to be waived. The Third Party Administrator has been directed to inform contracted providers about the waiving of cost sharing. The Pharmacy Benefit Manager has been directed, effective immediately, to lessen restrictions on early refill for Rx on maintenance medications so that individuals have access to medically necessary medications without waiting until the end of prescription cycle.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/critical-workers-implementing-safety-practices.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/first-responders.html

The NJ FMBA Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of this year's Ernest 0. Ousley Memorial Scholarship. We are grateful to the members of the Selection Committee for their commitment to our program. Unfortunately, due to the current public health crisis, we will not be holding a presentation ceremony.