Who to ask
- Retired from a school system, community college or library: your former employer's benefits office.
- Retired from the State of Maryland: the Department of Budget and Management, Employee Benefits Division.
Retiree health coverage is not run by the Retirement Agency. Retired State of Maryland employees' health benefits are administered by the Department of Budget and Management (Employee Benefits Division, 410-767-4775); retirees of other participating employers (county boards of education, community colleges, etc.) get health benefits, if any, from that employer. Qualifying for a retirement benefit does not decide eligibility for retiree health coverage or its cost. To keep State Employees Health Insurance Program coverage for a spouse or dependent after your death, you must choose a dual-life option (2, 3, 5 or 6) naming them as sole beneficiary. ACPS Handbook p. 34, Retiree Health Benefits; RCPB Handbook p. 32; SRA web: About Health Insurance
Ask your school system's benefits office about retiree health coverage and cost before you retire.
What we use: No calculation.
Your payment option matters
If eligible for the State Employees Health Insurance Program, you must pick Option 2, 3, 5 or 6 and name your spouse or other eligible dependent as sole beneficiary for them to keep State health coverage after your death. Options Pamphlet (10/11) PDF pp. 1-2; ACPS Handbook pp. 18-20; ACFR FY2025 p. 167; SRA web: About Health Insurance; SRA option factor table (eff. 1/1/2022) Payment options
If you go back to work
The reduced allowance must still cover approved medical insurance premium deductions. ACPS Handbook pp. 29-32, Reemployment, Earnings Limitation, Reemployment at a Glance; RCPB Handbook pp. 27-30 Working after retirement
What the sources say
- The Retirement Agency does not run retiree health insurance. Retired school employees get any retiree health coverage through their former employer (such as the county board of education); retired State employees through the Department of Budget and Management (410-767-4775).ACPS Handbook p. 34, Retiree Health Benefits; SRA web: About Health Insurance
- Qualifying for a pension doesn't decide whether you qualify for retiree health coverage or what it costs. Check with your employer's benefits office before you retire.SRA web: About Health Insurance
- If you are in the State Employees Health Insurance Program, your spouse or dependent can keep that coverage after your death only if you pick Option 2, 3, 5 or 6 and name them as your sole beneficiary.SRA web: About Health Insurance
- Check with SRASRPS sources give no service requirement or subsidy amounts for school retirees' health coverage.ACPS Handbook p. 34Rules are set by each employer and are not in SRPS documents.
Questions
Does TPS provide retiree health insurance?
No. The State Retirement Agency runs pensions, not health plans. School employees get any retiree health coverage from their former employer, such as the county board of education.
Does qualifying for a pension mean I get retiree health coverage?
No. Your employer decides who qualifies for retiree health coverage and what it costs. Ask its benefits office before you retire.
How do I protect my spouse's coverage?
If you're in the State Employees Health Insurance Program, pick Option 2, 3, 5 or 6 and name your spouse or dependent as your only beneficiary. Otherwise their coverage can end when you die.
Source: SRPS Benefits Handbooks: Teachers' Pension System (Alternate Contributory Pension Selection; Reformed Contributory Pension Benefit), Revised April 2021, ACPS Handbook p. 34; RCPB Handbook p. 32; SRA web pages. Last reviewed .