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Finance and Support Services Division
Office of Human Resources

Benefits FAQs

Learn about our most frequently asked questions. If you cannot find the answer to what you're looking for, please contact hr@txstate.edu or call 5.2557.

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  • Insurance

    • A summary of an employee’s insurance coverage can be viewed within the ERS online portal. Once an ERS online account has been created, employees can use this portal to view their benefits summary, make insurance changes, and update beneficiary information.

      Employees can also see their benefits by logging in to the SAP Portal and clicking on “My Benefits”.

    • New employees will have 31 days, including their date of hire, to make changes to their insurance coverages.

      Existing employees can only make changes to their insurance during two periods. The first is during Open Enrollment which occurs each June through July. All changes made during this time go into effect on September 1st. Outside of Open Enrollment, employees are only able to make changes to their insurance coverages within 31 days of experiencing a Qualifying Life Event. Changes can be made by going online to the ERS online portal or by contacting the HR Benefits team.

    • Insurance coverage will be active through the end of the month which you separate. For example, if your last day worked is April 13th, your insurance coverage will be active through April 30th. 

      After you leave state employment, you will be eligible to continue your insurance coverages under COBRA for up to 18 months. This coverage is coordinated directly with ERS. More information can be found on their COBRA Continuation Coverage webpage.  

    • Employees, their spouses, and their children are eligible to participate in the Group Benefits Program (GBP) administered by ERS. An employee’s spouse and children must meet the eligibility requirements to be added to coverage.

      Employees cannot cover the following family members:

      • ex-spouses,
      • children who have reached or passed their 26th birthday, unless they are disabled*
      • grandchildren who are not claimed on your federal income tax return and
      • parents or grandparents.

       

      *In order to continue coverage for a disabled dependent, you MUST submit an application to ERS before the 1st of the month following your covered child’s 26th birthday.

    • Employees can designate a beneficiary for their life insurance by logging in to the ERS online portal. The step-by-step instructions on how to assign or change a beneficiary can be found on ERS’ webpage for Beneficiary Designation.

      Employees should also designate a beneficiary for their retirement account by completing a TRS 15 and mailing directly to TRS. They do not allow changes to be made over the phone or online.

      Teacher Retirement System of Texas

      1000 Red River St.

      Austin, TX 78701

       Employees can view their current beneficiary designation by logging in to the TRS online portal.

       

    • Referrals are required when receiving care under the HealthSelect of Texas In-Area plan. There are certain exceptions in which you do not need a referral, such as:

      • Chiropractic visits
      • Eye exams (both routine and diagnostic)
      • Mental health counseling
      • OB/GYN visits
      • Occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy
      • Virtual Visits, Urgent Care Centers, and Retail Health Clinics

    • Employees who are enrolled in the HealthSelect of Texas In-Area plan must designate a PCP. A PCP is responsible for coordinating care, making referrals to see specialists, and writing orders for lab and imaging services.

      Employees can change their PCP at any time by calling a BCBSTX Personal Health Assistant toll-free at 800-252-8039 or by logging in to Blue Access for Members.

    • Employees who are enrolled in the ConsumerDirected HealthSelect plan will need to open their Optum Bank HSA as soon as possible so that they can begin getting the state’s contribution and access their funds. To open an account, employees can visit the Optum Bank HSA Online Enrollment website. For more information and frequently asked questions, visit ERS’ website for Health Savings Accounts.

  • Summer Insurance

  • Retirement

    • You may defer up to the limits shown below. These limits apply to the 403(b) Tax Deferred Account and the TexaSaver 457 Plan. You can contribute the maximum to each of these programs.

      YEAR

      Deferral Amount

      Age 50-Catch-up Amount*
      2023 $22,500 $7,500

      *These limits may be indexed for inflation in increments of $500 each year.

    • No, you must use one of our approved companies and one of the assigned representatives. You can find a list of the approved companies & representatives on the Human Resources website.

    • Yes, you can change companies each payroll cycle. You have the choice of leaving the money you have contributed with the old company or rolling it to the new one. You can find a list of approved companies on the Human Resources website.  Please note that you must notify our office of the change by completing the form titled ORP/TDA Change of Carrier on our HR Forms page.

       

    • Yes. In 2023, you can contribute $22,500 to each and if you are age 50 or older by the end of the calendar year, you may contribute another $7,500 to each.

    • No, the Teacher Retirement System does not allow this.  Other considerations may be your 403(b) TDA or your Texa$aver (457) Plan if you are enrolled in either of those plans. Contact your TDA vendor representative for options.  Contact information is on the Human Resources website at http://www.hr.txstate.edu/benefits/Retirement-Programs-and-Information-/orpvendors.html. You can contact a representative of the Texa$aver Plan at 800-634-5091.

    • You can retire with State paid retiree insurance when your age plus years of service equals 80 or when you reach age 65 with 10 years of service. Your years of service must include at least 10 years of service in a benefits eligible position with a GBP participating agency. If you retire before age 65 with 10 years of service, you can elect interim retiree insurance at your own expense until you reach age 65. Then at age 65 you can enroll in the state paid retiree insurance plan. If you retire before age 65 with less than 10 years of service, you will never be able to enroll in the retiree insurance.

    • Teacher Retirement System asks that you contact them 4 - 6 months ahead of time, if possible, to request a packet. The packets can take 60-90 days to receive and will be mailed to your home address on file.

      For both TRS and ORP retirees, if you qualify for retiree insurance, you can schedule your virtual appointment with our retirement specialist no more than 90 days before your retirement date. Access the Retiree Checklist to help you get navigate the retirement steps.

    • You can log in to your TRS portal to request an estimate. In this estimate, you can select a few potential retirement dates to see what your annuity payments would look like depending on the dates selected. Just because you request the packet does not mean you must retire. The estimate is simply a helpful planning tool.

    • Medicare age is 65. In the 3 months prior to your 65th birthday, you can enroll in Medicare by visiting www.medicare.gov or by contacting your local Social Security Office.

      If you are still actively employed and covered under Texas State University’s medical plan, you only need to enroll in Part A. Since Part B comes with a monthly premium, you can defer Part B until separation or retirement.

    • No, if you enroll in Medicare Part A and/or Part B, you do not need to notify HR. Your Texas State University medical plan will remain as your primary insurance while still employed in a benefits eligible position. If you retire and return to work in a benefits-eligible position (at least 50% time), your health plan through Texas State University becomes primary while you are working.

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