KATHY HOCHUL
Governor
TIMOTHY R. HOGUES
Commissioner
PE26-06
TO: Health Benefits Administrators of Participating Employers (PEs)
FROM: Employee Benefits Division
SUBJECT: New Retirement Publications
DATE: April 2, 2026
NYSHIP’s new retirement publications—When You Retire and Medicare and NYSHIP—are now available to download and will be available to order in the coming weeks.
- When You Retire explains what enrollees need to know before separating from benefits-eligible service. It covers requirements for continued NYSHIP coverage in retirement, how Medicare coverage changes once you stop working, and how sick leave credit works.
- Medicare and NYSHIP explains how NYSHIP changes once you’re Medicare-eligible, important Medicare-related requirements for continued NYSHIP coverage, and how NYSHIP and Medicare coordinate to provide you care. Much of the prior edition’s content on ESRD has been moved to the End-Stage Renal Disease and NYSHIP flyer.
Planning for Retirement has been discontinued.
A new publication on post-retirement coverage, Your Coverage in Retirement, will be released for Participating Employers (PEs) in the coming months. Until then, PE retirees should refer to their General Information Book.
Distribution and Access
Medicare and NYSHIP will be mailed to enrollees in advance of their 65th birthday. Otherwise, these publications will not be mailed to enrollee homes. However, they may be accessed on our website at nyship.ny.gov.
In the coming weeks, you may order copies on HBA Online under “Publications & Forms” using the following publication codes:
- When You Retire (PE0213)
- Medicare and NYSHIP (AL2103)
If you need help accessing HBA Online, contact the ITS Service Desk at 844-891-1786, fixit@its.ny.gov or chat.its.ny.gov.
If you have questions about NYSHIP coverage, call the HBA Helpline at 518-474-2780.
If you have questions about publication orders, email the Communications Unit at communications@cs.ny.gov.