This program is an opportunity for state employees who are eligible for an Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) bona fide retirement to use all or part of their unused sick leave balance to pay the employer share of their health insurance premiums after they retire or until such time as they meet one of the ineligibility reasons, as listed below:
The retiree returns to permanent state employment
The retiree turns 65 years of age (Medicare bridge program)
The retiree exhausts their SLIP balance
The retiree becomes deceased
The retiree terminates insurance benefits with the State's group health insurance program
The retiree fails to pay any employee share due
Frequently Asked Questions
List items for SLIP FAQs
Click here to make a Change of Address. This form may be submitted electronically or printed and mailed to: DAS-State Accounting, 3rd FL Attn: SLIP Program 1305 E. Walnut St. Des Moines, Iowa 50319 *Please note this form will not change or update your address with any other program, such as Wellmark or IPERS. You must contact them separately.
For questions regarding your SLIP account, please contact: Xiomara.Young@iowa.gov, DAS-SAE, Centralized Payroll, at (515) 281-3714.
Yes, DAS-SAE will monitor the SLIP balances and will send out notices to retirees when they are within 60 to 90 days of exhausting their SLIP balance.
SLIP is considered Retiree Group Health Insurance and not Active Employee Health Insurance.
If you are under age 65 and on SLIP but your spouse or dependent is Medicare eligible you must enroll them in Medicare Parts A and B because Medicare becomes the primary payer at the time of Medicare eligibility. If you do not enroll in Medicare Parts A or B, you will be responsible for the portion that Medicare would have paid.
Employees are still responsible for the employee share of the health insurance premium, if any. Retirees will be billed directly by the health insurance company for their portion of the health insurance premium.
The Iowa Department of Administration Services - State Accounting Enterprise is the state agency responsible for making the monthly state share premium payment for the health insurance to the health insurance companies. The retiree's former department is charged for these costs.
For questions regarding your health insurance coverage, please contact DAS-HRE Group Insurance at (515) 281-6124.
To make changes on your plan coverage, such as adding a dependent or deleting a dependent, contact DAS-HRE, Group Insurance at (515) 281-6124.
If your spouse is or becomes Medicare eligible it is very important to contact DAS-HRE Group Insurance because the monthly health insurance premium amount that is charged is lower due to the Medicare coverage. Please contact DAS-HRE Group Insurance at (515) 281-6124.
Please notify the Department of Administrative Services - Human Resources Enterprise if you have a spouse that is covered by Medicare and that spouse has the Wellmark offered Medicare Part D insurance plan, Med Blue RX. The monthly premium that is charged is lower for all Wellmark plans due to the additional coverage of Med Blue RX for which the retiree is paying. Please contact DAS-HRE Group Insurance at (515) 281-6124.
Before returning to state employment or any IPERS-covered employer, please contact IPERS at (515) 281-0020 (8:00 am-4:30 pm) or 1-800-622-3849 (7:30 am-5:00 pm) to make sure you will not jeopardize your bona fide IPERS retirement. And remember, one of the terms of the SLIP benefit program is that you will forfeit your remaining benefits if you return to permanent State employment.
To have a bona fide retirement, you must meet all of the following conditions:
Apply for and begin receiving monthly benefit payments
Terminate employment with all IPERS covered employers, including non-covered service with covered employers
Remain unemployed with all IPERS covered employers for one month and not work in covered employment for three additional months.
