Back to Benefits

Planning to Retire?

Considering Retirement?

If you’re thinking about retirement, congratulations on reaching this important milestone. We appreciate your years of dedicated service and wish you health and happiness in your next chapter—whether that includes travel, new opportunities, or more time with family.

Thank you for your years of service

To ensure a smooth transition, it is essential that you:

  • Review your contract carefully

  • Read all materials provided by the District

  • Contact your retirement system, the District, and your Union with any questions

Understanding the steps, requirements, and timeline will help you be fully prepared for retirement.

Important Notice (BTF & BCSA Members Only)

You must have a 403(b) account established for your retirement termination pay.
This is a contractual requirement—termination pay cannot be issued in any other form.

Download a helpful checklist here that highlights important steps to take and topics to consider as you move through the retirement process.

Please note the following contractual deadlines:

  1. BTF 60-day notice - for retirement effective 6/27/26, your letter must be received in HR by 4/28/26

  2. BCSA 90-day notice - for 6/27/26 retirement, your letter must be received by 3/29/26; for 8/29/26 retirement, your letter must be received by 5/31/2026

  3. PCTEA 30-day courtesy notice - for 6/27/26 retirement, letter received by 5/28/26; for 8/1/26 retirement, letter received by 7/2/26

Please note that although these deadlines are contractual, we do ask that if you are Medicare eligible at time of retirement, you notify us the district sooner. Effective January 6, 2025, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will require all customers to schedule an appointment for service in SSA field offices, including requests for Social Security cards. ALL members of the public coming into a SSA field office will require an appointment. This process used to take 45 - 60 days to complete, however, it is now taking 75 - 90 days. If you are Medicare eligible at time of retirement, in order to be enrolled in retiree health care, you MUST be enrolled in Medicare. Please see the link here for "When to sign up for Medicare"

Once you have determined your official retirement date with the NYS Retirement System, you must notify Human Resources.  The retirement system is a separate entity of the District, they will not forward a retirement letter, that is your responsibility.

Use the electronic forms below or email your retirement notice letter, specifying your date of retirement. Any further copies you send are informational only for other recipients.

Retirement Forms

Next Steps

  1. Once your Years of Service (YOS) are verified by the Wages and Salary Office, a copy of your verification will be sent to the Benefits Office. After verification, a customized Retirement Packet will be mailed to you. This packet outlines the steps required to enroll in retiree benefits.
    Please note: the packet cannot be sent until your YOS has been confirmed. It is important to read all materials in your packet carefully, as they contain critical information about your benefits.

  2. Additional Information

    Refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document for details on:

    • Dental and Vision Benefits

    • Effective Dates

    • Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

    • Life Insurance & Pre-Deceased Dependents

    • Medicare Parts A & B

    • Waiver Program

Important Reminders

  • Review the comparison charts to help guide your benefit decisions

  • Each union has different eligibility requirements for lifetime retiree health insurance

  • If enrolling in a Family Plan, review all information related to dependent and spouse coverage carefully

BCSA

Yrs. Required

Quarterly Contributions*

 17 Years - All with BBOE

Administrators hired by the District after July 1, 2023, are not eligible for health insurance in retirement.

 Effective 07/01/2019

Retiree contributions are the same percentage of the premium as when active.

Employees hired after July 1, 2023, shall have the option, at their discretion, of purchasing a District Health Insurance Plan by utilizing any early retirement incentive monies and the amount obtained by selling back up to 120 sick days at the ratio of 1 for 1 (1:1) to pay for district-sponsored group health insurance at 100% of the cost to the employee.

Effective 9/20/17, when a member and/or their dependents, including spouses, becomes Medicare eligible, the individual must enroll in the Forever Blue Advantage Plan. If the retiree or a family member is not yet eligible, they remain in the existing plan. Contributions continue.

For individuals who will be enrolling in a Family Plan at time of retirement, it is important that you prepare you spouse or dependent that if you predecease your spouse, they will lose coverage the last day of the month.

BTF

Yrs. Required

Quarterly Contributions*

 15 Years - All with BBOE

Teachers hired by the District after June 30, 2026, are not eligible for health insurance in retirement.

 Effective 07/01/2025

Single: $237.50

Family: $512.50

Teachers that are hired after June 30, 2026 and therefore ineligible for retiree healthcare shall be able to use monies contractually provided to a teacher for "selling back sick days" and/or early retirement incentive towards the cost of healthcare premiums in retirement.

