Dear Prospective Retiree:

This letter briefly describes your basic benefits after retirement.

1) Health benefits, including drug prescription, are administered through the NYS Dept. of Civil Service - Health Insurance Unit. For information, please call: 1-800-833-4344 or 1-518-457-5754. You may also write: NYS Dept. of Civil Service, Health Ins. Unit, State Office Building-Campus, Albany, NY 12239.

2) Your state dental and vision benefits continue for 28 days after the last day of the payroll period you worked. However, if you are age 64 or younger, extended dental coverage for eighteen months is available through COBRA; you have 60 days to respond. If you are 65 or older, and enrolled in Medicare at the time of retirement, COBRA is available.

In addition, once a person retires he/she will receive an offer from GHI to enroll in the Retiree Preferred Plan when they are notified by Civil Service that you have retired; you have 30 days to respond. Please check with your Health Benefits person or Personnel Office before retirement. You may call GHI for the status of your dental insurance at the following numbers:

Albany 518-446-8020
Buffalo 716-852-7711
Long Island 516-228-8488
Rochester 716-424-2467
Syracuse 315-432-0198
All others 800-947-0101


3) For continuation of your term life insurance, you should contact PEF Membership Benefits at 1-800-342-4306 or 1-518-785-1900, ext. 243.


4) If you have any questions/problems concerning your pension benefits, you may call the Retirement System at 1-518-474-7736/474-4602. To write: NYS and Local Retirement Systems, Gov. Smith State Office Building, Albany, NY 12244. An information listing is enclosed for other areas of concerns regarding your retirement.


5) A beneficiary of a retired state worker may be eligible for a death benefit. For more information regarding eligibility and payment, call: 1-518-486-6586 or write: NYS and Local Retirement Systems, Termination Unit, Gov. Smith State Office Building, Albany, NY 12244.


6) Please take the opportunity to complete the enclosed application for membership in the PEF Retirees. Our main goal is to improve retiree benefits for all, especially our members of the public employee retirees. Membership entitles you to certain optional benefits, i.e., dental plus optical plan, legal plan, driver education programs (at a discount), Disney discounts, car rental discounts, home and automobile insurance and travel service and cell phone discounts. You must be a PEF Retiree member in order to take advantage of any of our benefit programs.


We look forward to hearing from you ---


Sincerely,



Alice M. Hughes
PEF Retiree's Assistant
Rev10/02