Staying ConnectedSouth Plains Electric Cooperative Employee Newsletter

Volume 24 • Number 5 May 2020

We’ve finally found the month of May. This year, May has additional meaning as it relates to COVID-19 social distancing measures, but it seems wrong not to dwell on the more meaningful elements of May.

May is usually the month kids begin anticipating the end of school and what adventures the summer will provide for them. May is also graduation month for college, high school, junior high, elemen-tary, kindergarten, etc. It’s the month reserved for moving up and beyond. It’s the season of proms, end-of-the-year spring sports and banquets, and all of the high school activities that help determine who we will be as adults.

May is a month of milestones and memo-ries in this country. We receive diplomas, ribbons and plaques to commemorate achievements and are sent on our way to begin the next step in our life journey. We usually decide our career path after grad-uation and the what-do-I-want-to-do-with-the-rest-of-my-life type decisions.

We’re all affected from the unprec-edented events of the past few months in different ways. The reality is that we’ll be doing things differently for the foresee-able future. Regardless, I think it’s more

important to congratulate the graduates and recognize their achievements. We’re all sorry for the missed events and the rescheduled ceremonies over the last two months.

We’ve missed weddings, funerals, showers and banquets. The sad part is the folks who are most excited to see us change and reach plateaus in our lives are family, and spe-cifically our parents and grandparents. COVID-19 has zapped the excitement away for everyone this year, but, hopefully, we will be smarter and wiser when May 2021 comes around, ready to anticipate how to avoid the circumstances of 2020.

Businesses will be forever changed in the way we interact with our members, custom-ers and patrons. We’re already headed down this path technologically, but now we’ll see what the ramifications will be for all of us as we do business with folks tomorrow.

I know South Plains Electric will be looking at ways we can keep our employees and members as healthy as possible. But like all things in life, the balance between safety and personal relationships have to be weighed, and a happy medium must be achieved. Our national associations are using the #PowerOn to communicate our resilience and our willingness to adapt and overcome.

Thanks for the job each of you have done to take care of yourselves and your cowork-ers. I’m proud of our employee group for your dedication to our members and the families and communities we all represent.

BE SAFE and God bless,Dale

The Inside Circuit

Lynn Simmons and Etta Grace, demonstrating a social distancing failure.

Jamie Ward is set up to work close by the fire on a cold day. Brad Swaffar is hard at work while his pup takes a

nap.

Work, school assignments and snacks, a typical day at the Bateman house. Pictured is Evelyn, Jaxon and Maverick. Their parents are Kayla and Andrew.

Taking a brownie break! Emma is the daughter of Chelsey and Trent Phillippe.

Sheldon Duncan and Stachia Washington have a great work setup.

Shaina Kleman’s pup is staying close to offer moral support.

Rose Academy is in session for Rowdy and Payton. Their parents are Shayla and Jason Rose.

Tony Martinez has a great spot to work under his stairs.

The Inside Circuit

The Moseley clan working hard on their school assignments. They are the children of Stefanie and Jason Moseley.

Rachel Strickland’s orange tabby, Spock, loves to sleep on the desk and loves it even more if he’s lying on something she’s working on.

Emma has the perfect work-from-home setup. She is the daughter of Chelsey and Trent Phillippe.

Amanda Nichols is ready for another day of work.

Lisa Barron’s pet, Pepper, doesn’t quite under-stand social distancing.

Bradley Allen’s newest co-worker stays close by to offer any help.

Becky Wilson’s new co-worker, Coal, thinks it is time for an afternoon nap.

Jane Fabian made her very own SPEC mask.

The Inside Circuit

Congratulations to Landon Hinson who won this year’s Like-A-Lineman contest on Facebook.

Understand your benefits• Clear up any confusion about your

health plan.

Find great doctors• Locate highly-rated doctors, dentists

and eye-care professionals.

Save money on health care• Compare prices and choose more

cost-effective options.

Pay less for prescriptions• Get recommendations for lower-cost

medications.

Resolve billing errors• Over 30% of medical bills are wrong.

Don’t overpay.

Schedule appointments• Have your appointments scheduled

at times most convenient for you.

Contact Jared Winter at jared.winter@alight.com or 800.513.1667 x506

*Formerly Compass

A member included this note with his bill this month. Thank you for con-tinuing to provide our members with exceptional service!

The Inside Circuit

Kennedy was all dressed up for Easter. She is the daughter of Whitney and Jarrod Bryant.

It looks like the Easter Bunny paid a visit to Cooper’s and Brylee’s house. They are the children of Amanda and Matthew Nichols.

