An individual who reaches the age of 65 becomes eligible for Medicare. However, if at the time they become eligible for Medicare, they are working at a job that provides them with health insurance, they will not be subject to the 10% Medicare Part B late enrollment if they enroll in Medicare Part B later than age of 65, as long as they enroll within the eight months after they retire.
This is information that I make sure I tell to the attendees at the many pre-retirement seminars given by my firm, Federal Career Experts. However, after reading the “Q&A” section of the July 2015 NARFE magazine, there is something else that I will be passing along to those who are planning on working at their federal job past the age of Medicare eligibility.
Apparently, federal employees who are working past age 65 are being asked to fill out form CMS-L564, Request for Employment Information, in order to prove that they have a group health policy based on their current employment. Those who have waited until after they have retired and sent the form to OPM for the required “employer’s signature”, have had difficulty in getting the form returned. Some NARFE members report that they never got the form returned; while others report that it took so long for OPM to get the form back to them that the 8 month Medicare special enrollment penalty had expired.
In responding to a reader’s question, NARFE suggested that individuals who work at their federal job past the age of 65 and who plan on applying for Medicare upon their retirement have the CMS-L564 completed by their agency before they retire. Good advice.
Even though I have been teaching retirement seminars (and writing for FedSmith) for years, I still find information of which I was not aware when I read publications such as the NARFE magazine. In fact, my favorite part of the magazine is the “Q&A” section. I encourage those of you who are not already members of NARFE to consider becoming a member.
