New Hampshire Revised Statutes 100-A:52-a – Payment by Retirement System; Group I Teachers and Political Subdivision Employees
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I. The New Hampshire retirement system shall pay the cost for permanent group hospitalization, hospital medical care, surgical care, and other medical and surgical benefits, in the employer-sponsored plan provided for active employees of a retiree’s former employer, subject to the provisions of this section, for the following persons:
(a) Any person, who was eligible to retire as of July 1, 2008 with at least 20 years of creditable service as a group I member if age 60 or older, or who was eligible to retire as of July 1, 2008 with at least 30 years of creditable service as a group I member if age 55-59, and retired on or before July 1, 2009 as a group I teacher member or political subdivision employee member of the New Hampshire retirement system on service or ordinary disability retirement, provided that such person shall be entitled to retirement on the basis of group I creditable service, or any person retired on or before July 1, 2009, as a group I member whose service retirement benefit is based upon the provisions of N.H. Rev. Stat. § 100-A:19-c and who as of July 1, 2008 was eligible to retire with a minimum of 20 years of creditable service as a group I member.
(b) Any person who for reasons other than retirement or death ceases to be a group I teacher or political subdivision employee and retires with a vested deferred retirement allowance on or before July 1, 2009 if such person was eligible to retire as of July 1, 2008 either: (1) with no less than 20 years of group I creditable service and being at least 60 years old or subsequently attaining age 60; or (2) with no less than 30 years of group I creditable service and being at least 55 years of age or subsequently attaining age 55.
(c) Any person who was eligible to retire as of July 1, 2008 prior to age 60 with no less than 20 years of group I creditable service and who retired on or before July 1, 2009 as a group I teacher member or political subdivision employee member and who subsequent to July 1, 2008 attains the age of 60, or any person who was eligible to retire as of July 1, 2008 prior to age 55 with no less than 30 years of group I creditable service and who retired on or before July 1, 2009 as a group I teacher member or political subdivision employee member, and who subsequent to July 1, 2008 attains the age of 55.
(d) The surviving spouse of a deceased retired group I teacher member or political subdivision employee member who met the qualifications of subparagraphs (a), (b) or (c), or of a deceased member who died while in service as a group I teacher member or political subdivision employee member, provided that such surviving spouse was covered as the member’s spouse in the employer-sponsored plan before the member’s death and is entitled to a monthly allowance under N.H. Rev. Stat. § 100-A:8, 100-A:9, or 100-A:13.
(e) Any certifiably dependent child with a disability living in the household and being cared for by the qualified retired member, the member’s spouse, or the qualified surviving spouse.
(f) The surviving spouse and children of a deceased teacher or group I political subdivision employee member who dies as the natural and proximate result of injuries suffered while in the performance of duty, provided that:
(1) Any such child shall be qualified under this subparagraph only if under 18 years of age, or under 23 years of age if attending school on a full-time basis; and
(2) Such surviving spouse shall cease to be qualified upon the remarriage of the surviving spouse; and
(3) No surviving spouse or child shall be qualified or continue to be qualified under this subparagraph while receiving or eligible to receive medical insurance or health care benefits from any employer’s sponsored plan.
(g) Any group I teacher member or political subdivision employee member retired on or before July 1, 2004 on disability retirement as the natural and proximate result of injuries suffered while in the performance of duty.
(h) The spouse of a qualified retiree, until death or remarriage.
I-a. Notwithstanding the provision of N.H. Rev. Stat. § 100-A:4, III-b, for the purpose of calculating creditable service for eligibility for medical benefits payment under paragraph I, each full year of job-sharing service of a teacher in a job-sharing position shall be calculated at
1/2 of one year of such service credit.
II. For each fiscal year beginning on or after July 1, 2007, the maximum amount payable by the retirement system under this subdivision on account of each person qualified under paragraph I who is not entitled to Medicare benefits, and on account of each person qualified under paragraph I who is entitled to Medicare benefits, shall be the same as the amount provided in N.H. Rev. Stat. § 100-A:52, II for group II retirees.
