Management Confidential

Retirement planning:

NYS Employees' Retirement System (ERS)
Interactive Voice Response Line (518) 474-7736
Outside Albany, Toll Free (866) 805-0990

110 State Street
Albany, NY 12244-0001

Service credit, pension estimates, transfers, vesting, refunds, retirement options
Office of the New York State Comptroller

Please note that you must apply for your retirement at least 30 days before the effective date.

NYS Teachers' Retirement System (TRS)

  • (518) 447-2666, (800) 356-3128
  • Recorded Information (800) 782-0289
  • 10 Corporate Woods Drive, Albany, NY 12211-2395
  • NYSTRS website

Corebridge Financial (formerly AIG & VALIC)

Fidelity

  • General Information: (800) 343-0860
  • Contact person: Ken Woods / Bill Stark and you can reach him at (718) 922-2379/ (716) 270-7732
  • (800) 642-7131 (make appointment with Representative)
  • Fidelity website

TIAA:

  • General Information (866) 662-7945
  • 720 Third Ave, New York, NY 1001
  • (866) 842-2046 (make appointment with Representative)
  • TIAA website
  • Contact person: Mario Gonzalez
  • 131 East Green St. Suite 4  Ithaca NY 14850
  • Phone: (607) 274-6453 Ext. 25-6453
  • Cell: (315) 209-4900

Voya:

MetLife:

  • Met Life terminated as an approved SUNY Retirement Vendor as of May 1, 2017.
  • Contact your MetLife representative to review options.
    Our campus representative is Kenneth Walcyk who can be reached at (888) 883-6320 or (315) 431-6364.

NYS Deferred Compensation Plan

INFORM MY DEPARTMENT

For planning purposes, we ask that you inform your supervisor/department well in advance before you retire but at least 30 days per contract. Advance notice to the supervisor/department allows for opportunities for replacement training, recruitment; and for accommodations for time off requests that many prospective employees find necessary and desirable.
• Also, please contact the Office of Human Resources for questions concerning your health insurance benefits.

Others NY State Resources

  • Long Term Care Insurance
    (866) 950-7526 
    NYPERL: Long Term Care Insurance 
    New York State Public Employee & Retiree Long-term Care Insurance 
    (800) 342-3736 New York State Partnership for Long Term Care
  • NYS Insurance Fund
    (518) 475-5790
  • New York State Directory Assistance - General Services
    (518) 474-2121
  • NYS Office for the Aging
    General Information (844) 697-6321
    NY Connects (800) 342-9871
  • Governor's Office of Employee Relations
    General Information
    (518) 473-8766

United States Government

Medicare:

  • 1-800-MEDICARE or (800) 663-4227
  • Call for Medicare benefits and claims information or check the Medicare website.
  • Call to enroll in Medicare within 3 month of turning 65 years of age
  • NYSHIP requires you and your covered dependents to be enrolled in Medicare Part A and B when you or they are: age 65 or older, or regardless of age; have been entitled to Social Security disability benefits for more than 24 months; or regardless of age, have end stage renal disease (permanent kidney failure)

Medicare Part B:

  • The State reimburses you for the Part B premium unless you receive reimbursement from another source
  • If reimbursement is not automatic, you need to contact the commissioner of Civil Service and provide a copy of your Medicare card as proof of your Medicare coverage
  • Dependents are not automatically enrolled in Medicare Crossover but may request it by contacting United HealthCare and ValueOptions. If you or your dependent becomes Medicare-primary before age 65 because of disability, end-stage renal disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), you are not automatically enrolled in Medicare Crossover but may request it if The Empire Plan is your secondary coverage.

Social Security Administration

  • (800) 772-1213
  • Social Security Administration
  • This website offers various tools to learn about Social Security income, benefits, direct deposits, tax forms and tax withholdings; calculating your Supplemental Security Income and replacing your Medicare card.

Health insurance/ prescriptions

Empire Plan General Number: (877) 769-7447

The Empire Plan is a comprehensive health insurance program for New York's public employees and their families. The plan has four main parts:

1. Hospital Benefits Program -

insured and administered by Anthem BlueCross (Option 2)

Provides coverage for inpatient and outpatient services provided by a hospital or skilled nursing facility and hospice care. It also includes the Center of Excellence for Transplants Program, provides inpatient Benefits Management Program services, including preadmission certification of hospital admissions and admission or transfer to a skilled nursing facility, concurrent reviews, discharge planning, inpatient medical case management and the Building Healthy Families Program.

You can update or verify your Coordination of benefits here.

To access LiveHealth Online click here.