NOTES FROM

TAHNEETahnee—535.7847; ttruitt@SPEC.coopShaina—775.7845; skleman@SPEC.coop

BCBS COVID-19 Coverage BCBS has taken steps to lower costs and provide easier access to care for mem-bers related to COVID-19. Currently, if you’re a BCBSTX member:

Testing: You won’t pay co-pays, deductibles or coinsurance for medi-cally necessary lab tests to diagnose COVID-19. Your doctor doesn’t have to ask us for the “ok” to test for COVID-19.

Testing-Related Visits: You won’t pay co-pays, deductibles or coinsurance with in-network providers for visits related to COVID-19, whether at a pro-vider’s office, urgent care clinic, emer-gency room or by telehealth. (Testing must be medically necessary, consistent with CDC guidance and at the direction of a doctor.)

Treatment: If you are insured by BCBS, you won’t pay co-pays, deductibles or coinsurance related to treatment for COVID-19. This applies to costs asso-ciated with COVID-19 treatment at in-network facilities and treatment for out-of-network emergencies.

This policy covers treatment from April 1 to May 31, 2020. BCBS will reevaluate this policy as events warrant.

No co-pays, no deductible and no coinsurance only applies when using an in-network provider or an out-of-network provider for treatment of an emergency. In some instances, a pro-

vider that doesn’t contract with BCBS may not accept the amount we pay as payment in full. In that instance, they may send you a bill for the remaining balance. BCBS encourages you to use in-network providers. Pharmacy: BCBS has temporarily lifted restrictions on getting early prescrip-tion fills.

You can contact your pharmacy directly to ask for an early fill and any delivery options.

Pharmacists have approval to provide an early fill on most medications.

You can also use your 90-day supply benefits. Sign up for home delivery at AllianceRx Walgreens Prime or call the number on your BCBS member ID card.

You can get up to a 90-day fill (based on plan benefits) of covered, non-specialty medications at select retail pharmacies or home delivery.

Happy Easter!

There are several valuable resources available at

SPECemployees.coop that discuss COVID-19. Family

members are also able to view the information with the

employee’s login. If you don’t remember your login, please

email Whitney Bryant at wbryant@SPEC.coop.

Pandemic Resources

BirthdayHappy

BIRTHDAYS E R V I C E

A N N I V E R S A R I E S

Happy

The Inside Circuit

Service Anniversaries

Keep them in your thoughts

Clarence Kitten family—retired direc-tor, passed away.

Carlyle Stokes—employee, as he is undergoing treament for malignant melanoma.

MayAdam Eggert 1st Kiley Kelley 3rd

Matt’s wifeAshli Kelley 5th

Dillon’s wifeTammy Fowler 8th

Bryan’s wife Nick Webster 12th Aldo Almanza 13th James Beutz 13thBryan Reese 13thWendell Richardson 15thKelsi Hernandez 15th

Jonathan’s wifeGarrick Hurst 16th Kelyn King 16th Eusebio Lopez 17th Scott Park 17thJacy Greene 22nd

Ben’s wifeDillon Kelley 25th Matt Herzog 27th Castula Florke 27th

Rudy’s wife Chelsey Phillippe 28thAngela Salinas 29th

Joe’s wifeSara Kerr 30th

Kristofer’s wife

Not seeing your birthday?Email your information to jreece@SPEC.coop.

MayKevin Swaringen 12th

Celebrates 23 yearsJessalynn Alejandro 1st

Celebrates 19 yearsScott Nixon 9th

Celebrates 15 yearsHolly Baiza 8th

Celebrates 14 yearsJason Smoot 16th

Celebrates 13 yearsSteven Hart 21st

Celebrates 7 yearsJake Jordan 2nd

Celebrates 4 yearsNick Webster 23rd

Celebrates 4 yearsChristina Garcia 15th

Celebrates 3 yearsTy Brown 30th

Celebrates 3 yearsJayton Grisham 21st

Celebrates 2 years

Cory Bachausen and Jason Smoot represented SPEC at the Childress High School Career Day in March.

If family members would like to receive the

employee newsletter by email, please

contact Jill Reece at jreece@SPEC.coop.

Attention

Heart and Soul Cuisine is one of many local busi-nesses reinventing themselves and giving back to the community. When you place an order, you can purchase two meals for $5 to be delivered to first responders, community workers, healthcare providers and other businesses with over-worked employees. They brought 30 meals for the Lubbock SPEC employees. We sent 10 meals to the South office and 20 meals to the North office. Now it’s your turn to show her some love by ordering some delicious meals. Find them on Facebook or at heartandsoullbk.com.