State Employee Question (health insurance, student loan, how much)

[kelly237]

From what I have heard....

In order to get paid health insurance after 5 years your first hire date is supposed to be before 2006 . Does this mean if I taught one year way back and then stayed home to raise a family ,that I could return to teaching 4 years and get this benefit?? What exactly does "first hire date" mean?

[RDSLOTS]

First hire date should be exactly what it says -- the date upon which you became an employee for the NC public schools. I am not sure how a break in service like what you describe might affect it. Call the HR office for your area's schools. One of the benefits people should easily be able to answer the question for you, or check the State's benefits online.

I had no idea they had changed that. Wow, five years. Guess Health INS is more expensive than what I even realized. For years, I have paid to cover my husband and child with the Family Plan, but I could have the State cover me at no cost, or with a much lower premium if I wanted to just cover myself on a Plus Plan.

[ncitgal]

RDS, I think what OP is referring to is the health ins. retirement benefits. You still get health insurance when you start, but prior to 2006, with 5 yrs of service, you would get fully covered health ins. in retirement. Now you have to have 20 yrs of service.

OP, I think you are right...as long as you worked here prior to that date, you should be able to pick up where you left off..but I would call.

[kelly237]

Originally Posted by ncitgal

RDS, I think what OP is referring to is the health ins. retirement benefits. You still get health insurance when you start, but prior to 2006, with 5 yrs of service, you would get fully covered health ins. in retirement. Now you have to have 20 yrs of service.

OP, I think you are right...as long as you worked here prior to that date, you should be able to pick up where you left off..but I would call.

Yes.. my post was unclear.. I did mean paid heath insurance
after retirement.

If they allow that break like I had..that would be a huge help to our
retirement plan. My kids are leaving for college and I was going to
work anyway til we can afford to retire.

I will post after I get an official answer.


Update: just called the HR at the WCPSS . She said if I withdrew my retirement $ after that first year I could not
have the benefit but If I left it I could . I wish I had known that way back .... I did withdraw it to help pay for
graduate school.

[Francois]

Update: just called the HR at the WCPSS . She said if I withdrew my retirement $ after that first year I could not
have the benefit but If I left it I could . I wish I had known that way back .... I did withdraw it to help pay for
graduate school.

Oh, bummer--yep, once you withdraw your money, you've effectively "erased" your prior service

[kelly237]

Originally Posted by Francois

Oh, bummer--yep, once you withdraw your money, you've effectively "erased" your prior service

Update...just talked with lady at NC Dept of State Treasurer and she found the small print that says I would be grandfathered in even
though I withdrew the retirement. I still need 5 more years because the 1 year I worked does not count as part of the 5 but the great thing is
the grandfathered part.

My motto is "if you don't like the answer you get..ask someone else!!"
Pays off!!

[LRoyal10900]

Originally Posted by kelly237

Update...just talked with lady at NC Dept of State Treasurer and she found the small print that says I would be grandfathered in even
though I withdrew the retirement. I still need 5 more years because the 1 year I worked does not count as part of the 5 but the great thing is
the grandfathered part.

My motto is "if you don't like the answer you get..ask someone else!!"
Pays off!!

You can "buy" that year back by putting back the amount you withdrew plus penalties.

[kelly237]

Originally Posted by LRoyal10900

You can "buy" that year back by putting back the amount you withdrew plus penalties.

That is great news. It was only about 2 K if I recall but at the time
I needed it for graduate school .
....of course now I see that a small student loan would have been smarter.
I will check on the amount and penalties.
Thanks

[Francois]

You can "buy" that year back by putting back the amount you withdrew plus penalties.

If so, THE SOONER THE BETTER! The cost of buying back prior service with the state (such as yours, or in my case, I had been a temp for a year before becoming a "real" state employee) goes up, the longer you wait. (I imagine they base it on your salary at the time you buy it, not tat the time you earned it) I enquired the very DAY I hit my 5-year anniversary and it would cost me a lot more to have waited; I knew someone once who had something like 3 years of prior service (or out-of-state govt service) she could have bought back and retired on the spot, but she had waited so long, it was enormously expensive to do so, so she just worked out her time.

[kelly237]

Originally Posted by Francois

If so, THE SOONER THE BETTER! The cost of buying back prior service with the state (such as yours, or in my case, I had been a temp for a year before becoming a "real" state employee) goes up, the longer you wait. (I imagine they base it on your salary at the time you buy it, not tat the time you earned it) I enquired the very DAY I hit my 5-year anniversary and it would cost me a lot more to have waited; I knew someone once who had something like 3 years of prior service (or out-of-state govt service) she could have bought back and retired on the spot, but she had waited so long, it was enormously expensive to do so, so she just worked out her time.

From what I have read I will have to work 5 years before being able to buy back that year. How much difference would that year make ??
At first I thought buying it back would mean heath insurance in retirement after 4 more years. Do you have to be any certain age to receive the
benefits or is it just when you decide to retire.