Retiring members who are eligible for coverage under 65 will be automatically enrolled in the health plan they were enrolled in as an active employee along with any covered dependents, regardless of contribution status. If you were not covered as an active employee but eligible for retiree health coverage, you will be automatically placed on the Standard PPO Plan.

NOTE: You become Medicare-eligible on the first day of the month you turn 65 (e.g., a 3/15 birthday = eligibility on 3/1). If your birthday falls on the first of the month, eligibility begins the first day of the prior month (e.g., 5/1 birthday = 4/1 eligibility).

You can enroll in Medicare starting three months before your 65th birthday month, and it’s important to enroll in both Part A and Part B as soon as you’re eligible.

If you’ve been receiving Social Security benefits for at least four months before turning 65, you’ll be automatically enrolled in Parts A and B and should receive your Medicare card about 90–120 days before coverage begins.

The State Health Plan mails you a Medicare eligibility letter prior to your 65th birthday. The letter asks that you confirm your eligibility for Medicare benefits.

If you are actively working for the state after 65, the Plan will continue to be your primary coverage and Medicare will be secondary. This means you can choose to enroll in Medicare Part A but you can delay enrollment into Medicare Part B until you officially retire from state employment. However, it will be important to remember to enroll in Medicare Part B to become effective as of your retirement date.

Medicare Primary members have several options for health coverage. You can choose one of the following plans:

– Humana Medicare Advantage PPO & Prescription Drug Base Plans

– Humana Medicare Advantage PPO & Prescription Drug Enhanced Plans

– The 70/30 Plan, administered by Aetna

NOTE: In order for a retiree to be eligible for the Humana Group Medicare Advantage (PPO) Plans, the retiree must be enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B.

One month of creditable service is allowed for each 20 days of unused sick leave accrued within the provisions of retirement law. One more month of credit is allowed for any part of 20 days left over, provided the remaining portion is at least one hour.

For Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System members, vacation leave in excess of 240 hours (30 days) may be transferred to your sick leave balance in accordance with State law. Earned sick leave for general employees can be used to complete:

–  30 years of service at any age

– 25 years of service after age 60

– 20 years of service after age 50

– 5 years of service after age 60 (Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System only)

Earned Sick Leave for law enforcement officers (LEO) can be used to complete:

– 15 years of service as a LEO after age 50

– 5 years of service as a LEO after age 55

Earned sick leave cannot be used to meet minimum requirements for:

– 5 years to become eligible for retirement at age 60 (Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System (TSERS) only)

– 5 years to become eligible for health coverage (TSERS only)

– Vested deferred retirement benefit (5 years of service)

– Survivor’s Alternate Benefit

– Disability Retirement or Disability Income Plan of North Carolina (DIPNC)

Sick leave cannot make you older.

A sick leave “day” is based on your employer’s sick leave accrual policy, not a standard 8-hour workday. Employers should report unused sick leave in days earned, using the employee’s normal accrual rate. For example, an employee who accrues 12 hours of sick leave per month while working 12-hour shifts would have 12 hours reported as 1 day of sick leave. Likewise, an employee who accrues 7.5 hours per month would have 7.5 hours reported as 1 day. The number of hours in a sick leave day depends on the employer’s accrual policy.

If you do not have any sick days left, enter 0 on your online or paper retirement application. If the Retirement Systems Division has not received employer reporting within the last 5 years as of the last report month for a teacher or state employee or has not received employer reporting within the last 1 year as of the last report month for a local governmental employee, the member will have 0 sick days.

– Return-to-work laws apply only to employment with a participating retirement system employer after retirement.

– A participating employer includes your former employer and any organization participating in the same retirement system.

TSERS Employers:

– NC Public Schools

– State Agencies

– Community Colleges

– UNC Institutions

– Some Charter Schools

Ask yourself:

– Which retirement system am I retiring from?

– Does the employer participate in TSERS or LGERS?

– Will the position require retirement system membership?

Always verify return-to-work requirements before accepting employment.