The Pulse, May 2023 Edition
TRS-Care represents years of your hard-earned investment. Take advantage of the retiree health care you worked so hard for!
The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) offers and manages TRS-Care, a health care program for retired Texas educators and their dependents.
TRS-Care provides coverage for a range of medical services, including hospital care, prescription drugs and preventive care.
TRS-Care has two health plans. The TRS retiree's Medicare status determines which plan a person enrolls in:
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TRS-Care Standard is for people without Medicare — TRS retirees and their dependents younger than 65
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TRS-Care Medicare is for people with Medicare — TRS retirees and their dependents aged 65 and older and enrolled in Medicare
Who can Enroll in TRS-Care?
A person
must retire from a Texas public school district to enroll in TRS-Care. This includes teachers, counselors, librarians, cafeteria workers, custodians and other professionals who worked in the Texas public education system.
Three groups of these retirees can enroll in TRS-Care:
- Service Retirees
- Retirees with Disabilities
- Eligible Dependents
Service Retirees — You can enroll in TRS-Care as a service retiree if you work at and retire from a public school and you:
- Meet the Rule of 80 (your age + years of service = 80+) and you have at least 10 years of service credit OR
- Have 30 or more years of service credit in TRS (including service credit you buy).
Retirees with Disabilities — You can enroll in TRS-Care as a retiree with a disability if the TRS Medical Board approves your retirement request. Once you enroll in TRS-Care as a disability retiree, your participation continues if you continue to meet TRS disability rules.
Eligible Dependents — You can enroll in TRS-Care as an eligible dependent if you're the spouse or child (under the age of 26) of a TRS retiree.
Your TRS-Care To-Do List
Being eligible for TRS-Care means you worked and paid for this benefit.
You earned it!
If you're thinking about retiring soon, here's your to-do list:
TRS is dedicated to being the care you can count on, which is why we want to do our part in preparing you for this next stage of life.
To learn more, visit
TRS-Care Eligibility and Enrollment.
