Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 2978
Barcode 305520
CHAMBER ACTION
Senate House
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11 The Committee on Governmental Operations (King) recommended
12 the following amendment:
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14 Senate Amendment
15 On page 13, line 27, through
16 page 18, line 5, delete those lines
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18 and insert: full-time, creditable service under the Florida
19 Retirement System. The health insurance costs payable pursuant
20 to this section include premiums for major medical and
21 hospitalization insurance, but do not include premiums for
22 dental or vision insurance. Upon becoming eligible for
23 Medicare, a retiree's Sheriff's office health coverage will
24 become a secondary payer. When a retiree receiving this health
25 insurance benefit becomes eligible for Medicare, his health
26 coverage will convert to the Medicare Supplement health
27 insurance.
28 (a) In order to receive this benefit, the retiree must
29 have served with the Lee County Sheriff's Office for the 10
30 years immediately preceding his retirement. The retiree may
31 claim up to 5 years of creditable service earned while in the
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Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 2978
Barcode 305520
1 employ of another member agency within the Florida Retirement
2 System. The Lee County Sheriff's Office shall verify all years
3 of creditable service claimed through the Division of
4 Retirement of the Department of Administration.
5 (3)(c) The benefits provided in this section are
6 available only to an employee who retires after 15 years of
7 full-time service with the Lee County Sheriff's Office and who
8 has participated in the Florida Retirement System (FRS) for a
9 minimum of 15 years of creditable service. A retiree may claim
10 up to 5 years of creditable service with another FRS employer
11 provided that the last 10 years of employment must have been
12 with the Lee County Sheriff's Office in a full-time position.
13 All years of creditable service with another Florida
14 Retirement System employer are subject to verification from
15 the Division of Retirement of the Department of Management
16 Services. An employee is considered retired from the Florida
17 Retirement System at such time as he or she meets the
18 definition of "retiree" as described in section 121.021(60) or
19 section 121.4501(2)(j), Florida Statutes. The Lee County
20 Sheriff's Office shall base the percentage of a retiree's
21 health insurance costs it will pay upon the number of years of
22 creditable service that the retiree has accumulated in the
23 Florida Retirement System. Fifteen years of creditable service
24 entitles the retiree to have 75 percent of his health
25 insurance premiums paid by the sheriff's office. The sheriff's
26 office shall pay an additional 5 percent of the insurance
27 premiums for each year of service in excess of 15 years until
28 reaching a maximum of 100 percent of the premium at 20 years
29 of service. The Lee County Sheriff's Office shall pay an
30 additional one-twelfth of 1 percent of the premium for each
31 month served until the full 100 percent is paid.
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Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 2978
Barcode 305520
1 (4)(b) If an employee retires from the Lee County
2 Sheriff's Office after at least 15 10 years of full-time,
3 creditable service with the department, as provided in
4 subsection (3), but prior to receiving a retirement benefit
5 from the Florida Retirement System, he or she may continue
6 receiving group health insurance benefits, individual or
7 family, by paying the current premium rate to the Lee County
8 Sheriff's Office until he or she receives a benefit from the
9 Florida Retirement System. Upon written notification and
10 documentation to the Lee County Sheriff's Office that the
11 employee is a retiree who is part of the Florida Retirement
12 System, the Sheriff's office will begin to pay a percentage of
13 the retiree's, and dependent's if qualified, health insurance
14 premium costs. but before reaching retirement age, and has
15 participated in the Florida Retirement System for at least 15
16 years, he may pay his and his dependent's health insurance
17 costs until he begins to receive retirement benefits under the
18 Florida Retirement System. The Lee County Sheriff's Office
19 shall begin to pay a percentage of the employee's health
20 insurance costs when he begins to receive such retirement
21 benefits. The retiree shall give the sheriff's office written
22 notice of the date of payment of his initial retirement
23 benefit. The Lee County Sheriff's Office shall verify this
24 date through the Division of Retirement of the Department of
25 Administration.
26 (5) The percentage of a retiree's health insurance
27 premiums costs payable by the Lee County Sheriff's Office is
28 dependent on the following schedule: at 15 years of full-time,
29 creditable service, as outlined in subsection (3), the
30 Sheriff's office will pay 75 percent of the retiree's health
31 insurance premium costs. For each additional year of
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Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 2978
Barcode 305520
1 full-time, creditable service beyond the 15-year mark, the
2 Sheriff's office will pay an additional 5 percent of the
3 health insurance premium costs until the maximum of 100
4 percent of the health insurance premium is paid at 20 years of
5 service. Fractional years will be paid at the rate of .416
6 percent per month. In no case will the Sheriff's office pay in
7 excess of 100 percent of the retiree's health insurance
8 premium.
9 (6)(d) If an retiree is entitled to a an employee has
10 health insurance benefit from coverage through a previous
11 employer, then the Lee County Sheriff's Office will be a the
12 secondary payor to that policy.
13 (7)(e) If a retiree receives a an employee receives a
14 retiree health insurance subsidy from the state under section
15 112.363, Florida Statutes, then the Lee County Sheriff's
16 Office will shall reduce the amount of any it pays of the
17 employee's health insurance premium it pays on behalf of the
18 retiree premiums by an the amount equal to the value of the
19 subsidy.
20 (8)(f) For retired employees having at least 15 years,
21 but less than 20 years of full-time, creditable service as
22 defined in subsection (3), the Lee County Sheriff's Office
23 shall pay for a percentage of the health insurance coverage of
24 the retiree. Retirees in this category may purchase health
25 insurance for their spouse or qualified dependents at the
26 prevailing Lee County Sheriff's Office group rate. For retired
27 employees having 20 years or more of full-time, creditable
28 service as defined in subsection (3), the Lee County Sheriff's
29 Office shall pay 100 percent of the retiree's health insurance
30 premium and 50 percent of the retiree's spouse or qualified
31 dependent's health insurance premium and 50 percent of his or
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Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 2978
Barcode 305520
1 her dependents' health insurance coverage only if the
2 retiree's health insurance is paid at 100 percent of the
3 premium at 20 years of service. A retiree who obtains benefits
4 without attaining 20 years of service may pay for the health
5 insurance of his or her dependents. Upon a retiree's death,
6 his or her spouse may continue any the health insurance
7 coverage previously provided by the retiree and qualified
8 spouses are entitled to the reduced premium rate. All premiums
9 must be paid to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
10 (9)(g) Retirement This retiree health insurance
11 benefits are benefit is only available to an employee at the
12 time he or she when he retires from the Lee County Sheriff's
13 Office, has accumulated the minimum number of full-time,
14 creditable service years as provided in subsection (3), and is
15 a participant in the Florida Retirement System. If an the
16 employee chooses not does not elect to receive retirement
17 health the insurance benefits at retirement benefit upon
18 retiring, he or she does not have the option of receiving
19 these benefits the benefit at a later date, except as provided
20 in subsection (4). Benefits must be applied for within 60 days
21 of the last physical day of work. It is the responsibility of
22 the retiree to notify the Lee County Sheriff's Office if he or
23 she continued insurance benefits under subsection (4) and
24 later becomes part of the Florida Retirement System.
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