2016 Kentucky Revised Statutes CHAPTER 21 - JUDICIAL RETIREMENT .427 Health insurance and benefits for recipients -- Premium reimbursement plan -- Coordination with all state-administered retirement systems or plans.
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21.427 Health insurance and benefits for recipients -- Premium reimbursement
plan -- Coordination with all state-administered retirement systems or plans.
(1)
(a)
(b)
(2)
(a)
(b)
The board of trustees of the Judicial Form Retirement System shall arrange by
appropriate contract or on a self-insured basis for a group hospital and medical
insurance plan for recipients of a retirement allowance from the Judicial
Retirement Plan, and their dependents. For recipients, or dependents, eligible
for Medicare coverage, the board shall provide Medicare supplement hospital
and medical insurance coverage. For recipients, or dependents, not eligible for
Medicare coverage, the board shall provide hospital and medical insurance
coverage comparable to that provided under the major state employees' group
insurance, and the board may arrange for the recipients to be included in the
major state employees group. For recipients of a retirement allowance who are
not eligible for the same level of hospital and medical benefits as recipients
living in Kentucky, the board shall provide a medical insurance premium
reimbursement plan as described in subsection (3) of this section.
For the purpose of this section, the "dependent" of a recipient means the
spouse or minor children, or both, of a recipient who is a living former
member of the Judicial Retirement Plan, or the minor children of a deceased
former member whose surviving spouse is the recipient.
Depending upon the number of months of service credit upon which the
retirement allowance was based, and upon there having been at least fortyeight (48) months of judicial service, all or a portion of the premium required
to provide hospital and medical benefits under this section shall be paid from
the judicial retirement fund, as follows:
Months of Judicial Service
Percentage of Premium
240 or more
100%
180 to 239, inclusive
75%
120 to 179, inclusive
50%
48 to 119, inclusive
25%
This paragraph shall not apply to members who begin participating in the
Judicial Retirement Plan on or after January 1, 2014.
For members who begin participating in the Judicial Retirement Plan on or
after January 1, 2014:
1.
Participation in the health insurance coverage and benefits provided
under this section shall not be allowed until the member has earned at
least one hundred eighty (180) months of service credited under KRS
21.345 to 21.580 or another state-administered retirement system.
2.
A member who meets the minimum service requirements as provided by
subparagraph 1. of this paragraph shall be eligible for a monthly
insurance benefit upon retirement of ten dollars ($10) for each year of
service as a participating member of the Judicial Retirement Plan.
3.
The minimum service required to participate in benefits as provided by
subparagraph 1. of this subparagraph shall be waived for a member who
(c)
(d)
is disabled in the line of duty as defined in KRS 61.621, and the member
shall be entitled to the health benefits payable under this subsection as
though the member has twenty (20) years of service in the Judicial
Retirement Plan.
4.
The minimum service required to participate in benefits as provided by
subparagraph 1. of this subparagraph shall be waived for a member who
is killed in the line of duty as described in KRS 61.621, and the
member's spouse and eligible dependents shall be entitled to the health
benefits the member would have received if he or she had retired with
twenty (20) years of service in the Judicial Retirement Plan.
5.
The monthly insurance benefit amount provided by this paragraph shall
be increased July 1 of each year by one and one-half percent (1.5%). The
increase shall be cumulative and shall continue to accrue after the
member's retirement for as long as a monthly insurance benefit is
payable to the retired member.
6.
Under no circumstances shall the cost of coverage be paid for the
spouse, dependents, or beneficiaries of a member who began
participating in the Judicial Retirement Plan on or after January 1, 2014,
except as provided by subparagraph 4. of this paragraph.
The health insurance payments provided by this subsection shall be made by
the fund only if the recipient agrees to pay the remaining, if any, amount of the
premium by deduction from his retirement allowance or by another method
equally insuring the payment by him.
Notwithstanding any other statute to the contrary, any member with the
minimum number of months of judicial service required by paragraph (a) or
(b) of this subsection who is also eligible for benefits, or who is receiving
benefits from any retirement plan or system administered by the
Commonwealth shall be entitled to hospital and medical benefits as described
in paragraph (a) of this subsection except that the number of months of service
credit used in calculating the level of benefits shall be the sum of service
credited to the member in all the state-administered retirement systems or
plans.
1.
Upon request of the member, the Judicial Retirement System shall
compute the member's combined service in all the state-administered
retirement systems or plans and calculate the portion of the member's
premium to be paid by the Judicial Retirement Plan, according to the
criteria established in paragraph (a) of this subsection. For members who
begin participating in the Judicial Retirement Plan prior to January 1,
2014, the state-administered retirement systems or plans shall pay to the
Judicial Retirement Plan the applicable percentage of the plan's cost of
the retiree's hospital and medical premium which shall be equal to the
percentage of the member's number of months of service in the
applicable state-administered retirement systems or plans divided by his
total combined service. The amounts paid by all the state-administered
(3)
(4)
retirement systems or plans shall not be more than one hundred percent
(100%) of the premium amount adopted by the respective boards of
trustees.
2.
A member who elects hospital and medical benefits under this
subsection shall lose any claim to insurance benefits under any of the
other state-administered retirement systems or plans.
The board shall establish a medical insurance premium reimbursement plan for
recipients of a retirement allowance who are not eligible for the same level of
hospital and medical benefits as recipients living in Kentucky having the same
Medicare hospital and medical insurance eligibility status. An eligible recipient
shall file proof of payment for hospital and medical insurance premiums at the
retirement office. Reimbursement to eligible recipients shall be made on a quarterly
basis. The recipient shall be eligible for reimbursement of substantiated medical
insurance premiums for an amount not to exceed the total monthly contribution
determined by the board of trustees. The plan shall not be made available if all
recipients are eligible for the same level of coverage as recipients living in
Kentucky.
Premiums paid for hospital and medical insurance procured under this section shall
be exempt from any premium tax which might otherwise be required under KRS
Chapter 136. The payment of premiums by the judicial retirement fund shall not
constitute income to the recipient. No commission shall be paid for hospital and
medical insurance procured under this section.
Effective: July 15, 2016
History: Amended 2016 Ky. Acts ch. 12, sec. 9, effective July 15, 2016. -- Amended
2013 Ky. Acts ch. 120, sec. 29, effective July 1, 2013. -- Amended 2000 Ky. Acts ch.
448, sec. 1, effective July 14, 2000. -- Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 389, sec. 3,
effective July 15, 1998. -- Amended 1996 Ky. Acts ch. 167, sec. 30, effective July
15, 1996. -- Created 1988 Ky. Acts ch. 299, sec. 6, effective July 1, 1988.
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