III. In the case of group I members retired from employment by political subdivisions of the state, the amount payable by the retirement system on account of qualified persons shall be paid over to the employer, insurer, or health care administrator and used to pay for all or part of the medical benefits provided through the former employer for qualified persons. If the cost of the premium for any eligible person under paragraph I shall exceed the maximum under paragraph II, and the employer does not elect to pay the excess cost, the excess cost shall be paid by the retiree or qualified surviving spouse and may be deducted from retirement benefits as provided in N.H. Rev. Stat. § 100-A:51. The employer may require, as a condition for coverage, that the retiree or surviving spouse apply for deduction of such excess cost from retirement benefits as provided in N.H. Rev. Stat. § 100-A:51.
IV. There shall be no age limit to participate in the employer sponsored medical and health plan provided in paragraph I, and there shall be no physical examination or health statement required for such coverage, provided, however, that if an eligible retired group I teacher member or political subdivision employee member of the retirement system fails to apply for such coverage within the time required by the insurance contract, the insurer may require satisfactory evidence of insurability as a condition for becoming insured.
V. Any group I teacher member retired before January 1, 2000, or other eligible person under paragraph I, who would have been eligible for medical benefits under this section if this section had been in effect on the member’s date of retirement, shall have the option of re-joining the medical or health plan sponsored by the retired member’s former employer and of receiving benefits under this section, provided that such eligible person shall apply to the employer for such benefits before January 1, 2002. Upon receipt of such application, the former employer shall enroll such retiree or other eligible person in the employer’s plan in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as enrollment of a new employee but without any benefit-waiting period which may be applicable to new employees of that employer. Neither an employer nor an employer’s group plan or insurer shall be liable for any claims incurred prior to the date of enrollment under this paragraph.
VI. Any group I political subdivision employee member retired before January 1, 2001, or other eligible person under paragraph I, who would have been eligible for medical benefits under this section if this section had been in effect on the member’s date of retirement, shall have the option of re-joining the medical or health plan sponsored by the retired member’s former employer and of receiving benefits under this section, provided that such eligible person shall apply to the employer for such benefits before January 1, 2003. Upon receipt of such application, the former employer shall enroll such retiree or other eligible person in the employer’s plan in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as enrollment of a new employee but without any benefit-waiting period which may be applicable to new employees of that employer. Neither an employer nor an employer’s group plan or insurer shall be liable for any claims incurred prior to the date of enrollment under this paragraph.
VII. The retirement system shall notify all group I teacher and political subdivision employee retirees and surviving spouse beneficiaries, who are currently drawing monthly allowances from the retirement system, of their possible right to re-join and active-employee medical insurance or health plan and to receive benefits under this section.
VIII. Any person who is eligible to receive group insurance or other medical benefits under the provisions of this section, but who does not need and who declines such benefits because they would be duplicative of coverage under any employer-sponsored plan, shall nevertheless continue to be eligible and, upon ceasing to be eligible for the other coverage, shall be permitted to join the plan of the employer from which the member retired and to receive the benefits allowable under this section without any waiting period.
(a) Any person, who was eligible to retire as of July 1, 2008 with at least 20 years of creditable service as a group I member if age 60 or older, or who was eligible to retire as of July 1, 2008 with at least 30 years of creditable service as a group I member if age 55-59, and retired on or before July 1, 2009 as a group I teacher member or political subdivision employee member of the New Hampshire retirement system on service or ordinary disability retirement, provided that such person shall be entitled to retirement on the basis of group I creditable service, or any person retired on or before July 1, 2009, as a group I member whose service retirement benefit is based upon the provisions of N.H. Rev. Stat. § 100-A:19-c and who as of July 1, 2008 was eligible to retire with a minimum of 20 years of creditable service as a group I member.
