Northern Fairfield Retired Teachers Association

The Association of Retired Teachers of Connecticut organization advocates for the rights of retired teachers. Please consider joining this organization.  Visit ARTCT.org

Track teacher retirement and educational issues in the legislature. Contact your local representatives about issues regarding your retirement. pensions

Learn about the Retired Teacher Health Insurance Crisis. 

NFCRTA awards two scholarships each year to high school seniors who are entering college as education majors.  

NFCRTA has two luncheon meetings a year. Join us to learn about issues for Connecticut's retired teachers. 

Our next luncheon is October 23, 2019.

Become a member of NFCRTA and ARTC to support the organization's efforts to support and protect Connecticut's retired teachers.

• Teacher retirement benefits are dependent on legislative decisions and promises.
• CT teachers do not contribute to Social Security; they do contribute 7% of their annual income to the Teachers Retirement Fund with the promise that these funds will be sustained in their retirement.
• Although retirement benefits were promised, retirement benefits were not funded by the State prior to 1979. The State did not begin pre-funding until 1982.
• While teachers contributed to the Retirement Fund over the years, state budgets did not adequately contribute. As a result there is an unfunded liability of more than $13 million.
• Governor Lamont has made stable retirement funds for teachers a priority in his budget proposal. He has proposed three ideas to help put the 37,280 retirees and 50,000 active teachers' pensions on stable ground.

• Teachers contribute 1.25% of their annual income to their health fund, the Teacher Health Insurance Premium Account (HIPA), and 1.45% to Medicare.
• Retired teaches who do not have Medicare pay approximately $400 - $1,200 per person, per month.
• Because the State has short funded the Health Fund by well over $190 million over past years, the TEB was forced into a Medicare Advantage plan. This is a temporary fix.
• Monthly premium costs coupled with monies paid from their HIPA result in retired teachers paying the bulk of their own insurance coverage.
• HIPA is projected to become insolvent in 2020 if the State does not contribute its promised 1/3 share.

Retired teachers do not have a Union. We do not have a contract with the State. We rely on the Legislature to hear our voice and to keep the State's promise.

• The State postposed the 50% income tax exclusion bill for retired teachers. Because teachers do not have Social Security, this is a fairness issue. Teachers do not have the choice of paying into Social Security nor are they part of Connecticut Employees State Pension System, the tax exclusion is a fairness issue.
• The tax exemption on teacher retirement pensions is slo an economic issue since 25% of retired teachers, about 9,000, have chosen to leave the state upon retirement, a considerable economic loss for the State.
• The 50% exclusion would level the playing field for Connecticut teachers with many of their colleagues from around the country making the teaching profession more equitable and attractive.