FAQs & Forms

You must meet at least one qualification below to be eligible to retire under the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS).

1. Full retirement - 30 years of creditable service or 60 years old with 5 years of service (vested)

   • • A vested member who has 30 years of creditable service or is at least age 60, is eligible for an unreduced service retirement benefit. 

2. Early retirement - 55 years old with 5 years of service (vested) or 25 - 29 years

   • •  A vested member who is at least age 55 or has 25 years of creditable service is eligible to start receiving Early Retirement benefits before reaching Service Retirement eligibility. An Early Retirement benefit is permanently reduced based on the years of creditable service accrued and the number of months the retirement date precedes Service Retirement eligibility.

3. Disability retirement - 5 years of service (vested) or approved accident on the job

   • • To be considered eligible for ordinary disability benefits, a member must have at least five years of creditable service and suffer from a total and permanent disability that existed at and since the date of the member’s separation from employment. Ordinary Disability Benefits are equal to 90% of the service retirement benefit that would have been payable to the member. 

     •  No minimum service is required for accidental disability benefits. However, the member must apply within one year of the member’s last paid day of employment or within two years of the accident or incident causing the disability. Further, the disability must be the result of a job-related accident or injury that occurred without negligence on the part of the member while the member was in the performance of duty.

     • You must continue making payments for your health benefits pending the approval of the Disability Retirement application.

Your retirement date is the day after the last day you are physically in the building and working, unless you will turn 60 after the end of the school year, but prior to the end of your contract - in that case, it will be your 60th birthday.

For questions about retirement benefits, please contact Camille Stump, Benefits Specialist, at cstump@lakelandk12.org.

For questions about your TCRS pension, please contact Sherri Thomas from RetireReadyTN at sherri.thomas@empower.com or book an appointment here.

NOT ALL RETIREES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR OTHER POST EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS (OPEB), which includes health, dental, and vision insurance after retirement.

To determine eligibility for OPEB benefits, you should contact Human Resources (HR@lakelandk12.org) well in advance of your retirement (prior to submitting your retirement application).

LSS offers a basic life insurance policy worth one times your annual salary that will never reduce or expire.

You can reach out to American Fidelity and The Standard Group to port their products over; however, premiums for these products will not be deducted from your TCRS pension check.

• Unused sick leave is reported to TCRS at retirement.

• Every 20 unused days counts as one (1) month of service credit. For example, if you have 200 unused sick days, you will receive 10 months of additional service credit. This can be used to officially retire with 29 years and 2 months of service!

• Sick leave is not paid out at retirement or separation of service.

No, if you do not draw your pension at the time you separate from LSS, then you are not retiring; therefore, you are not eligible to continue health insurance.  You would be eligible to elect COBRA Continuation Coverage.

If you are eligible for OPEB benefits, you may cover your spouse after retirement under certain circumstances, but you should contact HR to determine eligibility.

Yes, the plan will provide benefits if the retiree should move outside of the Memphis area.

The transition from active employee benefits to retiree benefits is 09/01.  The member’s last day of active employee coverage is 08/31.

You will receive a letter from Human Resources each summer notifying you of when you can make changes to your insurance.

You can make changes at any time due to a qualifying event (see "I need to add or remove benefits because of a qualifying life event" below).

Your premiums are deducted from your TCRS check if you have enough to deduct. Otherwise, you will be billed by the Human Resources Department each month starting in the month of September.

All retirees on the Pre-65 retirement plan (MedBen) can use the clinic and pharmacy when they retire; however, retirees on the Post-65 Medicare Advantage plan cannot.

No, if the retiree ‘waives’ the Medicare Advantage plan, then they are waiving coverage for all family members.

NOT ALL RETIREES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR OTHER POST EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS (OPEB), which includes health, dental, and vision insurance after retirement.

Medicare coverage starts for most people on the first day of the month they turn 65. However, the exact start date depends on when you sign up. Your coverage under the LSS Medicare Advantage Plan will coincide with your Medicare Part A & B coverage.

The Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) begins three months before your 65th birthday and ends three months after. 

If you sign up during the IEP, your coverage starts the first day of the month you turn 65. 

If you sign up during the month you turn 65 or after, your coverage starts the first day of the month after you enroll.

Click on this link to find out more about:

 Social Security 

Medicare

If you need a MedBen medical/prescription ID card, visit medben.com or download the MedBen app. Once logged into your MedBen account, you can download a temporary ID card and request a permanent ID card be mailed to your home address. 

If you need a UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage ID card, visit the UHC Medicare Advantage website. Once logged into your UHC account, you can download a temporary ID card and request a permanent ID card be mailed to your home address. 

Likewise, if you need a copy of your dental or vision insurance ID card, you may login to your account or download the respective app to access a digital copy of your ID card.
Delta Dental
Davis Vision

(PRE-65 RETIREES ON MEDBEN ONLY)

You can find helpful information on our Care4Us Clinics and Care4Us pharmacy HERE.

The Care4Us Clinics have an app that can be downloaded. You will be able to message your provider, view test results, set up onsite, virtual, and telemedicine appointments. You can download the app HERE.

On the Care4Us Pharmacy website, you can view a list of the drugs carried by the pharmacy along with the $0 copay drugs, pharmacy hours, instructions on how to transfer a prescription, home delivery information, and information about how to book a medication review with the pharmacy.

If you receive a bill after you have paid your required copay, you should send a copy of the bill to our Benefits Specialist at cstump@lakelandk12.org.

DO NOT PAY THE BILL!

If you are seeking to make changes to your benefits due to a qualifying life event, you will need to complete a Benefits Election Change Form.

Once you have completed the form, our Benefits Specialist will review your request and provide any necessary updates.

Reach out to our Benefits Specialist at cstump@lakelandk12.org if you encounter any difficulties or have further questions regarding the benefits change process.

TCRS beneficiary and address changes are made through TCRS Online (www.mytcrs.com).

Contact LSS Human Resources for life insurance beneficiary changes (HR@lakelandk12.org).

Contact LSS Human Resources for mailing address changes (HR@lakelandk12.org).

The fee discount program provides a 25% discount on enrollment fees for undergraduate courses, generally referred to as tuition or maintenance fees, to the child of a:

• retired public school teacher with a minimum of 30 years of full-time creditable service in Tennessee public schools;

• retired public school teacher who received a disability retirement after a minimum of 25 years of full-time creditable service;

• deceased teacher who:

  • • was licensed by TDOE and employed full time in a Tennessee public school at the time of death;

    • died after entering retirement with 30 years of service of full-time creditable service in Tennessee public schools; or

    • died after entering disability retirement with 25 years of service of full-time creditable service in Tennessee public schools.

The discount will be applied to any number of courses up to and including full-time study.

Fee discounts are only available for courses classified as undergraduate as defined by the institutions.

To be eligible the child must:

• Be under the age of 24 as of the first day of classes; and

• Live with or previously lived in a parent-child relationship with the eligible retired teacher.

For a retired teacher, living or deceased, the retirement verification must be made by the Division of Retirement (TCRS). The otherwise completed form should be mailed or faxed to the attention of the Retired Payroll Section for verification as follows:

• TCRS, 15th Floor Andrew Jackson Building, 502 Deaderick Street, Nashville, TN 37243 or fax 615-401-6818. 

• Voice Toll-Free: 800-922-7772

• Telecommunication Device for Deaf Persons (TDD): 800-766-4952

If faxing the form you must include a mailing address to which the form can be returned to the employee as most institutions will require an original signature verifying eligibility.

The retired teacher or their dependent is responsible for submitting the fee discount form to the institution in a timely fashion. Each institution's procedures vary and the retired teacher or their dependent is encouraged to contact the Bursar's office of the institution to determine when the form must be submitted.