Terms Used In New Hampshire Revised Statutes 100-A:52-a
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Creditable service: shall mean prior service plus membership service, as provided in N. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 100-A:1
- Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
- Employee: shall mean any regular classified, nonclassified, or unclassified officer or employee of the state or any department, commission, institution or agency of the state government by which an employee is paid through the office of the state treasurer, or employees of the general court who work on a full-time basis and are eligible for other state benefits, but whose salary is calculated on a per diem basis, or any employee of the retirement system, or any full-time employee of the community college system of New Hampshire who is an active retirement system member or who elects membership in the retirement system, or of any of the groups authorized to participate under this chapter but excluding any person who is a teacher, permanent policeman, or permanent fireman as defined in this section, or who is a member or attache of the general court or member of the executive council. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 100-A:1
- Employer: shall mean (a) the state or any department, commission, institution, or agency of the state government by which an employee is paid through the office of the state treasurer with respect to their employees, (b) the state, the local school district, or other employers of teachers eligible for membership in the system with respect to the teachers in their employ, (c) any police department or police force of the state, or of any county, city, town, village, or precinct in the state with respect to the permanent policemen in their employ, (d) any fire department of the state, or of any county, city, town, village, or precinct in the state with respect to the permanent firemen in their employ, (e) any political subdivision that has elected to participate under N. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 100-A:1
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- following: when used by way of reference to any section of these laws, shall mean the section next preceding or following that in which such reference is made, unless some other is expressly designated. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 21:13
- Member: shall mean any person included in the membership of the retirement system, as provided in N. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 100-A:1
- person: may extend and be applied to bodies corporate and politic as well as to individuals. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 21:9
- Retirement: shall mean withdrawal from active service with a retirement allowance granted under the provisions hereof. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 100-A:1
- Retirement allowance: shall mean the sum of the member annuity and the state annuity. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 100-A:1
- Retirement system: shall mean the New Hampshire Retirement System as defined in N. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 100-A:1
- Service: shall mean service as an employee, a teacher, a permanent policeman or a permanent fireman which is paid for by an employer. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 100-A:1
- State: shall mean the state of New Hampshire. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 100-A:1
- Teacher: shall mean any regular or special teacher, principal, supervisor or administrator, librarian or other member of the teaching or professional staff engaged in the service of the public elementary and secondary schools located within the state and supported by and under the control of the state, the local school district, or other employers of teachers eligible for membership in the system. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 100-A:1
(b) Any person who for reasons other than retirement or death ceases to be a group I teacher or political subdivision employee and retires with a vested deferred retirement allowance on or before July 1, 2009 if such person was eligible to retire as of July 1, 2008 either: (1) with no less than 20 years of group I creditable service and being at least 60 years old or subsequently attaining age 60; or (2) with no less than 30 years of group I creditable service and being at least 55 years of age or subsequently attaining age 55.
(c) Any person who was eligible to retire as of July 1, 2008 prior to age 60 with no less than 20 years of group I creditable service and who retired on or before July 1, 2009 as a group I teacher member or political subdivision employee member and who subsequent to July 1, 2008 attains the age of 60, or any person who was eligible to retire as of July 1, 2008 prior to age 55 with no less than 30 years of group I creditable service and who retired on or before July 1, 2009 as a group I teacher member or political subdivision employee member, and who subsequent to July 1, 2008 attains the age of 55.
(d) The surviving spouse of a deceased retired group I teacher member or political subdivision employee member who met the qualifications of subparagraphs (a), (b) or (c), or of a deceased member who died while in service as a group I teacher member or political subdivision employee member, provided that such surviving spouse was covered as the member’s spouse in the employer-sponsored plan before the member’s death and is entitled to a monthly allowance under N.H. Rev. Stat. § 100-A:8, 100-A:9, or 100-A:13.
(e) Any certifiably dependent child with a disability living in the household and being cared for by the qualified retired member, the member’s spouse, or the qualified surviving spouse.
(f) The surviving spouse and children of a deceased teacher or group I political subdivision employee member who dies as the natural and proximate result of injuries suffered while in the performance of duty, provided that:
(1) Any such child shall be qualified under this subparagraph only if under 18 years of age, or under 23 years of age if attending school on a full-time basis; and
(2) Such surviving spouse shall cease to be qualified upon the remarriage of the surviving spouse; and
(3) No surviving spouse or child shall be qualified or continue to be qualified under this subparagraph while receiving or eligible to receive medical insurance or health care benefits from any employer’s sponsored plan.
