Retirement

Retirement Programs

Teacher Retirement System (TRS)

• Contact TRS 6-12 months before retirement to allow sufficient time to complete required forms. The TRS website includes checklists, forms, the TRS Benefits Handbook, and group retirement information sessions and videos to help answer your questions.
  www.trs.texas.gov | TRS Counseling Center 800-223-8778 | M-F 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. CT

Optional Retirement Program (ORP)

• Contact your ORP provider or financial advisor three months before retirement to review distribution options and beneficiary designations.

Retiree Insurance

​UT insurance doesn’t automatically continue when you retire. Find eligibility information for UT retiree insurance on the Eligibility Flowchart.

Eligible retirees must take these steps to ensure a smooth transition:

• Notify your department of your intent to retire.
• TRS retirees must submit a copy of their TRS25 Service Retirement Estimate to benefits@uthscsa.edu. ORP retirees must complete the Declaration of Retirement Form and email to benefits@uthscsa.edu.
• At least three-to six months before your retirement date, schedule an appointment with an HR Benefits Representative to go over your retirement benefits at (210)567-2600 or benefits@uthscsa.edu.

Medica​re

As an active employee, you and your dependents have been enrolled in a medical plan offered by the UT System. As you move into retirement, medical coverage for you and your Medicare-eligible dependents will shift to UT CARE™ Medicare PPO, a retiree group Medicare Advantage plan. Prescription coverage will remain the same and will also be called UT CARE.

If retired before turning 65, retirees and their covered dependents should each enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B, 90 days before their 65th birthday, so Part A and B will be active on the first of the month in which the individual is turning 65.

Employees who are still employed at a UT institution in a benefits-eligible position up until or after age 65 should enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B 90 days before the date of retirement, along with any Medicare-eligible dependents, so Parts A and B will be active for each covered family member on the first day of full retirement

Enrollment in Medicare Part A and Part B through the federal government is required for retirees to be eligible for any retiree Medicare plans, including this UT CARE plan. To have full coverage, you must sign up for Medicare Parts A & B and continue to pay your Part B premium. Please call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or go to ssa.gov/benefits/medicare/ to enroll in Medicare.

Important – You may incur a penalty from Medicare if you delay signing up for Part B when you are first eligible, typically when you are both retired and age 65. If you stay enrolled in active employee coverage after age 65, the penalty may be waived under Medicare rules. Find more information about the Importance of enrolling in Medicare Parts A and B.

If your income is above a certain limit, you will pay a surcharge to the government in addition to your Medicare Part B premium. This is called Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA). Any Part B and Part D IRMAA surcharge is based on the modified adjusted gross income reported on your IRS tax return from two years ago. A notice from Medicare will be mailed to those who will pay the IRMAA surcharge(s). If you have had a life-change event that reduced your household income, you can ask Social Security to lower the additional amount you will pay. Find more information about the Request to lower an Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA).

Social Security Benefits

Social Security​ benefits are available at age 62 or older. Retirees should contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) at least three months before the date you want benefits to start. You may apply online, in person, or by calling the SSA at 800-772-1213. Not all individuals are able to apply online or by phone.

UTSaver Voluntary Retirement Prog​ram

Individuals currently or previously contributing to the TSA 403(b) and/or the DCP 457(b) should contact their provider or financial advisor at least three months before retiring to review distribution options and beneficiary designations.

Deferring Annual Leave

Retirees can defer all, or a portion, of unused vacation or personal leave to either or both your UTSaver TSA (403(b) plan and your  UTSaver DCP 457(b) plan (contribution limits apply). If interested, please complete the Annual Leave Deferral Purchase/Change Agreement Form. Human Resources recommends submitting the form three weeks before your retirement date.

You must have a DCP 457(b) and/or TSA 403(b) account established with an approved provider to successfully defer unused time off pay.​​

Surviving Dependents

​Dependents who are covered by medical, dental and/or vision insurance at the time of the employee or retiree’s death may continue UT Health System insurance as surviving dependents if the following occurs:

• The employee / retiree had five years of service credit with the Teacher Retirement System or Optional Retirement Program before the time of death, AND
• Three of the five years must have been within the University of Texas System

Dependents who aren’t eligible to continue insurance as surviving dependents may be eligible for COBRA insurance.​

Join the UT Health Association of Retired Faculty and Associates (ARFA) to stay in touch with collegues and be informed about UT Health San Antonio benefits and news. Membership is open to all retirees of UT Health San Antonio. Find out more.

​If you retire from the university through TRS or ORP and then return to work, you’ll continue receiving benefits as a retiree, but will never be eligible again to enroll in benefits as an active employee. You cannot contribute to TRS or ORP programs due to your retired status, but you are still eligible to contribute to the UTSaver Voluntary Retirement Programs.​

A retiring employee covered under the TRS must have a break in service of one full calendar month following the effective date of retirement before returning to work for a TRS-covered employer. For example, an employee who retires January 31 cannot return to work until March 1. If the employee elected to retire on January 15, they would still be unable to return to work until March 1 since the whole month of February is considered the “one full calendar month.”  Find more information in the TRS Employment After Retirement handbook.

A retiring employee covered under the ORP must have a break in service of at least one full work day following the effective date of retirement before returning to work.

If you’re retired and working in a benefits-eligible position at a UT institution, you and/or any dependent(s) will be enrolled in the UT SELECT plan regardless of your Medicare status. If you are retired and working less than 20 hours at a UT institution, you and any Medicare-eligible dependents will be covered by UT CARE.

You have 31 days from the date of a qualified change of status event to update your elections. If you don’t make your changes during the 31-day period, you will not be able to make changes until the next Annual Benefits Enrollment in July, to be effective the following Sept. 1.

Login instructions to make a change to your benefits​

1.  Go to My UT Benefits.
2.  Use the following username and password to log in for the first time.
   • Username: Campus abbreviation + Employee ID (note: not case sensitive). The campus abbreviation for UT Health San Antonio is UTHSCSA. Example: UTHSCSA987654321.
   • Password: Last name (first letter capitalized) + last 4 digits of your Social Security Number. Example: Garcia2345.
   •  When you log in the first time, you will be prompted to update your password. Your username will remain the same.
3.  Select Life Event on the left navigation and follow the prompts to make the changes needed.

Need Help?

• For questions about accessing or navigating My UT Benefits, contact the My UT Benefits call center at 844-870-0044. The call center is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time.
• For questions about your benefits, email benefits@uthscsa.edu.
• For questions about UT Retiree Billing, visit the UT Benefits Billing website , email utbenefitsbilling@utsystem.edu or call 855-688-2455​

Find examples of qualified change of stat​​​us events on the UT System Office of Employee Benefits website.

​Required documents for change of status request

You may need to provide supporting documentation of the qualifying change of status such as marriage or birth certificates; proof of gain, loss, or significant change of other coverage; or other relevant official documents. Appropriate documentation of eligibility is required for any new dependent being added to coverage.

Refer to the Dependent Eligibility Guidelines​ and required documents for a status change request.

UT Health San Antonio employees and retirees, along with their dependents get discounts when they use UT providers or facilities with the UT SELECT medical plan.

• To schedule an appointment with our San Antonio UT Health Physicians, call 210-450-9090 or visit the San Antonio UT Health Network website for more information.
• To schedule an appointment with any of the other designated UT System Health Institutions or UT Physicians, visit the UT System UT Health Network website.​