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When Should You Contact Your Agency Health Benefits Administrator?

Contact your HBA within 7 days of life-changing events to best avoid delays in coverage and retro charges in your paycheck! NYSHIP General Information Book (GIB)

When You Must Contact Your HBA

You are responsible for letting your HBA know of any changes that may affect your NYSHIP coverage. To keep your enrollment up to date, you must notify your HBA in writing in the following situations:

• Your mailing address or your home address changes. 
• Your phone number changes.
• Your name changes.

Your family unit changes. (See Dependent Eligibility, page 6, and First date of eligibility, page 13, of GIB
for details.)

• You want to add or remove a covered dependent or change your type of coverage (Individual/Family).
• Your covered dependent loses eligibility.
• Your covered dependent child becomes disabled.
• You get divorced (a copy of the divorce decree must be submitted).
• The enrollee or a dependent dies (a copy of the death certificate must be submitted).

Your employment status is changing.

• You are planning to retire. 
• You are going on leave without pay or Family and Medical Leave. 
• You are leaving employment prior to retirement. 
• You are affected by layoff. 
• You are returning to work for the same employer that provides your NYSHIP benefits as a retiree. 
• You are awarded a disability retirement.

Your Medicare status is changing.

• You or a covered dependent becomes eligible for primary Medicare benefits (see Medicare and NYSHIP, page 36). 
• You or a covered dependent loses eligibility for primary Medicare benefits (see Medicare and NYSHIP, page 36).

Other reasons to contact your HBA

• You need to order a replacement or additional Empire Plan card. (HMO enrollees must contact their HMO to order benefit cards.) 
• You have questions about the amount of your premium or your bill for NYSHIP coverage. 
• You want to cancel or reinstate your coverage. 
• You have questions about the Pre-Tax Contribution Program (see Pre-Tax Contribution Program [PTCP], page 16). 
• You have questions about the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act (COBRA) continuation of coverage (see page 42) or Young Adult Option coverage (see page 46).

SUNY Canton's Health Benefits Administrator:

Tina Flanagan, Benefits Coordinator
315-386-7868
flanagant@canton.edu