Red Cross Alumni Network(ARCAN) - FAQ (2024)

At this time, most webinars are only open to members, unless otherwise specified. When webinars are open to all, feel free to invite friends and colleagues. Registration is required.

The Member Directory is exclusive to members and requires login to access. Profile and contact Information is protected by privacy that members personally tailor.

Membership is $30 annually andis open to former American Red Cross employees.Dues help the Alumni Network to offer and manage programs and resources, deliver alumni-related news and stories, manage the website, host and facilitate virtual and in-person events, and much more.

You can become a member of ARCAN by going to the Joinpageand scrolling to the online form. Choose monthly or annual renewal options and follow the prompts to pay by credit – ARCAN accepts the major ones, using Affinipay’s secure online payment system. If you wish to pay by check, simply complete and print the form and include it with your payment to the ARCAN mailing address below. If you have any membership issues, contact ARCAN administrators at 202-303-8779 or info@redcrossalumninetwork.org.

ARCAN is currently funded by membership dues and donations. Your generosity enables the Alumni Network to offer and manage programs and resources, deliver alumni-related news and stories, manage the website, host and facilitate virtual and in-person events, and much more.

You can make a secure credit card donation online, or via check. Details are on our Donatepage.

We can’t forward your donations, but our Servicepageprovides a link to the American Red Cross webpage for financial donations.

As a member, explore the website and ARCAN email communications and join and engage in our social media conversations onFacebookandLinkedIn. These will keep you up to date on the latest ARCAN news programs and events.

Volunteer opportunities are listed on theService pageand include any openings on The Retiree Connection helpline, as Digital Brand Ambassadors on social media, in administrative tasks and leadership positions on our committees and task forces.

Locating your fellow alumni is easy and safe through the ARCAN Member Directory. Your profile settings put YOU in charge of setting your privacy. ARCAN's settings currently make your name, city and state available to members but you can choose to share more or less with your fellow Alumni Network members.

Profiles currently ask for basic contact information (name, address, email, phone number) and offer fields for additional information such as business, title, website, social media, resume, and a brief About paragraph for additional information you want to share. You can search for ARCAN members individually or by segments, such as those from a specific city or state, anyone who has a LinkedIn profile, just retirees, etc.

Connecting with our Red Cross colleagues old and new is one of the primary benefits of membership with ARCAN so we encourage you to complete your profile thoughtfully and allow information to be shared that inspires communicating and growing as a community--information you would like to see about others.

The Member Directory allows you to search for individual members or groups of members geographically. OurFacebookandLinkedInpages are great for finding members with common interests. Start a conversation around your interests—from pets and computers to a favorite hobby, book or vacation destination—and see who joins in!

Throughout the United States, currently there are five regional Groups affiliated with ARCAN.Locations, contact information and meeting schedules can be found on theAffiliated Groupspage.

You can renew your membership at any time on the Renew pagehere. Until you renew you will still be able to log into the site and:

• Request a password
• View the general website but not the Members Only sections
• Renew via the website form

ARCANadvocates on behalf of retirees who receive a Red Cross pension and retiree benefits. We provide retirees with services like The Retiree Connection helpline and resources and articles on retiree-related topics. Explore these offerings on the Retiree Resourcespage.

The Retiree Connection (RC) is a call-in service provided by the American Red Cross Alumni Network (ARCAN), to assist Retirees with the complexity of today’s pensions and benefits.In 2023, the Retiree Connection helpline assisted 239 retirees.

Red Cross Retirees worked hard for their pensions and other benefits and, most of the time, they arrive seamlessly in our bank accounts or mailboxes. But occasionally Retirees need to contact the source of these benefits to address an issue or get a clarification.

In the past, Retirees needed to contact only the Red Cross Benefits Service Center (BSC), but now Retirees may receive their pension benefit from an annuity company or from more than one source. Addressing issues and getting clarifications can be a lot more complex. For example, reporting change of address, change of direct deposit info and reporting the passing of a Retiree now require making more than one call.

Staffed by Retiree/Volunteers, called “Links”, The Retiree Connection can be reached at 202-303-8779. Callers are prompted to leave their name, phone number, email address and a short summary of their issue or question. Calls are returned on the same or next day. Often, Retirees phone the RC after contacting their benefit provider and becoming frustrated or confused and, at other times, they phone the RC first and receive coaching prior to calling these providers.

The Red Cross Benefits Service Center (BSC) (1-877-860-7526), outsourced to Alight, provides assistance for benefits from the traditional ARC Retirement System, including the:

• Defined benefit pension (Paid through State St. Bank)
• Savings Plan (401(k)
• Retiree Medical Benefits
• Required Minimum Distribution (RMD)

In addition to phone support, the BSC provides a web portal:http://digital.alight.com/redcrosswhere benefits are displayed and many issues can be addressed without the need for a phone call. Both the phone support and web portal require log-in credentials to protect Retirees’ information and Retirees should make sure to have passwords and Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) current and carefully secured.

