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
NY19-19
TO: New York State Health Benefits Administrators
FROM: Employee Benefits Division
SUBJECT: Benefit Update to NYS Vision Plan Booklets for NYSCOPBA and M/C Enrollees
DATE: July 17, 2019
This memo is to inform you that the NYS Vision Plan Booklets for the following employee groups have been updated to reflect the newly bargained, or administratively extended, ultra/digital progressive lens and the annual contact lens exam benefits, effective June 1, 2019:
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New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association(NYSCOPBA) [NY1298]
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Managerial/Confidential (M/C) [NY1297]
The Department mailed a Dental and Vision Benefits Brochure to the home of all current enrollees, in each respective group, detailing the addition of the ultra/digital progressive lens and annual contact lens exam to their vision benefit. Please review the respective HBA Memos for additional information: NYSCOPBA, NY19-06; and M/C, NY19-18.
Please be advised Davis Vision will continue to mail a group-specific NYS Vision Plan Booklet to each employee’s home upon enrolling in the NYS Vision Plan.
PDFs of the new booklets are posted on HBA Online and NYSHIP Online. A hard copy of the booklet can be ordered through HBA Online under "NYSHIP Publication Order Forms", select the appropriate group.
If you need help accessing HBA Online, contact the ITS Service Desk at 844-891-1786, or e-mail fixit@its.ny.gov or via chat at https://chat.its.ny.gov. If you are unsure of how to order publications, please call EBD Communications Unit at 518-457-7577.
If you have questions about vision benefits call Davis Vision at 1-888-588-4823. Benefits can also be viewed online at https://www.cs.ny.gov.