Mitra Behroozi served as the Executive Director of the 1199SEIU Benefit and Pension Funds from 2004 to 2021. These Funds provide “platinum”-level healthcare benefits and pensions to more than 400,000 1199 SEIU members and retirees, including tens of thousands of home care workers. Ms. Behroozi managed more than $2.2 billion a year in healthcare claims, employing targeted value-driven strategies that kept total family costs well below the New York City average. She also oversaw more than $1 billion a year in pension payments to 115,000 retired healthcare workers and their beneficiaries. Prior to her term as Executive Director, she was a partner at New York City-based labor law firm Levy, Ratner & Behroozi (now known as Levy Ratner), which serves as principal counsel to 1199SEIU and its Funds.
Ms. Behroozi’s relationship with home care workers began during her time as an attorney for 1199SEIU, where she had the good fortune to work directly with Basil Paterson in the Union’s negotiations with New York City’s not-for-profit home care agencies. Later, she became the Union’s lead attorney in negotiating with private, for-profit home care agencies, supporting the Union and workers in winning a historic first contract with Premier Home Health Care, and creating the Home Health Aide Benefit Fund. Later, as Executive Director of the Benefit Funds, Ms. Behroozi fought hard to protect the quality of home care workers‘ benefits through turbulent industry transformation and challenging public funding cycles. Among other efforts, she managed the 2008-2011 Family Health Plus Buy-in partnership with New York State, the implementation of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, and the 2014 merger of the Home Health Aide and Home Attendant Funds, bringing all home care members, funding and benefits into a single stream.
Ms. Behroozi is a founding member of the Basil Paterson Scholarship Fund and a passionate supporter of home health care workers, who has helped raise millions of dollars to support their career and educational advancement.