The Annuity Companies

Pension benefits earned at the Red Cross may now be provided through annuity contracts with Athene, John Hanco*ck or Aetna. Many Retirees receive these benefits from more than one source.

Athene

Athene Holding Ltd. Provides the largest number of pension benefits to Red Cross Retirees and can be reached at 877-813-4240. Athene also provides a web portal (https://www.lifeatworkportal.com/Athene)where Retirees can:

• Review Your Annuity Info
• Request annuity verification
• Review your communication preferences
• Review/update your tax withholding preferences
• Review/update your direct deposit preferences

John Hanco*ck

Retirees who were earning vesting credits in 1987 are likely to receive a portion of their benefits from John Hanco*ck which can be reached at 800-624-5155. John Hanco*ck does not provide a web portal.

Aetna

Retirees who were already retired in 1987 are receiving their pension benefit from Aetna which can be reached at 800-952-2700.

The American Red Cross Retirement System was established on May 1, 1936, and wasclosed to new hires on July 1, 2009, a span of about 73 years.Plan benefit accruals were frozen on 12/31/2012; benefits for vested active employees did not grow for those working beyond this date.Special Election Windows for lump sum benefit payments were opened in 2013and 2016 resulting in 10,516 cashouts from the pension system.

In June 2017, American Red Cross purchased annuity contracts with Athene forabout 10,000 retirees and changed the way previously purchased annuitycontracts with Aetna and John Hanco*ck are administered. Previously, benefitsfrom these companies were paid through the Red Cross and State Street Bank tothe extent retirees received just one monthly pension check. Currently, manyretirees receive their pension benefit from more than one source.

In January 2019, the Retirement System rules were changed to allowunrestricted “lump sum” cashouts and since 2020 all separated vested planparticipants have been permitted to elect a lump sum. Through 2023, more than5000 plan members have cashed out.

In April 2023, a second set of contracts for 6300 retirees was purchased fromAthene.

On July 1, 2023 there were 2,098 Retirees receiving benefits from the originalRetirement System. In addition, 4,524 active employees and 6,536 separated/vestedindividuals were in the system for a total of 13,158.

The system has not impacted the hard-earned benefits of Red Cross retirees.

Members can use the Directory to see a list of current ARCAN members, search for fellow members or groups of members by name, location and other categories, and view profiles. Only current members are listed.

On the far right of the home page banner, click on the "hamburger" list navigation icon and then select Directory from the list. Enter the name of the person you are looking for in theSearchbox and the name of the person will automatically appear below. If you only enter the last name, multiple member listings within the directory may display. Select the member's profile you wish to review (subject to theirprivacy settings).You can send an email message to that member by clicking on theSend Messagebutton.

To access your member profile, log into the website using your email and password. Then click on yournamein the top navigation bar.Then click on theEdit profilebutton to review and update the information listed. For example, to change your email address.

Current, active members can access their profile by logging into the ARCAN site. Once logged in, click on yourname in the top navigation bar. Clicking this link will take you to your profile page. You will see key profile information including membership level - annual with the expiration date or lifetime, name, email, phone, and contact data.To update the profile, click on theEditprofilebutton. After you have updated your information click on theSave button.Click onMy directory profilenext to theEdit profilebutton to preview how your profile is displayed to others based on your privacysettings.

ThePrivacytab allows a member to specify which fields are visible to everyone, other members, or hidden from everyone. These settings apply to your listing in the member directory and on your directory profile page. If a lock icon appears beside a field, the member cannot change the privacy setting for that field.

After logging into the website, click on your name on the upper navigation bar, click on theEditprofilebutton, and then click on thePrivacy Tab. You can control whether your profile is viewable by current, active members, and if so, which fields are viewable. For example, if you want others to see your street address you can add that field from your listing to your profile by clicking on the button on the address line under the members column.

If you set your profile to private – by unchecking theShow profile to othersoption in your profile in theEdit view – you won't appear in the member directory at all and may miss communications from friends or colleagues.

After saving your changes at the bottom of the page, click onMy directory profile, next to the Edit button,to preview how your profile will now be displayed to others based on your privacysettings.

TheAmerican Red Cross Alumni Network is virtual, headquartered at the American Red Cross National Headquarters:

American Red Cross Alumni Network

43 18th Street, N.W.

Washington, DC 20006

but receive all correspondence at:

American Red Cross Alumni Network

PO Box 1581

Vienna, VA 22180

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

ARCAN DIGITAL SPACES HOW-T0 EXPLORE:WEBSITE, LINKEDIN, FACEBOOK here

ARCAN CODE OF CONDUCT here

ARCAN PRIVACY/INFORMATION USE POLICY here

ARC RETIREE DIRECTORY (BENEFITS SERVICE CENTER) UPDATES AND SEARCHES here