1199SEIU Home Care Benefit Fund for Members without Health Benefits

If you or someone in your family is facing problems that just can’t be handled alone, your Benefit Fund’s Wellness Member Assistance Program can help. Our multilingual and multicultural staff of trained social workers, counselors and other professionals is ready to help you and your family through any type of personal crisis—especially those that can put jobs in jeopardy.

Our social workers can help put you back on the right path by assisting you in finding counseling or referrals to programs. Life is full of stresses that can be tough to handle on your own. Whether you’re dealing with the loss of a job, marital problems or a family member’s illness, our staff can help.

You never need to worry about what others might say—your Benefit Fund does not disclose any medical, mental health or substance abuse treatment information to anyone, including your employer.

Besides providing counseling and support, we can connect you with community resources that can help. We can also help you with other social services—for instance, connecting you and your family to alternative health coverage if you are in danger of losing yours.

Other areas where we can help:

• Referrals to entitlement programs;
• Domestic or workplace violence;
• Bereavement counseling and other life changes; and
• Job jeopardy (early intervention before job loss).

Your Benefit Fund offers online nutrition, exercise and stress management workshops throughout the year. Keep your mind and body fit with our emotional health, fitness and well-being workshops. Learn valuable coping techniques to manage life’s stresses in a healthy way.

By following the general suggested screening guidelines for hypertension, cholesterol levels, mammograms and PSA (prostate cancer) tests, you can catch existing or potential problems in the early stages, before they lead to more serious issues. You can come to an 1199SEIU Health Fair at our Fund Headquarters or go to one at your agency to get screened for chronic conditions like hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes, as well as have your weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) checked. You may also visit our website for valuable health education literature and wellness videos to get you on the path to healthy living.

As a home care worker, you often form close, personal bonds with your clients—and losing one can feel like losing a friend or family member. If you’re grieving the loss of a client, you don’t have to go it alone. Contact us and get the help you need. The social workers from our Wellness Member Assistance Program will help you work through your grief. For more information, please call (646) 473-6900.

The Prenatal Program provides pregnant members—and their partners—with trusted information on pregnancy, childbirth and newborn care. Our free and confidential program will help you progress through a healthy pregnancy with fewer complications. You’ll receive educational materials on what to expect during pregnancy, during labor and after your baby is born. Moms-to-be and their partners can also attend online workshops on pregnancy, childbirth and newborn care, led by certified professional midwives.

To enroll in the program, call (646) 473-8962 or sign up through My Account.

The 1199SEIU Citizenship Program offers counseling, workshops and application preparation to help members apply for United States citizenship. Citizenship classes are also available online through the program in English as a Second Language (ESL), U.S. History, Government and Civics to prepare you for the citizenship interview and exam.

Services include:

• U.S. citizenship application preparation;
• Legal assistance;
• Registration for classes for the U.S. History and Government exam;
• Registration for ESL classes;
• Interview preparation kit; and
• Green Card renewal information.

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Tens of thousands of 1199ers are eligible each year for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). We’ll connect you with our partners who provide free tax preparation assistance at sites throughout New York City, Long Island, Westchester and New Jersey.

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