§ 479. Group insurance

(a) As provided under section 631 of this title, a member who is insured by the respective group insurance plans immediately preceding the member's effective date of retirement shall be entitled to continuation of group insurance as follows:

(1)(A) coverage in the group medical benefit plan provided by the State of Vermont for active State employees; or

(B) for a Group F plan member first included in the membership of the system on or after July 1, 2008, coverage in the group medical benefit plan offered by the State of Vermont for active State employees and pursuant to the following, provided:

(i) a member who has completed five years and less than 10 years of creditable service at his or her retirement shall pay the full cost of the premium;

(ii) a member who has completed 10 years and less than 15 years of creditable service at his or her retirement shall pay 60 percent of the cost of the premium;

(iii) a member who has completed 15 years and less than 20 years of creditable service at his or her retirement shall pay 40 percent of the cost of the premium;

(iv) a member who has completed 20 years or more of creditable service at his or her retirement shall pay 20 percent of the cost of the premium; and

(2) members who have completed 20 years of creditable service at their effective date of retirement shall be entitled to the continuation of life insurance in the amount of $10,000.00.

(b) As of July 1, 2007, members of the Group C plan who separate from service prior to being eligible for retirement benefits under this chapter, who have at least 20 years of creditable service, and who participated in the group medical benefit plan at the time of separation from service shall have a one-time option at the time retirement benefits commence to participate in the group medical benefit plan provided by the State of Vermont for active State employees. Premiums for the plan shall be prorated between the retired member and the Retirement System pursuant to section 631 of this title.

(c) Premiums for coverage of retired members of the Group C plan and their dependents in the group medical benefit plan shall be prorated on the same basis as is provided for active employees by the current collective bargaining agreement for the nonmanagement unit. The amounts designated as the State's share of premium for the medical benefit plan and the total premium for group life insurance provided under subdivision (a)(2) of this section shall be paid by the Fund as an operating expense in accordance with subsection 473(d) of this title.

(d) After January 1, 2007, the State Treasurer may offer and administer a dental benefit plan for retired members, beneficiaries, eligible dependents, and eligible retirees of special affiliated groups and the dependents of members of those groups who are eligible for coverage in the State Employee Group Medical Benefit Plan. The Plan shall be separate and apart from any dental benefit plan offered to Vermont State employees. The original plan of benefits, and any changes thereto, shall be determined by the State Treasurer with due consideration of recommendations from the Retired Employees' Committee on Insurance established in section 636 of this title.

(1) For purposes of dental benefits, "retired members" shall include retired employees of the State who are receiving a retirement allowance from the Vermont State Retirement System. In addition, "retired members" shall include retired employees who are receiving a retirement allowance based upon their employment with the Vermont State Employees' Association, the Vermont State Employees' Credit Union, and the Vermont Council on the Arts, as long as they were covered under a group dental plan as active employees on their retirement date, and:

(A) they have at least 20 years' service with that employer; or

(B) have attained 62 years of age, and have at least 15 years' service with that employer.

(2) One hundred percent of the premiums for providing dental benefit coverage to retired members, beneficiaries, and eligible dependents shall be paid in full by retired members and beneficiaries and shall be deducted from each member's retirement allowance each month. Nothing in this subdivision creates a legal obligation on the part of the State to pay any portion of the premiums required to provide dental benefit coverage to retired members, dependents, beneficiaries, or other eligible participants.

(3) Dependent eligibility shall be determined in the manner applied to determinations for coverage in the State Employee Medical Benefit Plan.

(4) [Repealed.]

(e) As of January 1, 2007, and thereafter, upon retirement, members entitled to prorated group medical benefit plan premium payments from the Retirement System under the terms of this section shall have a one-time option to reduce the percentage of premium payments from the Retirement System during the member's life, with the provision that the Fund shall continue making an equal percentage of premium payments after the member's death for the life of the dependent beneficiary nominated by the member under section 468 of this title, should such dependent beneficiary survive the member. The Retirement Board, after consultation with its actuary, shall establish reduced premium payment percentages that are as cost neutral to the Fund as possible.

(f) [Repealed.]

(g) A member of the Group F plan who is first included in the membership of the System on or after July 1, 2008, who separates from service prior to being eligible for retirement benefits under this chapter, who has at least 20 years of creditable service, and who participated in the group medical benefit plan at the time of separation from service shall have a one-time option at the time retirement benefits commence to reinstate the same level of coverage, in the group medical benefit plan provided by the State of Vermont for active State employees, that existed at the date of separation from service. Premiums for the plan shall be prorated between the retired member and the Retirement System pursuant to subsection 479(a) of this title.

(h) For purposes of entitlement to medical benefits in retirement, former county court employees hired by the counties to court positions on or before June 30, 2008 who became State employees on February 1, 2011 pursuant to 2010 Acts and Resolves No. 154 shall be deemed to have been first included in membership of the system on or before June 30, 2008. (Added 1981, No. 249 (Adj. Sess.), § 30b, eff. July 4, 1982; amended 2003, No. 156 (Adj. Sess.), § 13; 2005, No. 163 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; 2005, No. 165 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 2007, No. 12, § 2; 2007, No. 13, § 15a; 2007, No. 116 (Adj. Sess.), § 6; 2011, No.1, § 1, eff. Feb. 2, 2011; 2013, No. 22, § 5; 2015, No. 18, § 4; 2017, No. 165 (Adj. Sess.), § 6.)