Retirement

Retirement for PSC-Represented Employees

Retirement Plan Enrollment Options

Pension Election (must be submitted to HR)

Teachers Retirement System of the City of New York (TRSNYC) Online Enrollment

Eligibility

Full-time Instructors must join either TRS or the Optional Retirement Program (ORP), which is currently offered by the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA). If they do not join the ORP within 30 days of their CUNY appointment, they would automatically become TRS members. Their membership would be effective as of their appointment date. They do not need to submit an enrollment request.

Adjunct instructors have the option of joining TRS. They may enroll at any time, and their membership would begin on the day that TRS receives their enrollment request.

TIAA Optional Retirement Program (ORP) Online Enrollment

Eligibility

Membership in the ORP is open to full-time Instructional Staff (Teaching and Non-Teaching, Classified Managerial, or Executive Compensation Plan employees). Full-time employees must join a retirement program. You must elect a Program within your first 30 days of employment; once you choose, your election may not be changed. New employees without pre-existing vested open plan retirement contracts from TIAA will receive accumulated university contributions to the Program once they have completed 366 days of service. (If you do not serve for at least 366 days, the university will not contribute to your account, and your own contributions will be refunded with interest.)

More Information

CUNY TIAA Plan Information and Enrollment Portal
ORP Access Code: CUNYORP
TDA Access Code: CUNYGSRA

Retirement Planning

Retiree Health Benefit Seminars

As you get ready to retire there are many things you need to consider with regard to your health benefits.  Understanding how your benefits will change in retirement is extremely important. The NYC Office of Labor Relations has designed seminars and videos to guide you through the steps involved in transitioning your health benefits from employee to retiree status.

For those with limited time available during the day, OLR has created a two-part video which also addresses these issues.  Please click on the links below to view:

CUNY Retirement Planning

The CUNY University Benefits Office conducts pre-retirement seminars that include a timeline and links to pertinent websites. You may find the respective presentations and resources below.

 Health and Welfare Fund Seminars

Other Resources

Phased Retirement

The voluntary Phased Retirement Program is available for eligible members of the Professional Staff Congress (PSC), Teaching, non-Teaching Instructional Staff and College Laboratory Technicians.

Apply for Travia Leave (Retirement Leave of Absence)

The retirement leave form must be filled out and submitted to the Office of Human Resources to indicate your last day of work. Please discuss your intent to retire and the intended date of your departure with your department. Once the form is completed and submitted, our office will calculate your leave balances and provide additional paperwork to guide you through the retirement process.

Retiree Benefits

Medicare Part A & B Enrollment: If you are over age 65, you will be eligible for Medicare Part A and B upon retirement, you may apply for Medicare Part A and B by visiting the Social Security Administration (SSA) website or office nearest to you. SSA will require that both you and your employer complete a form, therefore, please notify the Office of Human Resources in advance, so that we may provide you with the completed employer portion.  Once you have received your Medicare Part B cards, please forward a copy to our office.  If you elect to enroll in retiree health benefits, upon retirement, Medicare will become your primary and cover 80% of your health expenses.

Retiree City Health Benefits: Refer to the retiree health plan rate sheet for all available plans and their costs. The plan summary and contact information for each of the plans are found here. Please complete the Retiree Health Benefits Application and return it to the Office of Human Resources along with your Medicare cards within 30 days prior to the official retirement date.

Medicare Part B Premium Reimbursement: You may also receive reimbursement of your standard Medicare Part B premium payments, which are automatically deducted from your pension check. If you have to pay Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA), which is determined by Medicare, you may receive reimbursement. Any premiums paid above the standard amount should be submitted using the Medicare Part B reimbursement application for TIAA members, or Notice of Medicare Part B application for TRS/NYCERS members.

PSC Welfare Fund Benefits: PSC CUNY will provide supplemental benefits coverage, which includes prescription coverage that is comparable to Medicare Part D; therefore, you will not be required to enroll in Medicare Part D. Please complete the PSC CUNY Retiree form, SilverScript application, and return it to the Office of Human Resources along with your Medicare Part A and B cards. Please submit a separate SilverScript application with the respective Medicare cards if you are enrolling your spouse.

TRS Pension Check:  As a member of the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), you will be required to obtain a retirement certificate from the pension system. Once the certificate is obtained, a copy must be submitted to the Office of Human Resources for processing. Your retirement and health benefits cannot be processed without this document. Contact TRS at (888) 869-2877, schedule a one-on-one Zoom call, or email  A%73%6bTR%53NYC@trs.nyc .%6ey.us" rel="nofollow"> AskTRSNYC@trs.nyc.ny.us

TIAA Retirement payment: Additionally, as a member of the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) managed by TIAA, you are required to set-up a Lifetime Income Annuity with TIAA, which will generate a monthly income. Therefore, you must schedule a meeting with a TIAA representative to review your pension and set-up the required Lifetime Income Annuity Fund. The TIAA Representatives assigned to our campus is  Christian.Hawkinson@tiaa.org . You may also call TIAA directly at this number 1-866-277-7957 for more representatives.

