Continuing Coverage When You Retire

You can also continue coverage through private insurance and Medicare. For information about private insurance, you'll need to contact the insurance companies directly or ask the Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) for assistance. For information about Medicare, contact Medicare. (See Contact Information.)

Retiree medical benefits are an alternative to COBRA. When you retire, you can continue your health care coverage through COBRA or your county retiree medical benefits. You may choose one or the other. Once you make an election, you may not change it. In addition:

This section explains retiree medical benefits and how they differ from COBRA. (For more information about COBRA, see "Continuing Coverage Under COBRA.")

It's important to know what "retirement" means. K.C.C.3.12.320 states that "retirement from county employment shall be in accordance with the provisions set forth in state law, RCW Chapter 41.40," which defines retirement as "withdrawal from active service with a retirement allowance as provided by this chapter." The code and statutory definition of retirement confirms that the intended interpretation of "retire" in K.C.C.3.12.220(F) (the section that allows a cash-out of 35% of unused, accrued sick leave for employees with more than five years of county service) is as follows:

"Retire as a result of length of service" means an employee who is eligible, applies for and begins drawing a pension benefit from PERS, LEOFF or the City of Seattle (for county employees who were formally grandfathered and continued participation in that plan) immediately upon terminating county employment.