Section 100-A:52-a Payment by Retirement System; Group I Teachers and Political Subdivision Employees
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 RSA 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 RSA 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 RSA 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 RSA 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 RSA 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 RSA 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.
Source. 1999, 274:4. 2000, 37:2, eff. July 1, 2000; 266:2, eff. Jan. 1, 2001; 311:22, eff. Jan. 1, 2001. 2001, 116:2, eff. July 1, 2001; 158:8; 264:1, eff. July 1, 2001. 2006, 120:16, eff. July 14, 2006. 2008, 86:1, eff. May 21, 2008; 300:6, eff. June 30, 2008. 2009, 12:1, eff. April 17, 2009; 164:1, eff. July 8, 2009.