For individuals who will be enrolling in a Family Plan at time of retirement, it is important that you prepare you spouse or dependent that if you predecease your spouse, they will lose coverage the last day of the month.

Local 264 (Service Center and Cook Managers)

Yrs. Required

Quarterly Contributions*

Hired Prior to 1/1/03: 15 Years (City & BMHA counts)

Hired After1/1/03: 15 Years -  All with BBOE

Cook Managers Hired after July 1, 2020, and Service Center employees hired after October 1, 2021, are not eligible for health insurance in retirement.

Single:  $100.00

Family: $175.00

*When a member, and/or their dependents, including spouses, becomes Medicare eligible, the individual must enroll in the Forever Blue Advantage Plan.   

Cook Manager retirees who retire on or before July 1, 2021, and Service Center retirees who retire on or before July 1, 2023 are not required to contribute toward the Forever Blue Advantage Plan. 

Cook Manager retirees that retire after July 1, 2021 (who are eligible for retiree health care) and Service Center retirees that retire after July 1, 2023 (who are eligible for retiree health care) will be required to contribute $200 per year per participant toward the Forever Blue Advantage Plan. 

If the retiree or a family member is not yet eligible, they remain in the existing plan and the retiree will be responsible for the applicable contribution.

For individuals who will be enrolling in a Family Plan at time of retirement, it is important that you prepare you spouse or dependent that if you predecease your spouse, they will lose coverage the last day of the month.

Local 409

Yrs. Required

Quarterly Contributions

17 Years 

Hired Prior to 6/30/03 - 10 of 17 years with BBOE

Hired After 6/30/03 - All 17 years with BBOE

Any unit member who is hired on or after July 1, 2023, is not eligible for retiree health care.

Members shall contribute 15% toward the premium equivalent.

Upon eligibility Retirees and any dependent(s) are required to enroll in Medicare A and B and transfer to the district's Medicare Advantage Plan (eligibility is age 65 or upon disability).

For individuals who will be enrolling in a Family Plan at time of retirement, it is important that you prepare you spouse or dependent that if you predecease your spouse, they will lose coverage the last day of the month.

PCTEA

Yrs. Required

Quarterly Contributions*

 Hired Prior to 7/1/98: 10 Years (City counts)

Hired After 7/1/98: 15 Years (City counts)

Newly hired employees hired into a position covered by the PCTEA contract for the first time after July 1, 2020, are not eligible for health insurance in retirement unless their immediate employment is from a bargaining unit associated with BPS or COB/Agency/Authority that has retiree benefits at their time of hire.

Less than Grade 15
Single:  $100.00
Family: $175.00

Grade 15 or Higher
Single:  $150.00
Family: $250.00

Employees hired after July 1, 2020, shall have the option, at their discretion, of purchasing a District Health Insurance Plan by utilizing the amount obtained by cashing out all of his/her sick days at the ratio of 1 for 2 (1:2) to pay for District health insurance at 100% of the cost to the employee.

*When a member becomes Medicare eligible, the individual must enroll in the Forever Blue Plan. 

PCTEA members who retire on or before July 1, 2021 are not required to contribute toward the Forever Blue Advantage Plan. 

PCTEA Member retirees that retire after July 1, 2021 (who are eligible for retiree health care) will be required to contribute $200 per year per participant toward the Forever Blue Advantage Plan. 

If the retiree or a family member is not yet eligible, they remain in the existing plan and the retiree will be responsible for the applicable contribution.

For individuals who will be enrolling in a Family Plan at time of retirement, it is important that you prepare you spouse or dependent that if you predecease your spouse, they will lose coverage the last day of the month.

BEST

Yrs. Required

Quarterly Contributions*

13 years of Active service with BBOE

Newly hired employees hired into a position covered by the BEST contract for the first time after July 1, 2021, are not eligible for health insurance in retirement. 

Single:  $75.00

Family: $150.00

*When a member, and/or their dependents, including spouses, becomes Medicare eligible, the individual must enroll in the Medicare Advantage Plan. 

If the retiree or a family member is not yet eligible, they remain in the existing plan and the retiree will be responsible for the applicable contribution.

For individuals who will be enrolling in a Family Plan at time of retirement, it is important that you prepare you spouse or dependent that if you predecease your spouse, they will lose coverage the last day of the month.