Medicare Part B Reimbursement
Instructional staff employees represented by PSC who retire from CUNY, are receiving a NYC/CUNY pension and are eligible for retiree health benefits have Medicare as their primary health insurance from age 65 on. Everyone should apply for Medicare Part A (hospitalization coverage—no charge) when they reach age 65, whether they are working or not. Three months prior to retirement, eligible employees 65 and older should apply for Medicare Part B (outpatient coverage). (Do NOT enroll in any Medicare Part D drug program; the PSC-CUNY Welfare Fund continues to provide prescription drug coverage in retirement.)
Medicare Part B requires a monthly premium that is automatically deducted each month from your Social Security check and usually changes (goes up) each January 1st. The basic monthly premium for 2025 was $185; for 2026 it is $202.90.
Reimbursement of Medicare Part B premiums for eligible NYC retirees is a benefit won through union action. Partial reimbursement was first achieved over 50 years ago at the bargaining table. Nearly 20 years ago, the NYC municipal unions successfully lobbied the NYC Council to pass legislation to reimburse eligible retirees fully for their Medicare Part B premiums each year. (A dependent spouse’s Medicare Part B premiums are reimbursed if the spouse is a dependent of the retiree for health benefits upon retirement.)
Reimbursement of Part B Basic Premium
At this time, the NYC Office of Labor Relations (OLR) Employee Health Benefits Program issues reimbursements in late April of each year for the Medicare Part B premiums paid in the prior calendar year. Eligible retirees (whether over 65 and newly retired or already retired but newly 65) should fill out the form to apply for reimbursement of the Medicare Part B premium. You only have to apply once to receive reimbursement of the basic premium each year, because everyone on Medicare pays the same basic Part B premium. It may take up to 6 months for initial approval and to receive reimbursement. If you start on Medicare in the middle of the year, part-year premiums will be reimbursed.
The Medicare Part B Reimbursement application form (which requires a copy of your Medicare card) should be part of the retirement package you receive from your college Benefits Office and is usually submitted to them, but it is also available here: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/olr/downloads/pdf/health/med-b-application.pdf
In general, this form should be submitted to your college HR Office which will forward it to OLR (for TRS beneficiaries) or CUNY Central HR (for TIAA beneficiaries).
To submit the form (if it was not submitted through your college or if you are already retired when you reach 65):
- If you are receiving a pension through TRS, NYCERS or BERS, submit the Medicare Part B Reimbursement application form directly to the NYC Employee Health Benefits Program at the NYC Office of Labor Relations. Instructions are on the form. Your reimbursement will be paid by NYC via direct deposit to the account where your monthly pension benefit is paid.
- If you are a TIAA retiree, submit this Medicare Part B Reimbursement application form to the CUNY University Benefits Office (contact [email protected]) so they can confirm your TIAA pension status and ensure that the application is properly submitted. The reimbursement will be paid by check, issued and mailed to you by the NYC Office of Labor Relations. Be sure to put your accurate mailing address on the form.
IF YOU MOVE, be sure to update your address with the NYC Office of Labor Relations, the CUNY University Benefits Office and the PSC-CUNY Welfare Fund. Use this form to change your address with OLR: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/olr/downloads/pdf/health/retiree-change-of-address-form.pdf
and this form to change your address with the CUNY University Benefits Office (it also indicates how to change your address with the Welfare Fund): https://www.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/media-assets/Retiree-Change-of-Address-2023.pdf
IRMAA Reimbursement
Some CUNY retirees pay more than the basic Medicare Part B premium amount each month, because their income in retirement is above a specified level. This higher premium is called Part B IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount). In addition to receiving reimbursement of the basic Part B premium, retirees are eligible for reimbursement of 100% of the Part B IRMAA premium. But retirees must apply for the latter reimbursement every year, if they are paying it.
Each November, the Social Security Administration sends out a notice that specifies how much will be deducted each month for Medicare Part B. That notice tells you if you will be paying Part B IRMAA for the coming calendar year. (It also explains how IRMAA is calculated.) If you see that you will be paying IRMAA, keep this notice; you will need it to apply for reimbursement. Note that Medicare Part D IRMAA is NOT reimbursed by NYC.
Those paying Part B IRMAA must apply each year for reimbursement, because your income (and thus your IRMAA amount) can change each year.[i] The IRMAA reimbursement application form is usually not available until May; the link to the form will appear on this page: https://www.nyc.gov/site/olr/health/retiree/health-retiree-medb-irmaa.page . Reimbursement of prior year IRMAA Part B premiums is distributed in October—by check through the mail for TIAA retirees and by direct deposit for all others. If you have not applied before but have been paying IRMAA Part B premiums in prior years, it is possible to apply for reimbursement of the previous 3 years’ premiums using this form: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/olr/downloads/pdf/health/irmaa-form-2022-2024.pdf
The NYC Employee Health Benefits Program administers the health coverage for all retirees. The general website link for Medicare-eligible retirees is: https://www.nyc.gov/site/olr/health/retiree/health-retiree-medicare-eligible.page
May 2026
[i] Note that it is possible to challenge the IRMAA premium amount you are being charged through Social Security, if you have a life-changing, income-reducing event.
