It is important to understand that the health, life, dental, and vision insurance coverage many SURS retirees have in retirement is administered by the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS). Insurance carriers, premiums, and coverage are all developed and negotiated by CMS.
In retirement, the mailings you receive outlining benefits and open enrollment periods, come from CMS. Plan design details and identification cards come directly from your insurance provider.
SURS involvement in these benefits is limited. We act only as the agent to collect member and dependent premiums. For many of our retirees, this means that we deduct insurance premiums from their monthly retirement check and forward that money to CMS.
Retirees and survivors can view this page or call SURS for general information, but often we must refer you to the insurance provider or CMS for details about your specific coverage.