Planning to Retire?

Resources for those approaching retirement and those thinking about retiring.

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Make an Appointment

Benefits Office

631-632-6180

Make an appointment with a staff member to receive information about your retiree benefits including

⇒ The eligibility requirements for continuing your health insurance /prescription drug benefits in retirement.

⇒The required forms that must be completed in order to continue your health insurance /prescription drug benefits in retirement.

OLLI - Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

OPEN TO RETIRED & SEMI-RETIRED INDIVIDUALS AGED 50 OR OLDER

OLLI members come from all walks of life and career paths and is open to retired and semi-retired individuals aged 50 or older regardless of their level of education or career experience, who are interested in a diverse learning environment that fosters mutual sharing of ideas, life experiences and the love of learning. There are no tests, no grades—no pre-requisites to join!

For more information, visit https://www.stonybrook.edu/olli/.

ERS Estimator

TRS Estimator

ORP Estimator

Save Your Sick Days!

State Employees: Unused sick leave accruals can be converted into monetary value to offset out-of-pocket health insurance premiums during retirement.

RF Employees: If you are eligible for the retiree health benefit, RF in Albany will contact the Payroll Office to find out how much sick time you have after you actually retire. They will make an additional pension contribution to TIAA by multiplying the value of your accrued sick days (to a maximum of 200 days) by the current percent they contribute for your retirement.

Frequently Asked Questions

RF & STATE EMPLOYEES:

Yes, you must contact the Benefits Office at 632-6180 or email hrs_benefits@stonybrook.edu to make an appointment with a staff member. 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.
STATE EMPLOYEES: You will need to contact your retirement plan directly. We suggest you meet with them at least 30 days prior to your anticipated retirement date. Visit Plan Contact Information.

RF EMPLOYEES: TIAA provides a number of alternatives from which you can choose to receive your retirement money. These are detailed in the RF Benefits Handbook on pages 41-45. There is also a TIAA representative you can meet with for assistance in choosing an alternative and completing the necessary paperwork to start your pension payments. Call (516) 454-4038 to schedule an appointment.
STATE EMPLOYEES: 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.

RF EMPLOYEES: If you meet the eligibility requirements and pay the required premium, the RF will continue your group Health Care coverage after you retire until you reach age 65 and become eligible for Medicare. The RF will continue Health Care coverage for your eligible dependents if they have been covered under your plan for at least one year before you retire. No new dependents can be added to your coverage after you retire.
STATE EMPLOYEES:

⇒You must be 55 years of age or older at retirement.
⇒At retirement, you must have ten or more years of service in a position eligible for health insurance with SUNY or a participating agency.
⇒You must be participating in a health insurance plan immediately preceding your retirement date.

RF EMPLOYEES:

⇒You must be 55 years of age or older at retirement
⇒At retirement, you must have completed a minimum of 10 years of full-time service (or the equivalent in part-time service)
⇒You must be participating in a health insurance plan immediately preceding your retirement date. (Your spouse and/or other dependents must be insured a minimum of 1 year prior to your retirement)
STATE EMPLOYEES: 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 State 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.

RF EMPLOYEES: Retiree health insurance does not include dental, vision or life insurance. When you retire, you will have the opportunity to pay for dental and vision care through COBRA, if you do not have coverage through any other group insurance plan. At the present time, the cost for individual dental coverage is $35.22 and vision coverage is $3.83 per month, employee and spouse, employee and children and family dental coverage is $83.27 and vision coverage is $9.08 per month.
STATE EMPLOYEES: Some unions provide life insurance coverage during employment. Please contact your union for more information. Management Confidential (M/C) employees who participate in the MC Life Insurance plan, will receive information post employment from NYS regarding continuing the benefit into retirement.

RF EMPLOYEES: Retiree health insurance does not include dental, vision or life insurance. You can contact Securian Life Insurance Company, (877) 491-5265, once you retire, to see what it would cost you to continue the same life insurance coverage you had as an active employee.
STATE EMPLOYEES: Yes, you will receive a new card. Note: if you are a CSEA, NYSCOPBA or C82 represented employee, your Empire Plan co-pay will increase when you retire; your new card will indicate this increased co-pay.

RF EMPLOYEES: In retirement you will receive a new medical and prescription drug card in the mail, usually 2 weeks after retirement.
STATE EMPLOYEES: 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.

RF EMPLOYEES: After retirement, the Research Foundation Office in Albany will be responsible for any questions or changes in your coverage. They can be reached at (518)434-7000.
STATE EMPLOYEES: 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 use the web site at http://www.cs.state.ny.us and look under the retiree section.

RF EMPLOYEES: The cost of coverage changes each year. Benefits, cost and/or HRA contributions are determined by full time years of service. For information regarding your specific benefit, please contact the Benefits Unit at 631-632-6180 or hrs_benefits@stonybrook.edu.
STATE EMPLOYEES:

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. 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. 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. If you are enrolled in ERS or TRS, the monthly premiums will be deducted from your pension payment. 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.

RF EMPLOYEES:

Upon retirement, monthly invoices will be mailed to you from Payflex. For retirees age 65 and older covered under Medicare, monthly payments for supplemental Medicare coverage and Part D prescription drug coverage can be paid through the HRA account provided to you by The Research Foundation.