The Empire Plan is a unique health insurance plan designed especially for public employees in New York State. Empire Plan benefits include inpatient and outpatient hospital coverage, medical/surgical coverage, Centers of Excellence for transplants, infertility and cancer, home care services, equipment and supplies, mental health and substance abuse coverage and prescription drug coverage.
ANDREW M. CUOMO
Governor
LOLA W. BRABHAM
Acting Commissioner
PA19-07
PAEX19-06
TO: Health Benefits Administrators at Participating Agencies with The Empire Plan and/or the Excelsior Plan
FROM: Employee Benefits Division
SUBJECT: NYSHIP General Information Book for Participating Agencies
DATE: July 8, 2019
We are pleased to announce that the updated NYSHIP General Information Book (GIB) for active and retired employees of Participating Agencies (PAs) is at the printer and will soon be mailed to enrollee homes and PA agencies.
Revised Book
The 2019 General Information Book for PAs contains information regarding NYSHIP eligibility rules, enrollment options, requirements and costs. Please also note that the book is divided into sections for active enrollees and retirees, for the purpose of clarity.
Distribution
We will send you a supply of 2 copies for your reference and use. This publication will begin mailing to enrollee homes in July. Mail files were pulled from NYBEAS on June 29, 2019. Any enrollee not on the file as of that date will not receive this mailing. You may, however, order a Quick Order (QO) package on HBA Online for any new hire since it will include this publication. Otherwise, you should include a copy of the new GIB in the package of information you give to new hires.
Publications Available on Our Website: https://www.cs.ny.gov/employee-benefits
Please check our website for new publications. We generally post publications when we sign off for printing. Publications are available under Using Your Benefits.
Ordering Publications
You may order additional copies of the 2019 General Information Book for PAs (PA0217) on HBA Online under Publications & Forms. Please wait until you receive your shipment of the new publication before you place an order.
If you need help accessing HBA Online, contact the ITS Service Desk at 844-891-1786, fixit@its.ny.gov. or via chat at https://chat.its.ny.gov. If you are unsure of how to order publications or have questions about this distribution, please call the EBD Communications Unit at 518-457-7577.