DEAR (Detroit Edison Alliance of Retirees) is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to speaking in a uniform and united voice whose purpose is to maintain retirement provisions of all Detroit Edison Company Retirees and MCN Retirees covered under their respective retirement plans. We are working to provide for our security in retirement earned over our many years of dedicated service. DEAR is not affiliated in any manner with DTE Energy Company or any of its subsidiaries and operates solely on monetary donations from its members. Read more about how you can donate>>
THE DEAR NEWSLETTER GOES DIGITAL!
As the cost for printing our newsletter continues to rise, we will be making the transition to an online newsletter in early 2026. We encourage you to sign up for the newsletter which will be sent to your email box under our name DEAR. Please make sure to put this in your safe sender list so it does not go to your spam folder. You can access it from your email account on your computer, laptop, or any handheld device such as your phone or an Ipad. Moving to a digital format allows us to not only save money but allows us to stay in touch with you more frequently and on a much more timely basis. To sign up, just enter your full name and email address in the form on the sidebar of your computer or scroll down until you see the Subscribe box if you are using a phone or tablet. If you do not have an email account, you can always find a copy of the newsletter here on our website. Thank you!
2026 DEAR ANNUAL MEETING TO BE HELD WEDNESDAY, May 13th
This year’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 13th will be held once again at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Warren. Doors open at 10:00 am, Program is at 11:00 am and Lunch is served at Noon. Cost is $30 collected at the door.
Reservations are required and can be made at DEARreservations@gmail.com or call 248-464-9910 or 248-320-6478 or 313-882-6128 and leave your name, email or phone number. Cost is $30 per person and will be collected at the door. All retirees, spouses, and surviving spouses are welcome. Deadline for reservations is Wednesday May 6th. Should your plans change and you cannot attend, please let us know.
This year’s program will include an update from Jan Seefried, President, on the work of DEAR along with speakers from the Michigan Veteran’s Trust Fund and Veteran’s Navigator in celebration of our Veterans.
TAX FORMS NOW MAILED OUT
In general, tax forms are required to be mailed out and postmarked by January 31st by DTE Energy via Alight Solutions (YBR). Most retirees should have received any tax forms applicable to them by February 16th although you can access your forms online sooner than that date by visiting the Tax Center located on the YBR account at www.YBR.com/dteenergy and downloading them.
At a minimum you should receive a Form 1099-R issued for retirement-related income, such as pension or annuity payments. The form includes details such as gross distribution, taxable amount, and any taxes withheld.
W-2 Form for Life Insurance
In addition to the Form 1099-R, if the company provides you life insurance with a value over $50,000, you will also receive a Form W-2 that reports the taxable amount of imputed income, even if you are a retiree.
If you have not received your forms by February 16th, you can always call YBR at 866-899-4383 to have the forms resent in the U.S. mail.
DEAR BOARD ELECTIONS HELD
On November 14th, DEAR held its annual elections for Board officers. The slate of officers starting January 1, 2026 are:
President : Jan Seefried
Vice President: Cindy Persitz
Treasurer: Bob Barrette
Assistant Treasurer: Kathy Williams
Recording Secretary: Cheryl VanVliet
Corresponding Secretary: Sue Tompkins
The DEAR Board is still looking for additional individuals to serve on the board. We meet 3 or 4 times a year for about one hour and have virtual capabilities, so living local is not a requirement. If you are interested, read on.
ALIGHT CHANGES BANK FOR PENSION PAYMENTS
You may have noticed that your pension check or statement now says BOM instead of BOA. Alight, the pension administrator, informed DTE a couple of months ago that Bank of America would no longer process pension payments. The new bank is Bank of Montreal. No need to worry, your pension statements/checks and tax information will be delivered as normal. There is no change required on your part.
YOUR RIGHTS IF YOUR MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN ENDS
More than a million American seniors with Medicare Advantage coverage are now having to find new coverage for 2026 because a significant number of plans are being terminated due to some insurance companies finding it too expensive to maintain the plans. Under the law, affected persons can apply for Medigap coverage without having to meet health qualifications. This is referred to as “guaranteed-issue.” Without guaranteed-issue rights, the insurance company might have required medical underwriting and determined the risk of coverage was too high and either refused an individual coverage or charged a much higher premium. You may be among those people who were not properly notified.
The National Retiree Legislative Network with whom we are affiliated, recently completed a survey of 1,015 people whose plans were not renewed or terminated at the end of 2025. Data from the survey showed that of the 9.3% of all respondents who received a non-renewal or termination letter, only 45% of those letters included GIR or SEP protection notices meaning those people may not be aware of their options for enrollment. The NRLN plans to present this data to the Centers for Medical Services and members of Congress and urge enforcement action with plan providers to provide notification letters that by law must include notification of their GIR and SEP rights. Click here to read the entire survey. If you are among those that did not receive notification of your rights when your plan terminated and would like to take the survey, please click here. The survey will remain open for a while.
If you have received a letter saying your Medicare Advantage plan is ending in 2025, do act quickly. Because of GIR, you can enroll in a different Medicare Advantage or certain Medigap plans without answering health questions. But timing is everything. These rights typically last 63 days from the date your coverage ends. Many people with MA plans that leave the market will have until about March 4 to enroll in Medigap. Read more here to what steps you should take.
ABOUT TO RETIRE OR NEWLY RETIRED?
As a DTE Energy retiree, you have earned benefits from the company. Make sure you visit both the Your Benefits Resources and the Inspira websites to learn how to access them. You can start here under our DTE Health and Other Benefits pages, Your Benefit Resources and Retiree Reimbursement Accounts.
Also don’t forget to join DEAR Alliance. We are working to maintain and preserve those benefits earned over our many years of dedicated service. While our relationship with the company has been positive, we need to be prepared for any potential negative impacts to those benefits. While we do not have a formal membership program, you are welcome to attend our annual meeting held in May and subcribe to our email newsletter. Mail your request with your email address to DEAR 36172 Fairway Drive., Livonia, MI 48152 or mahoneyc@prodigy.net We welcome all contributions as we are 100% dependent on them.