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personal leave balances below 8 days; and

• Be a NYSHIP enrollee (contract holder) in either the Empire Plan or

an HMO at the time of enrollment.
• Part-time employees who meet these eligibility requirements will be

eligible to participate on a prorated basis.

• Once enrolled for a given year, employees continue to participate
unless they separate from State service or cease to be NYSHIP contract

holders. Leave forfeited in association with the program will not be
returned, in whole or in part, to employees who cease to be eligible for

participation in the program.
During any calendar year in which an employee participates, the credit

established upon enrollment in the program will be adjusted only if the
employee moves between individual and family coverage under NYSHIP

during that calendar year.
Open enrollment will be offered during the month of November of each

year PEP is offered. The exact dates of open enrollment will be established
by the Department of Civil Service. Employees will be required to submit a

separate enrollment for each calendar year in which they wish to participate.

Calendar Years 2017 and 2018
• (SG 1-17) Full-time employees, up to and including SG-17 (or non-

statutory employees with an annual salary no greater than the job rate of
SG-17), who enroll in the program will be eligible to forfeit a total of either

3 or 6 days of annual and/or personal leave standing to their credit at the
time of enrollment in return for a credit of up to either $500 or $1,000 to be

applied toward the employee share of NYSHIP premiums and deducted
from biweekly paychecks in that year. The credit will be divided evenly

among the State paydays that fall between January 1 and December 31, of

each year the employee elects to enroll.
• (SG 18-24) Full-time employees in SG-18 (or non-statutory employees
equated to SG-18, or in the absence of that, employees with an annual salary

exceeding the job rate of SG-17) up to and including SG-24 (or non-

statutory employees with an annual salary no greater than the job rate of
SG-24), who enroll in the program will be eligible to forfeit a total of 2 or

4 days of annual and/ or personal leave standing to their credit at the time
of enrollment in return for a credit of up to either $500 or $1,000 to be

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