Anthem Blue Cross Hospital & related services
GROUP# YLS

New York State Service Center
PO Box 1407, Church Street Station
New York, NY 10008-1407
(877) 769-7447 - check on your claims, policies etc.
Anthem Blue Cross

You must call before scheduled admissions; within 48 hours of an emergency / urgent hospital admission

2. Medical/Surgical Benefits Program - 
insured and administered by UnitedHealthcare (Option 1) 

  • Provides coverage for medical services, such as office visits, surgery and diagnostic testing under the Participating Provider, Basic Medical Provider Discount and Basic Medical Programs. Coverage for physical therapy and chiropractic care is provided through the Managed Physical Medicine Program.
  • Also provides: Coverage for home care services, durable medical equipment and medical supplies through the Home Care Advocacy Program; the Prosthetics/Orthotics Network; Centers of Excellence Programs for Infertility and Cancer; and Benefits Management Program services including Prospective Procedure Review for MRIs, Voluntary Specialist Consultant Evaluation services and outpatient Medical Case Management.

United HealthCare
basic medical/surgical
GROUP# 030500
PO Box 1600
Kingston, NY 12402-1600
(877) 769-7447

Click the following link for general information, participating providers and to check on your claims, policies, etc.

3. Managed Mental Health and Substance Abuse Program - 

administered by Carelon Behavioral Health, Inc. (formerly Beacon Health).  (Option 3)

Provides coverage for inpatient and outpatient mental health and substance abuse services.

Clinical Referral Line (24 hours every day of the year)
(877) 769-7447, then option 3 for MHSU Program, then option 3 form the MHSU program menu
Archieve Solutions - confidential online educational/screening material
ReferralConnect - direct access to provider/facility directory 

4. Prescription Drug Program - administered by CVS Caremark

The Empire Plan Medicare Rx prescription drug plan for Medicare-primary enrollees and dependents is administered by SilverScript insurance Company, an affiliate of CVS Caremark.

  • CVS Caremark - if the Empire Plan is your primary coverage
  • SilverScript - if you are Medicare-primary and currently enrolled in The Empire Plan, or will soon become Medicare-primary with Empire Plan coverage

    Please note that you MUST ALSO CALL FOR THE FOLLOWING:

  • Pre-Admission Certification to the hospital required for ALL TESTS such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or CAT SCAN review
  • Home Care Advocacy Program (home care, durable medical equipment, certain medical supplies)

Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)

Most NYSHIP enrollees have a choice among HMOs. You may enroll - or continue to be enrolled - in any NYSHIP-approved HMO that serves the area where you live or work†. You may not be enrolled in an HMO outside your area. There is the most recent 2024 list which will help you determine which HMOs are available by county. 


† If Medicare-primary, check with the plan.
*Medicare-primary NYSHIP enrollees will be enrolled in this plan's Medicare Advantage Plan. 

Refer to the Choices for 2025 for more detailed information about the various plans.

Health Option

Dental Coverage (optional enrollment after retirement)
GHI/EmblemHealth

(800) 947-0101

Vision Coverage (optional enrollment after retirement)
Cobra

Important to Know

  • For State retirees, vestees and dependent survivors enrolled in the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP):
  • If you retired from a NY State Agency such as Binghamton University, the Employee Benefits Division in the NYS Dept of Civil Service serves as your personal office for health insurance. Therefore, any changes to your current enrollment file must be made by contacting the Division of Employee Benefits at (800) 833-4344. Enter 1-6-7-2 to go directly to a representative. Or, write to:

NYS Department of Civil Service
Employee Benefits Division
Alfred E. Smith Office Building
Albany, NY 12239
or visit The Office of the New York State Comptroller

  • Changes to your enrollment file require your signature and cannot be made with a phone call. Please be sure to include the date you want the change to take effect as well as your name, address and your Social Security number and / or Empire Plan ID.
  • The following are examples when to notify the Employee Benefits Division:
  • Address, telephone number or name changes
  • Add or delete a dependent on your health insurance file
  • Having a disabled dependent
  • You or covered dependent becomes eligible for Medicare benefits because of disability or end-stage renal disease although under age 65. (Enclose a photocopy of your or your dependent's Medicare card showing enrollment in Parts A and B.)
  • Enrolled domestic partner becomes eligible for Medicare.
  • Canceling your coverage. (Include reason and end date.)
  • Correcting our enrollment records because, for example, a name is misspelled or a birthdate is wrong.
  • Need to choose another plan because of you no longer living or working in your NYSHIP HMO's service area.
  • Report a divorce or death.
  • Have the enrollee's Social Security number and/or Empire Plan ID number and all documents related to your question ready when you call. You can press or say the number.
  • Use the automated system. You can order replacement Empire Plan benefit cards, health forms or NYSHIP publications during non-business hours. Be ready to give your name and complete address.
  • Employee Retiree Benefits receives the highest volume of calls on Monday mornings. If you need to talk to an Employee Benefits representative, for fastest service, call after noon on Mondays or sometime later in the week.