Department of Civil Service

PE96-15

TO: Participating Employer Health Benefits Administrators
FROM: Employee Benefits Division
SUBJECT: Retirement Packages
DATE: July 8, 1996

It is important that employees who are retiring receive accurate, timely information about their health insurance in retirement. We have developed a retirement checklist to help employees (and Health Benefits Administrators) sort through health insurance information and choices before they leave the payroll. We will update this list as new publications become available.

Pre-retirement
Please give the following publication and audio visual instructions to employees thinking about retirement:

• Health Insurance Coverage and Related Benefits For New York State Employees Planning for Retirement, June 1996 (see memo PE96- 13 for ordering information)
• Employee Benefits Division's 1993 17 minute pre-retirement video with script and updates (see memo PE96-08 for ordering information)

Retirement
Please photocopy and give the attached "Dear Employee" letter, in addition to the following materials, to all
eligible employees when they retire:

For Empire Plan enrollees:

• 1995 NYSHIP General Information Book and Empire Plan Certificate (GIB-EP/RET/95)
• July 1995 (EPR-Retirees-95-3), February 1996 (EPR-Retirees-96- 1) Empire Plan Reports
• Empire Plan telephone cards (EP-TEL-RET-2/96)
• Medicare Crossover information and enrollment form (see memo NY96-27)
• Health Insurance Statewide CHOICES for retirees (CHOICES includes the monthly rates) (Statewide Retiree Choices/96)
• List of important telephone numbers [Phone List (NYSHIP 7/96)]

For HMO enrollees:

• 1995 NYSHIP General Information Book (GIB-HMO/RET/95)
• July 1995 NYSHIP HMO Report (HMO-Retirees-95-3)
• Health Insurance Statewide CHOICES for retirees (CHOICES includes the monthly rates) (Statewide Retiree Choices/96)
• List of important telephone numbers [Phone List(NY SHIP 7/96)]

You should have most of these materials. You can order more from the attached NYSHIP Publications Supply Request Form. The list of important telephone numbers is new. We will send you a supply equal to ten percent of your enrollment by the end of July.

If you have questions about specific benefits or procedures, please contact your processor in Operations. If you have questions about publications, or thoughts regarding additional material you might find helpful, call the Communications Unit at (518) 457-7577 or FAX us at (518) 457-2494.

Dear Employee:

Congratulations on your retirement!

As a retiree, it's important that you have information explaining your benefits and responsibilities in NYSHIP. When you leave your agency, make sure you have the retiree versions of the following publications from your Health Benefits Administrator:

Empire Plan enrollees:

• 1995 NYSHIP General Information Book and Empire Plan Certificate
• July 1995, February 1996 Empire Plan Reports
• Empire Plan telephone cards
• Medicare Crossover information and enrollment form
• Important telephone numbers
• Health Insurance Statewide CHOICES for retirees (with monthly rates)

HMO enrollees:

• 1995 NYSHIP General Information Book
• July 1995 NYSHIP HMO Report
• Important telephone numbers
• Health Insurance Statewide CHOICES for retirees (with monthly rates)

It is important to know when you must enroll in Medicare. When you or your covered dependent becomes eligible for primary Medicare coverage for any reason, you or your covered dependent must enroll in Medicare Parts A and B, or your benefits under the Empire Plan or your HMO will be drastically reduced. You will find details in the Medicare section that begins on page 23 of the retiree NYSHIP General Information Book.

As a retiree, you must notify the Employee Benefits Division of the New York State Department of Civil Service of changes affecting your NYSHIP enrollment. See page 28 of your retiree NYSHIP General Information Book for a list of situations that require that you write to the Employee Benefits Division. Use the form letter included in the book.

As a retiree, the Employee Benefits Division serves as your Personnel Office for health insurance purposes. Call the Division at (518)457-5754 (Albany area, Hawaii or Alaska), or 1-800-833-4344 (Continental U.S.) if you have any questions. Or write at the address below.

We wish you good luck and good health!

July 1996

State of New York Department of Civil Service, Employee Benefits Division

The State Office Campus, Albany, New York 12239