§ 10 — Retirement or termination of employment; effect on policy; conversion of insurance

[ First paragraph effective until July 1, 2025. For text effective July 1, 2025, see below.]Section 10. The commission shall require that, upon retirement of an employee, the policy or policies of insurance as set forth in section six, except the optional group life insurance referred to therein, shall provide that the five thousand dollars of group life insurance, the five thousand dollars of group accidental death and dismemberment insurance and the group general or blanket insurance providing hospital, surgical, medical, dental and other health insurance, as provided under sections five and ten C, as may be applicable, shall be continued, provided said retiree makes application to the commission on a form prescribed by the rules and regulations of the commission. The retired employee shall make payment of an amount of the total monthly premium as provided in section eight and the commonwealth shall contribute the remaining amount of the total monthly premium said total being the average group premium as determined by the commission for such group life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance as well as the average group premium as determined by the commission for the hospital, surgical, medical and other health insurance for such retired employee or for such retired employee and his dependents. For services of a health care organization as provided under section fourteen, the retired employee shall pay the remainder of the total monthly premium after deducting the amount contributed by the commonwealth to the extent provided in section eight. The contribution by the commonwealth for services of a health care organization shall be equal to and shall not exceed the contribution of the commonwealth for group or blanket health insurance as provided under section five or section ten C.[ First paragraph as amended by 2024, 140, Sec. 73 effective July 1, 2025. See 2024, 140, Sec. 254. For text effective until July 1, 2025, see above.]The commission shall require that, upon retirement of an employee, the policy or policies of insurance as set forth in section six, except the optional group life insurance referred to therein, shall provide that the $10,000 of group life insurance, the $10,000 of group accidental death and dismemberment insurance and the group general or blanket insurance providing hospital, surgical, medical, dental and other health insurance, as provided under sections five and ten C, as may be applicable, shall be continued, provided said retiree makes application to the commission on a form prescribed by the rules and regulations of the commission. The retired employee shall make payment of an amount of the total monthly premium as provided in section eight and the commonwealth shall contribute the remaining amount of the total monthly premium said total being the average group premium as determined by the commission for such group life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance as well as the average group premium as determined by the commission for the hospital, surgical, medical and other health insurance for such retired employee or for such retired employee and his dependents. For services of a health care organization as provided under section fourteen, the retired employee shall pay the remainder of the total monthly premium after deducting the amount contributed by the commonwealth to the extent provided in section eight. The contribution by the commonwealth for services of a health care organization shall be equal to and shall not exceed the contribution of the commonwealth for group or blanket health insurance as provided under section five or section ten C.Prior to retirement, an insured employee who terminates his service with the commonwealth and who has a right to retire but whose retirement is deferred as provided in section ten of chapter thirty-two shall for the purposes of this chapter only be deemed to have been granted a leave of absence without pay, and may continue all insurance coverages to which he would have been entitled if he had not terminated his services; provided he files an application therefor with the commission, and makes payment for the entire cost of such insurance, with no contribution by the commonwealth, to the commission in such manner as it may prescribe. Any National Guard technician in the service of the United States who is eligible and makes application for a pension or annuity allowance and whose application is approved by the state retirement board in accordance with the provisions of chapter thirty-two shall be entitled to be insured under this chapter as a retired employee without regard to waiting periods for benefits or medical qualification as if said retiree had been in the service of the commonwealth; but, if a National Guard technician eligible for coverage under this chapter dies prior to becoming insured as aforesaid, his surviving spouse shall be eligible for coverage as provided in section eleven.Any policy or policies issued under this chapter shall provide that, on termination of employment, an employee shall be entitled to convert his insurance to an individual type of policy, subject to the provisions of section one hundred and thirty-four of chapter one hundred and seventy-five with respect to life insurance, and subject to the requirements of the commission with respect to the other insurance coverages provided in this chapter, except that with respect to the services of a health care organization, the contract made under section fourteen may provide for extension or continuation of coverage in lieu of the right to convert. No employee will be permitted to convert his insurance or extend or continue coverage for services of a health care organization on separation from service more than one time, if such converted or extended insurance would result in a greater amount of insurance than is provided in section six or section fourteen respectively.