The NYSUT Member Benefits Trust-endorsed Group Access Legal Service Plan is only available for purchase by local associations, their benefit funds and employers. This plan is not available to individual NYSUT members, who can click here to learn more about our endorsed voluntary Legal Service Plan.
The Group Access Legal Service Plan provides participants with free or discounted legal services for personal legal matters.
The law firm of Feldman, Kramer & Monaco, P.C. has been the service provider for the Group Legal Service Plan since 1980 and acts as the Legal Plan’s National Legal Office. Their firm has grown from five attorneys to more than 40 attorneys since that time, and the network of participating referral attorneys now exceeds 500 firms in New York State and several hundred firms in other jurisdictions across the U.S.
ELIGIBILITY & COST OF PLAN:
This plan is only available for purchase by local associations, their benefit funds and employers. The Group Access Legal Service Plan covers all group participants, their spouses or domestic partners who are living with the Plan participant, unmarried dependent children under the age of 19 (or under 25 if the child is dependent upon the Plan participant and enrolled as a full-time student), and dependent parents.
The Group Access Legal Service Plan costs $35 per plan participant per year.
Learn more about purchasing this program through your local association.
For more information, contact Member Benefits at 800-626-8101 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST).
PLAN FEATURES:
Participants receive access to attorneys who will answer legal questions, write letters and review documents relating to personal legal matters. Contact is via a toll-free number to the National Legal Office of Feldman, Kramer & Monaco, P.C.
Free services to your group include telephone advice; two, free, hour-long office consultations per year; a toll-free 24-hour Hotline for emergencies; legal letters written and phone calls made on participants’ behalf; document review; a Simple Will, Living Will, Health Care Proxy & Power of Attorney; elder law services; and estate planning seminars or Will Days.
Participants can have legal representation from participating attorneys around the country for $285 per hour or a 25% discount from their usual fee (whichever is lower).
A maximum fee schedule guarantees rates will not exceed certain amounts for a number of routine legal matters, such as an uncontested name change, sale or purchase of primary residence and a first offense misdemeanor.
All Group Access Legal Service Plan contributions made by an employer or benefit fund are taxable and must be included on the participant’s W-2 form. This will subject the amount included on the W-2 Form to withholding of income taxes and Social Security taxes.
HOW TO IMPLEMENT A PLAN:
Once the decision has been made to purchase the NYSUT Member Benefits Trust-endorsed Group Access Legal Service Plan on a group basis, you may follow the steps below to assist with implementing the plan:
1. Contact NYSUT Member Benefits at
800-626-8101.
2. Provide contact name/address/phone number.
3. Contact will be mailed a copy of Local Association’s membership list.
4. Contact makes additions and deletions to list so that list reflects eligibility for legal plan and returns it to Member Benefits.
5. Membership cards and certificates of coverage mailed to either contact person or members’ home addresses.
6. Schedule Will Day or Estate Planning Seminar.
7. Monthly billing.
The NYSUT Member Benefits Trust-endorsed Group Access Legal Service Plan is provided by Feldman, Kramer & Monaco, P.C. and is administered by the NYSUT Member Benefits Trust.
The Group Access Legal Service Plan provided through Feldman, Kramer & Monaco, P.C. is a NYSUT Member Benefits Trust (Member Benefits)-endorsed program. Member Benefits has an endorsement arrangement of 13% of annual participation fees received for this program. All such payments to Member Benefits are used solely to defray the costs of administering its various programs and, where appropriate, to enhance them. Member Benefits acts as your advocate; please contact Member Benefits at 800-626-8101 if you experience a problem with any endorsed program.