Policy 6510 – Health Insurance

  1. For employees not protected by the collective bargaining agreements or their own terms and conditions, health and dental insurance shall be provided in accordance with the following:
    1. Full time Employees (working over 5 hours per day) shall be entitled to health and dental insurance benefits at the percentage contribution designated by the Board of Education.
    2. A retiring employee must have a minimum of 10 years continuous service and retire from the district in accordance with the regulations of the applicable New York State Retirement System. The percentage contribution of the premium to be paid by the retiree shall be designated by the Board of Education.
  2. Active employees shall be eligible for health and dental insurance in retirement pursuant to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement under which they retired, their own terms and conditions or employment agreement, or in the event the terms and conditions of employment are silent on eligibility for health and dental insurance in retirement, this policy shall prevail.  Only those employees eligible for health and dental insurance as an active, shall be eligible for health and dental insurance in retirement provided they meet the eligibility requirements.
    1. If an employee selects the health insurance buy out in the year immediately preceding retirement or does not take health insurance and is otherwise eligible for health insurance, the employee must notify the District no later than six (6) months prior to the effective date of retirement of their intention to take a District sponsored plan in retirement.  Requests to waive this requirement may be made to the Superintendent of Schools, based on extenuating circumstances.
  3. The retiree will be allowed to change the level of plan coverage (i.e. family to two-person coverage), subject to the following:
    1. If the retiree predeceases the carried spouse, the spouse is allowed to continue individual coverage at the same contribution rates, provided the spouse was previously covered by a District sponsored plan.  The surviving spouse may be required to enroll in a Medicare supplemental plan sponsored through the District at the same contribution rates, upon reaching the age of 65.
    2. During established open enrollment periods, retirees are allowed to change their plans from one provider to the other (i.e. MVP to Empire Blue Cross).
    3. Retirees are allowed to decrease the level of plan coverage (i.e. two-person to individual), however, they are not allowed to increase the level of plan coverage (i.e. two-person to family)
  4. This policy shall be reviewed and updated by the Board of Education as needed. 

Adopted 4/25/01
Revised: 09/18/02
Revised: 01/12/17
Revised: 03/14/24