Health Care Benefits in Retirement
Retaining FCPS Health Coverage
Health Care Benefits in Retirement
If you are thinking about retiring, it's important to know about your health care benefits during retirement. Following your last day of employment, your health care insurance coverage will continue:
- Through the end of August if you retire in June, July, or August.
- Through the last month of employment if you retire in any other month.
At the time of retirement, FCPS provides eligible retirees a valuable benefit in the ability to retain health coverage. Your ability to retain coverage can vary based on your date of employment or retirement.
If you are enrolled in a flexible spending account (FSA), your FSA will end on the same schedule as health insurance (described above). You must incur the eligible expense before your last day of employment, or by August 31 if your last day worked occurs in June, July, or August. The last day you may submit claims for your FSA is March 31 of the year following your retirement.
For more details about how retiring will impact your FCPS benefits, please read our "Preparing for Retirement" packet. There are two versions depending on your retirement system membership:
- ERFC/VRS members: Preparing for Retirement for ERFC/VRS Members packet
- FCERS members: Preparing for Retirement for FCERS Members packet
Maintenance of Health Care Coverage in Retirement
At the end of your career, FCPS provides eligible retirees a valuable benefit in the ability to retain health coverage at retirement. In order to retain FCPS health coverage as a retiree, you must first meet the following enrollment/tenure requirements:
| Date of Hire/Retirement* | Enrollment or Tenure Requirement |
| Actively employed as of 12/31/18 | Covered for 60 or more continuous months immediately prior to retirement -or- Employed with FCPS for 15 or more years in a benefits eligible position |
| Hired on or after 1/1/19 | Employed with FCPS for 15 or more years in a benefits eligible position |
*Individuals who were retired and covered by an FCPS medical or dental plan (or the DHO plan) on 12/31/18 meet the enrollment/tenure requirement.
In addition to the above criteria, a retiree must:
- Be covered by the FCPS health and/or dental plan immediately prior to retirement
- For example, if you are retiring on July 1, 2019, you must be covered under the FCPS medical and dental plan on June 30, 2019, to retain coverage as a retiree.
- Elect Medicare Parts A and B when first eligible. For most retirees that occurs at age 65, but may occur earlier due to disability.
- Meet the definition of ‘retiree’ (transition from active status to immediately drawing a pension check from one of the FCPS sponsored pension plans).
Refer to the Retiree Health Eligibility Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
FCPS Subsidies
If you are a retiree age 55 or older (or if you retire due to disability), FCPS provides a subsidy toward the cost of your medical coverage, thereby reducing the amount you must pay.
The subsidy schedules for VRS/ERFC and FCERS members can be found on page 7 in the Retiree Benefits Handbook. The subsidy is not available for dental coverage, nor is it available to surviving spouses/dependents of deceased retirees.
For more information, view the FCPS Medical Plan Subsidies webpage.
Health and Dental Coverage in Retirement
If you are eligible, you and your dependents may continue your participation in FCPS medical and dental plans. Visit the Insurance Benefits for Retirees webpage for more information about plan options that will best fit your unique situation.
Enrolling in Medicare
FCPS requires retirees and spouses who are eligible for Medicare to elect and maintain Medicare Parts A and B in order to maintain health coverage under an FCPS medical plan. This applies to retirees and spouses who will be turning age 65 as well as retirees or covered dependents who are eligible for Medicare due to disability. To learn more about Medicare and your FCPS health benefits, please review the Becoming Eligible for Medicare webpage.
Cancelling or Re-entering the FCPS Plan After Retirement
If you are eligible to retain coverage as a retiree, you may be eligible to drop coverage and re-enter the plan at a later date, provided that you are Medicare eligible and meet the established criteria (see below).
Retiree Re-entry Rights |
A covered retiree may drop FCPS coverage and re-enter the plan at a later date if all of the following criteria are met:
Retirees have only 1 re-entry right to the plan. |
Frequently Asked Questions about Retiree Re-entry Rights
If I drop my FCPS coverage at retirement, will I be eligible to receive a retiree subsidy?
The FCPS-funded health subsidy is provided only to retirees covered under the FCPS health plan. However, if you are receiving a retirement benefit from VRS, you may be eligible to continue to receive the VRS subsidy. Contact VRS regarding the health subsidy that is funded through their pension plan.
I am not covered by the FCPS health or dental plan, but I am eligible for Medicare. Can I reenter the plan now?
No. Current retirees must be covered by the FCPS plan (or DHO program) as of 12/31/18 in order to drop coverage and re-enter the plan when eligible for Medicare.
My spouse was not covered under my FCPS plan at the time of my retirement. Can I add my spouse to my coverage at a later date?
If you are currently covered under the FCPS plan as a retiree, you may add your spouse to your plan within 30 days of a qualifying event or during open enrollment.
If you retired on or after 1/1/19 and dropped your FCPS coverage at time of retirement, your spouse may re-enter the plan when you do if you are both eligible for Medicare. You must request re-entry within 30 days of loss of coverage (or during open enrollment) and each of you must show documentation of 12 or more months of continuous coverage.
Upon retirement, I will be taking a job with an employer who offers health insurance. Can I drop my FCPS coverage and come back into the plan at a later date?
Yes, if you meet the stated eligibility criteria. Remember, you cannot re-enter the plan until you are Medicare eligible, and you must document at least 12 or more months of continuous coverage under another plan.
I want to drop coverage and re-enter the plan when I become Medicare eligible, but my spouse will not be eligible for Medicare at that time. Can my spouse re-enter the plan when I do?
No – only those individuals who are eligible for Medicare will have re-entry rights. If you re-enter the plan upon becoming eligible for Medicare, your spouse can re-enter the plan within 30 days of becoming eligible for Medicare (or during Open Enrollment) as long as you continue to be covered under the FCPS plan.
Can I drop coverage but have my spouse remain on the FCPS plan?
No. You must be covered under the FCPS plan in order for your spouse to remain covered.
Why was the DHO program* eliminated?
Providing re-entry rights to eligible retirees serves the same purpose as the DHO program, so a separate program is no longer needed.
* The DHO program ended on December 31, 2018.
When I re-enter the plan, will I have to provide documents to show my spouse is eligible for coverage?
Yes. If you drop coverage and you and your spouse re-enter the plan later, you will need to provide an updated tax return to document your marital status in addition to documents showing that you and your spouse have been continuously covered by another plan for 12 or more consecutive months immediately prior to re-entry.