(g) Any group I teacher member or political subdivision employee member retired on or before July 1, 2004 on disability retirement as the natural and proximate result of injuries suffered while in the performance of duty.
(h) The spouse of a qualified retiree, until death or remarriage.
I-a. Notwithstanding the provision of N.H. Rev. Stat. § 100-A:4, III-b, for the purpose of calculating creditable service for eligibility for medical benefits payment under paragraph I, each full year of job-sharing service of a teacher in a job-sharing position shall be calculated at
1/2 of one year of such service credit.
II. For each fiscal year beginning on or after July 1, 2007, the maximum amount payable by the retirement system under this subdivision on account of each person qualified under paragraph I who is not entitled to Medicare benefits, and on account of each person qualified under paragraph I who is entitled to Medicare benefits, shall be the same as the amount provided in N.H. Rev. Stat. § 100-A:52, II for group II retirees.
III. In the case of group I members retired from employment by political subdivisions of the state, the amount payable by the retirement system on account of qualified persons shall be paid over to the employer, insurer, or health care administrator and used to pay for all or part of the medical benefits provided through the former employer for qualified persons. If the cost of the premium for any eligible person under paragraph I shall exceed the maximum under paragraph II, and the employer does not elect to pay the excess cost, the excess cost shall be paid by the retiree or qualified surviving spouse and may be deducted from retirement benefits as provided in N.H. Rev. Stat. § 100-A:51. The employer may require, as a condition for coverage, that the retiree or surviving spouse apply for deduction of such excess cost from retirement benefits as provided in N.H. Rev. Stat. § 100-A:51.
IV. There shall be no age limit to participate in the employer sponsored medical and health plan provided in paragraph I, and there shall be no physical examination or health statement required for such coverage, provided, however, that if an eligible retired group I teacher member or political subdivision employee member of the retirement system fails to apply for such coverage within the time required by the insurance contract, the insurer may require satisfactory evidence of insurability as a condition for becoming insured.
V. Any group I teacher member retired before January 1, 2000, or other eligible person under paragraph I, who would have been eligible for medical benefits under this section if this section had been in effect on the member’s date of retirement, shall have the option of re-joining the medical or health plan sponsored by the retired member’s former employer and of receiving benefits under this section, provided that such eligible person shall apply to the employer for such benefits before January 1, 2002. Upon receipt of such application, the former employer shall enroll such retiree or other eligible person in the employer’s plan in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as enrollment of a new employee but without any benefit-waiting period which may be applicable to new employees of that employer. Neither an employer nor an employer’s group plan or insurer shall be liable for any claims incurred prior to the date of enrollment under this paragraph.
VI. Any group I political subdivision employee member retired before January 1, 2001, or other eligible person under paragraph I, who would have been eligible for medical benefits under this section if this section had been in effect on the member’s date of retirement, shall have the option of re-joining the medical or health plan sponsored by the retired member’s former employer and of receiving benefits under this section, provided that such eligible person shall apply to the employer for such benefits before January 1, 2003. Upon receipt of such application, the former employer shall enroll such retiree or other eligible person in the employer’s plan in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as enrollment of a new employee but without any benefit-waiting period which may be applicable to new employees of that employer. Neither an employer nor an employer’s group plan or insurer shall be liable for any claims incurred prior to the date of enrollment under this paragraph.
VII. The retirement system shall notify all group I teacher and political subdivision employee retirees and surviving spouse beneficiaries, who are currently drawing monthly allowances from the retirement system, of their possible right to re-join and active-employee medical insurance or health plan and to receive benefits under this section.
VIII. Any person who is eligible to receive group insurance or other medical benefits under the provisions of this section, but who does not need and who declines such benefits because they would be duplicative of coverage under any employer-sponsored plan, shall nevertheless continue to be eligible and, upon ceasing to be eligible for the other coverage, shall be permitted to join the plan of the employer from which the member retired and to receive the benefits allowable under this section without any waiting period.