.: Our History And Our Futures
Residents and business people in the City of Manhattan Beach
might be surprised that most Manhattan Beach Police Officers
retire with little, or no, medical insurance benefit. Years
of stress and physical abuse in the service of the City takes
a heavy toll on their bodies making good medical coverage
even more important than for the average citizen. For many
years prior to 1997, the Officers of the Manhattan Beach Police
Department negotiated with the City of Manhattan Beach in
an attempt to convince the City to provide a meaningful medical
insurance benefit for retired Police Officers. Being unsuccessful
in obtaining any such benefit from the City, in 1997 the Officers decided to take their futures
into their own hands. They created the Manhattan Beach Police
Officers' Association Retiree Medical Benefit Trust Fund.
Member Officers contribute a small portion of each paycheck
to the Trust Fund. The combined funds are invested and, hopefully, the fund
grows. Upon retirement, members receive a monthly benefit
based on their qualified medical expenses, up to their
maximum monthly benefit. In this way, the members future is
not subject to the uncertainties of labor contract negotiations.
In January 2007, after ten years of fund growth, the Trust
began paying benefits to retirees.
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