Thanks to a Facebook thread started by Post-Dispatch reporter Jeremy Kohler on the United Media Guild group page, it has come to the our attention that many current or former P-D employees may not realize they have money sitting in a Medical Retirement Account.
This money comes from any unused company-funded deductible in your insurance plan during a given year. That process started back in 2008. Although this has been addressed in open enrollment meetings at the Post-Dispatch, many of us either missed that point or forgot about it.
You become vested in your Medical Retirement Account after four years. You cannot access this money until you are 55 years old AND you are no longer at the Post-Dispatch. And at that point you can only use the money for medical expenses as defined by the IRS.
Current employees can access their Tri-Star MRA information through Lee’s LINK homepage. Click on the Tri-Star button on the left side, then click on the “Account Summary,” then scroll down on the “Plan Year” date bar to 02/01/2008-12/31/2050. That will display “Medical Retirement Account.” Hit “Submit” to see how much money is in your MRA.
Ex-employees can call Tri-Star at 1-800-727-0182 to get information on their account. The UMG called that number and Tri-Star was most helpful.