Social Security retirement benefits: Please be advised, you can start receiving your Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62, more information can be obtained from your local Social Security Administration.

Once you are retired, your benefits information will be handled and processed by the Office of Labor Relations (OLR) You may also choose to email the University Benefits Office at  universitybenefits.retiree@cuny.edu  

If you move after you retire, please contact the following:

  • NYC OLR Retiree Division. You may contact the NYC OLR at 212.513.0470, email  healthbenefits@olr.nyc.gov , or you may write to: NYC Office of Labor Relations, Retiree Division, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10006. Note you must include your pension number on all correspondence
  • Your union and/or welfare fund
  • Your pension plan

Retirement for Classified and Skilled Trades Staff

Retirement Plan Enrollment: NYCERS

Eligibility

All full-time Classified Staff are required to join the New York City Employees’ Retirement System six months after gaining permanent status. Those in provisional status may elect to join earlier.

Non-permanent employees, such as College Assistants and Continuing Education Teachers, are free to join NYCERS; they will not be forced in after six months. As long as such employees are active on payroll and file a membership application with NYCERS, membership can be established.

Forms

More Information

Pre-Retirement Planning

Retiree Health Benefit Seminars

As you get ready to retire there are many things you need to consider with regard to your health benefits.  Understanding how your benefits will change in retirement is extremely important. The NYC Office of Labor Relations has designed seminars and videos to guide you through the steps involved in transitioning your health benefits from employee to retiree status.

For those with limited time available during the day, OLR has created a two-part video which also addresses these issues.  Please click on the links below to view:

CUNY Retirement Planning

The CUNY University Benefits Office conducts pre-retirement seminars that include a timeline and links to pertinent websites. You may find the respective presentations and resources below.

 Health and Welfare Fund Seminars

Other Resources

Apply for Retirement Leave

The retirement leave form must be filled out and submitted to the Office of Human Resources to indicate your last day of work. Please discuss your intent to retire and the intended date of your departure with your department. Once the form is completed and submitted, our office will calculate your leave balances and provide additional paperwork to guide you through the retirement process.

Retiree Health Benefits

Medicare Part A & B Enrollment: If you are over age 65, you will be eligible for Medicare Part A and B upon retirement, you may apply for Medicare Part A and B by visiting the Social Security Administration (SSA) website or office nearest to you. SSA will require that both you and your employer complete a form, therefore, please notify the Office of Human Resources in advance, so that we may provide you with the completed employer portion.  Once you have received your Medicare Part B cards, please forward a copy to our office.  If you elect to enroll in retiree health benefits, upon retirement, Medicare will become your primary and cover 80% of your health expenses.

Retiree City Health Benefits: Refer to the retiree health plan rate sheet for all available plans and their costs. The plan summary and contact information for each of the plans are found here. Please complete the Retiree Health Benefits Application and return it to the Office of Human Resources along with your Medicare cards within 30 days prior to the official retirement date.

Medicare Part B Premium Reimbursement: You may also receive reimbursement of your standard Medicare Part B premium payments, which are automatically deducted from your pension check. If you have to pay Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA), which is determined by Medicare, you may receive reimbursement. Any premiums paid above the standard amount should be submitted using the Medicare Part B reimbursement application for TIAA members, or Notice of Medicare Part B application for TRS/NYCERS members.

For DC-37 members: Supplemental Benefits: DC-37 will provide supplemental benefits coverage, which includes prescription coverage that is comparable to Medicare Part D; therefore, you will not be required to enroll in Medicare Part D. Please email DC-37 at:  eeu@dc37.net  and submit a copy of the Health Benefits Application with your first retirement check.

NYCERS Pension Check: As a member of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS), you will be required to obtain a retirement certificate from the pension system. Once the certificate is obtained, a copy must be submitted to the Office of Human Resources for processing. You may begin the process online at www.nycers.org, via the MYNYCERS app, or contact (347) 643-3000. Your health benefits cannot be processed without this form.

Once you are retired, your benefits information will be handled and processed by the Office of Labor Relations (OLR) You may also choose to  universitybenefits.retiree@cuny.edu .

If you move after you retire, please contact the following:

  • NYC OLR Retiree Division. You may contact the NYC OLR at 212.513.0470, email  healthbenefits@olr.nyc.gov , or you may write to: NYC Office of Labor Relations, Retiree Division, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10006. Note you must include your pension number on all correspondence
  • Your union and/or welfare fund
  • Your pension plan
Future
Voluntary Saving Plans

Office of Human Resources - Benefits
The City College of New York
Shepard Hall, RM 92
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031

Email: benefits@ccny.cuny.edu
Phone: 1-212-650-7796
Fax: 1-212-650-7504

Last Updated: 12/20/2024 15:48