Human Resources

Yes, you must call the Benefits Office at (914) 251-6448 to make an appointment.

At your appointment, you will receive information and instructions about your retiree benefits as well as the required forms that must be completed in order to continue your health insurance /prescription drug benefits in retirement.

You will need to contact your retirement plan directly. We suggest you meet with them within 30 days of your anticipated retirement date.

Contact Information for Each Retirement Plan

• New York State Employees Retirement System (ERS)
  (518) 474-7736

• New York State Teachers Retirement System (TRS)
  (800) 348-7298

• Optional Retirement Plan (ORP TIAA-CREF)
  (800) 842-2776

Yes, the health insurance and prescription drug coverage that you are enrolled in as an active employee will continue into retirement if you meet the eligibility requirements. You may also continue to cover eligible dependents under your family coverage.

1. You must be 55 years of age or older at retirement.

2. At retirement, you must have ten or more years of service in a position eligible for health insurance with SUNY or a participating agency.

3. You must be participating in a health insurance plan immediately preceding your retirement date.

The dental and vision care coverage you receive as an active employee will not continue into retirement. Some unions provide a retiree dental/vision care plan; please contact your union for that information.

However, all retirees will be offered the opportunity to enroll in the GHI Retiree Dental Plan. This information will be sent automatically to your home address of record after your retirement date.

If you are a CSEA, NYSCOPBA, or C82 represented employee, your Empire Plan co-pay will increase when you retire. You will receive a new card indicating this increased co-pay.

After retirement, the New York State Department of Civil Service, Employee Benefits Division, in Albany will be responsible for any questions or changes in your coverage.

They can be reached at (518) 457-5754 or (800) 833-4344.

The cost of coverage changes each year on January 1. However, the state continues to pay 75% of the full cost for family coverage and 90% of the full cost for individual coverage.

To learn the current monthly premiums for retiree coverage, please visit the New York State website and look under the retiree section.

At retirement, up to 200 days of your unused sick leave accruals will be converted to a monthly lifetime credit and used to offset the cost of the coverage.

You will pay for your coverage only if the premium exceeds your monthly lifetime credit. In that case, you will pay the difference between your monthly lifetime credit and the premium.

The monthly lifetime credit is calculated using a formula that includes the number of your accrued sick leave days, your salary, your age, and an actuarial table.

If you are a retiree of one of the state retirement plans, the difference in cost will be deducted each month from your pension check.

If you are a retiree of the ORP, you will receive a bill for the difference in cost from the Division of Employee Benefits on a quarterly basis.

Yes, as long as your spouse remains un-remarried, coverage can continue under your plan. Your spouse will be required to contact the Division of Employee Benefits for the necessary details.

At retirement, you may specify that you want your surviving spouse to use your monthly lifetime credit to offset the cost of the survivor health insurance premium. This is called the Dual Annuitant Sick Leave Credit, the form needs to be completed and handed in prior to the retirement date.

• If, at retirement, you choose to use 70% of your monthly lifetime credit, your surviving spouse will continue to use the same 70% monthly lifetime credit to offset the cost of their premium.

• If, at retirement, you choose to use 100% of your monthly lifetime credit, the credit will stop upon your death and your surviving spouse will pay the individual premium in effect at the time.

Yes, you can change your plan once during any twelve month period by contacting the Division of Employee Benefits at (800) 833-4344.

Yes, when you and/or your covered dependent reach age 65, you must apply for Medicare B, which will become your primary health insurance coverage.

Your state health insurance plan will be your secondary coverage.

It is your responsibility to notify your retirement plan of your intention to retire.

The NYS Employees Retirement System is the only plan that requires 30 to 90 days’ notice of retirement intention.

UUP and M/C employees must notify their departments in writing at least 1 month before their retirement date.

CSEA, C82, PEF, NYSCOPBA employees must notify their departments in writing at least 2 weeks before their retirement date.

Your retirement letter must state that you are retiring from SUNY Purchase College and include your last day on the payroll.

For example, if your last day on the payroll is June 1, 20__, your letter would state in part retiring on June 1, 20__ close of business.

Yes, a copy of your letter must be sent to the Benefits Office.

The Benefits Office must have the total number of sick leave days/hours that you have accrued by your retirement date in order to process your retiree Benefits.

The Time and Attendance Section of HRS will not release this information until they have received and processed your final timesheet. Therefore, it is vital for you to ensure that your final timesheet reaches HRS on a timely basis.

For more information on Medicare and NYSHIP, click on the following Medicare and NYSHIP publication website link or contact the Employee Benefits Division (EBD) Call Center at 518-457-5754 or 1-800-833-4344.

As a reminder, all retirement benefits (i.e., health insurance) are processed through the HR Benefits Office. Contact Noemi Spaziante, Benefits Manager,  via email (noemi.spaziante@purchase.edu) approximately four (4) to five (5) months before your retirement date.

