City Retiree Health Enrollment Forms & Booklet

City Retiree Health FAQs

Open Enrollment for Plan Year 2025 Will Run from November 1 - 30, 2024

Please Do not send enrollment forms to SDCERS this year!

City retiree health management is transitioning to a new administrator - the City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center. 

If you are a current City retiree or eligible beneficiary participating in a City-sponsored retiree health plan, please register your account with the City's new retiree health administrator at SDRetireeHealth.com! See this guide for instructions. 

You will need access to this account in order to participate in Open Enrollment electronically and, starting in 2025, to submit reimbursement requests if you have retiree health benefits through the City of San Diego (not including Option C trust accounts). If you need further assistance, please contact (855)-380-5898, open on regular business days from 5:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (PST), or via email at info@SDRetireeHealth.com.

The 2025 City Retiree Health Open Enrollment Booklet has been mailed and is also available electronically, both at the bottom of this page and via your City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center account! 


Upcoming Changes to City Retiree Health Administration

City retiree health management is transitioning to a new administrator - the City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center. 

Important Dates & Transition Details

• November 1 - 30, 2024: The City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center will begin accepting enrollment and disenrollment forms during the Annual Open Enrollment period. You will receive the calendar year 2025 Annual City Retiree Health Open Enrollment Booklet via U.S. mail in late October and an electronic version is available online. The City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center will also provide information about how to enroll or disenroll online, although you may still submit paper forms if you would like. Please contact the City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center in November if you need assistance enrolling or disenrolling in a plan. As always, if you are not making any changes to your health plan, then you do not need to take any action at this time.

• January 1, 2025: The City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center will begin administering retire health plan reimbursements, including reimbursements for privately secured healthcare plans and Medicare premiums. Starting in January 2025, contact the City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center directly for any questions on these topics.

What will stay the same

• All sponsored healthcare, dental, and vision providers and plans will remain unchanged for the calendar year 2025, although the premiums may be different. Look for the Annual Open Enrollment Booklet, which has been mailed.

• If you choose not to make any changes during Open Enrollment, your current plans will remain in effect through 2025. No action is required on your end.

• Payment for sponsored dental and vision plan premiums, as well as sponsored healthcare plan dependent coverage, will continue to be deducted from your monthly SDCERS pension payment.

• Reimbursements for privately secured healthcare premiums and Medicare premiums will continue to be paid through your monthly SDCERS pension payment.

• Continue to update your contact information via your SDCERS Member Portal – any changes made through the Member Portal will be reflected in the City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center’s files as well.

• If you have an Option C trust account, continue to submit reimbursement requests through your Option C trust administrator. 

 

What Will Change

• Starting January 1, 2025, all new reimbursement requests and sponsored healthcare, dental, and vision plan enrollments and disenrollments will be processed through the City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center.

• Also beginning in January 2025, eligible retirees may begin applying for Medicare Part A reimbursements, retroactive to January 1, 2024.

• If you are currently paying $174.70 per month for your Medicare Part B premium, additional verification is no longer required. However, if your currently monthly Part B premium is different (e.g., due to IRMAA or low-income subsidy), then you must send verification documentation to the City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center.

• Beginning November 1, 2024, you can visit the City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center’s website to review your retiree healthcare benefit information. Please contact the City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center if you need assistance registering your account: (855)-380-5898, open on regular business days from 5:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (PST), or via email at info@SDRetireeHealth.com.

 

Medicare Part A Premium Reimbursements

If you have Option A or B, any Medicare Part A premium amounts paid since January 1, 2024 will be reimbursable effective January 1, 2025, at which time you may send Part A reimbursement requests to the City of San Diego Retiree Health Service Center. All retroactive Medicare Part A premium reimbursement requests must be submitted between January 1, 2025 and March 31, 2025.
 
Please do not send SDCERS Medicare Part A reimbursement requests. Your Part B reimbursements are not affected and will continue to be processed accordingly.
 

Timeline for City's Retiree Health Plans vs. Annual Reimbursement Plans

As a reminder, the City of San Diego and the San Diego Public Employee Benefits Association (SDPEBA) changed the effective date of their healthcare plan offerings. As of January 1, 2023, the City-sponsored retiree health plans are effective based on the calendar year, rather than the fiscal year. 

However, if you are a City retiree with an annual health reimbursement plan through the City, your annual allowance will remain on a fiscal year schedule. See this chart for fiscal year 2025 allowance amounts, effective as of July 1, 2024.



CareCounsel is there to help! CareCounsel Member Care Specialists are available for your healthcare inquiries and concerns. You can call them at (888) 227-3334 or e-mail staff@carecounsel.com Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST. CareCounsel also provides helpful videos on their website that may answer your questions about Medicare, here: https://carecounsel.com/medicare.html.

You may send any health-related documents/forms to SDCERS via email, fax, or U.S. mail:

Email: health@sdcers.org - attachments must be in PDF format only (before sending, please read the important security note below. Also, if you are using an Apple product to send the email, in Mail, please select "Format" and click on "Make Plain Text" - we've received reports of emails not getting through our firewalls if this extra step isn't taken when using an Apple product.)

Mail: SDCERS, Attn. Health Reimbursements, 401 West A Street, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101 

Fax: (858) 581-5314 

If you plan to send health forms and other confidential information through email (PDF attachments only), read SDCERS' Privacy Policy here.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996's (HIPPA) Privacy Rule gives SDCERS who receive health coverage the right to be informed of the privacy practices of their health plans, as well as to be informed of their privacy rights with respect to their personal health information. 

Note: These plans are only available to eligible City of San Diego retirees.​