(1) For purposes of determining eligibility for any coverage | 18 |
provided under this section, a member with a retirement effective | 19 |
date on or after January 1, 2015, who has attained age sixty with | 20 |
fifteen or more years but less than twenty years of service credit | 21 |
on January 1, 2015, shall be treated as having a retirement | 22 |
effective date on or before December 1, 2014; | 23 |
(B) The board may enter into agreements with insurance | 28 |
companies, health insuring corporations, or government agencies | 29 |
authorized to do business in the state for issuance of a policy or | 30 |
contract of health, medical, hospital, or surgical benefits, or | 31 |
any combination thereof, for eligible individuals receiving age | 32 |
and service retirement or a disability or survivor benefit | 33 |
subscribing to the plan, or for PERS retirants employed under | 34 |
section 145.38 of the Revised Code, for coverage of benefits in | 35 |
accordance with division (C)(2) of section 145.38 of the Revised | 36 |
Code. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the | 37 |
policy or contract may also include coverage for any eligible | 38 |
individual's spouse and dependent children and for any of the | 39 |
eligible individual's sponsored dependents as the board determines | 40 |
appropriate. If all or any portion of the policy or contract | 41 |
premium is to be paid by any individual receiving age and service | 42 |
retirement or a disability or survivor benefit, the individual | 43 |
shall, by written authorization, instruct the board to deduct the | 44 |
premium agreed to be paid by the individual to the company, | 45 |
corporation, or agency. | 46 |
The board may contract for coverage on the basis of part or | 47 |
all of the cost of the coverage to be paid from appropriate funds | 48 |
of the public employees retirement system. The cost paid from the | 49 |
funds of the system shall be included in the employer's | 50 |
contribution rate provided by sections 145.48 and 145.51 of the | 51 |
Revised Code. The board may by rule provide coverage to | 52 |
individuals who are not eligible under the rules adopted under | 53 |
division (A) of this section if the coverage is provided at no | 54 |
cost to the retirement system. The board shall not pay or | 55 |
reimburse the cost for coverage under this section or section | 56 |
145.584 of the Revised Code for any such individual. | 57 |
(C) The board shall, beginning the month following receipt of | 63 |
satisfactory evidence of the payment for coverage, pay monthly to | 64 |
each recipient of service retirement, or a disability or survivor | 65 |
benefit under the public employees retirement system who is | 66 |
eligible for coverage under part B of the medicare program | 67 |
established under Title XVIII of "The Social Security Act | 68 |
Amendments of 1965," 79 Stat. 301 (1965), 42 U.S.C.A. 1395j, as | 69 |
amended, an amount determined by the board for such coverage, | 70 |
except that the board shall make no such payment to any individual | 71 |
who is not eligible for coverage under the rules adopted under | 72 |
division (A) of this section or pay an amount that exceeds the | 73 |
amount paid by the recipient for the coverage. | 74 |
(D) The board shall establish by rule requirements for the | 78 |
coordination of any coverage, payment, or benefit provided under | 79 |
this section or section 145.584 of the Revised Code with any | 80 |
similar coverage, payment, or benefit made available to the same | 81 |
individual by the Ohio police and fire pension fund, state | 82 |
teachers retirement system, school employees retirement system, or | 83 |
state highway patrol retirement system. | 84 |
Section 3. This act is hereby declared to be an emergency | 89 |
measure necessary for the immediate preservation of the public | 90 |
peace, health, and safety. The reason for such necessity is that | 91 |
immediate action is needed to ensure that Public Employees | 92 |
Retirement System members retiring on or after January 1, 2015, | 93 |
who are treated under the act as retiring on or before December 1, | 94 |
2014, qualify for any retiree health care coverage provided by the | 95 |
Retirement System. Therefore, this act shall go into immediate | 96 |
effect. | 97 |