Medicare Part D provides prescription drug benefits. Medicare-primary enrollees and dependents enrolled in The Empire Plan have prescription drug coverage under Empire Plan Medicare Rx. If the enrollee and their dependent(s) are Medicare primary and enrolled in a NYSHIP HMO, the HMO provides their Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.

If the enrollee is enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B, their NYSHIP HMO will automatically enroll them and their covered dependents in the HMO’s MAP. This means their HMO will provide both their Medicare and NYSHIP benefits.

MAPs replace the enrollee’s original fee-for-service Medicare Parts A and B coverage. The benefits offered by the plan and all medical care (except for emergency or out-of-area urgent care) must be provided, arranged, or authorized by the MAP.

Together, Parts A and B are a fee-for-service plan. NYSHIP supplements this coverage and requires the enrollee and eligible dependents to enroll in both Part A and B when Medicare is primary to NYSHIP. Medicare Part A covers inpatient care in hospitals or skilled nursing facilities, hospice care, and home health care. Medicare Part B covers doctors’ services, outpatient hospital services, preventive services, durable medical equipment and some other services and supplies not covered by Part A.

If an inactive Medicare eligible employee (and/or their dependent) enrolls in other parts of Medicare it may negatively impact an enrollee’s NYSHIP retirement coverage.

When enrollees are no longer active employees and become eligible for Medicare, the combination of their health insurance benefits under Medicare and NYSHIP provides them with comprehensive coverage. Medicare has several parts, including Parts A, B, C, and D. NYSHIP requires enrollment in Medicare Parts A and B ONLY. Medicare allows enrollment in only one Medicare product at a time. Therefore, enrolling in a Part D plan or a Medicare Advantage Plan (MAP) in addition to NYSHIP will result in the cancellation of an NYSHIP enrollee’s coverage. This includes Medicare products that the enrollee or covered dependents may be enrolled in through another employer.

Yes, NYSHIP requires retirees to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B once they are retired and eligible for Medicare. Medicare becomes your primary insurance (Medicare pays first) at that point. Your covered dependents must also enroll when eligible (i.e., they turn age 65). NYSHIP will not provide any benefits for coverage available under Medicare if you or a dependent are eligible for Medicare coverage that is primary but fails to enroll when eligible. You will then be responsible for the full cost of services that Medicare would have covered.

Yes. Because Medicare is a federal program that does not recognize domestic partners as Internal Revenue Service-eligible dependents, Medicare becomes primary for your domestic partner at age 65 even though you are still working and they are enrolled in NYSHIP as a dependent. Regardless of your employment status, your domestic partner must have Medicare Parts A and B in place when first eligible due to age for Medicare. Please note that your domestic partner would retain NYSHIP as secondary coverage and they would be eligible for Medicare Part B reimbursement from the NYS Department of Civil Service. Please call (1-800-833-4344) for further details.

About three months before you turn 65, contact the Social Security Office to arrange for enrollment in Medicare Part A. Visit your local Social Security office or call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213. Additionally, the Social Security website provides information about applying for Medicare.

A. If you continue to be an active employee in a “benefits-eligible” position and you have New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) coverage either under your own or as a dependent of an active NYS employee (i.e., spouse), you are NOT required to enroll in Medicare (Parts A or B). This exemption also includes eligible dependents (i.e., spouse) of NYSHIP enrollees. However, in most cases you should at least enroll in Part A (hospital insurance) as for most people, Part A is free. NYSHIP would still be your “primary” insurer under hospital benefits as an active employee or dependent of an active employee with Medicare being your “secondary” payor.

Approximately three months before you and/or your covered dependent reach age 65 or, within 3 months of your retirement date at age 65 or older, contact your local Social Security Administration at (800) 772-1213 to apply.

If your dependent is under the age of 65 but is receiving Social Security Disability payments for 24 months or more, your dependent must also apply for Medicare B.

Yes, the monthly cost of Medicare B usually changes each year on January 1 and is automatically deducted each month from your social security check.

Please contact the Social Security Administration to determine the current cost of Medicare B coverage.

Yes, because the state shares responsibility for your health insurance coverage with Medicare, the Division of Employee Benefits will reimburse you for the cost of Medicare B. If your spouse is a dependent on your state health insurance plan, the Division of Employee Benefits will reimburse you for the cost of your spouse’s Medicare B coverage when applicable.

Beginning January 1, 2007, the Medicare Part B premium charges have been changed to a tiered basis which is determined by Individual or Joint income in retirement. The state will reimburse the minimum premium charged in each calendar year.

If you are a retiree of one of the state retirement plans, the Division of Employee Benefits will include the reimbursement for yourself and/or your spouse in your monthly retirement check.

If you are a retiree of the ORP, you will be reimbursed by separate check on a quarterly basis.