Current Retiree Benefits & Privileges

The university offers retiree medical and dental coverage for eligible retirees and their eligible dependents—the same coverage available to active employees and their families.

As an alternative to the JHU retiree medical plans for those 65 or older, you may want to consider Aptia365 (formerly Mercer Marketplace 356+), which provides access to the Mercer Retiree Exchange Platform and to one-on-one help from a licensed retiree benefits counselor. Choose from Medicare Supplement Plans, Medicare Advantage Plans, prescription drug plans, dental and vision.

For details, visit the Retiree Health section of the Benefits & Worklife website.

Because you have separated from employment, you will automatically receive COBRA information and costs sent to your home.  Do not pay this amount if you do not intend to enroll in COBRA medical, dental, or vision coverage. If you will immediately be covered by Medicare or a spouse’s medical insurance, you do not need COBRA medical.

If you enroll in the CareFirst Retiree Core PPO Plan, you will have access to live personalized support through your personal Quantum Health Care Coordinator. Quantum Health believes no request is too big or too small. See how they can help.

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For 18 months after retirement, you are entitled to use the services of the Johns Hopkins Employee Assistance Program (JHEAP). In addition to counseling, this benefit offers on-line resources for estate planning, relocation, physical wellness, discount programs, and more.

Visit CCA@YourService (Company Code: JHEAP) to access resources. Call 888-978-1262 or chat on-line through Live Connect.

CareFirst Retiree Core PPO Plan members have access to MDLive, a telehealth service where you can visit with board-certified doctors and mental health professionals by video or phone. MDLive is a low-cost, convenient option for non-emergency medical conditions and behavioral health, with a $20 copay per visit. MDLive doctors are available 24/7/365 to diagnose and treat urgent care needs and can have a prescription sent directly to your pharmacy, if appropriate.

Register online, call 1-888-632-2738, or text “Doctor” to 635483 to create your account. How to create your MDLive account

Coverage continues until the end of the month in which your employment ends. If you wish to convert your life insurance or AD&D insurance, you must do so within 31 days of retirement. Securian Financial will send you the conversion information with the new rates. You can also call them directly at 866-293-6047. There is no obligation to take the converted policy.

Remaining vacation balances are paid out to support staff and senior staff retirees (excludes faculty and appointed senior staff).  In addition, support staff and senior staff retirees (excludes faculty and appointed senior staff) are paid out unused sick leave in excess of 45 days to cash payment. The maximum number of sick leave days that can be accrued is 90 days and the maximum number that can be converted to cash payment is 45 days.

You can receive the value of your 403(b) account when you retire from the University.  After retirement, you have these options:

• Leave your monies invested in the JHU account
• Begin to receive a distribution from the account. You will need to contact your JHU investment company to initiate this.
• Transfer the account in total or in part from JHU to another investment option. You will need to contact both the company receiving the transfer as well as your JHU investment company to accomplish this.

Contact the Johns Hopkins University Retirement Center at TIAA at 888-200-4074 for assistance. Looking for personalized financial advice?  Schedule a one-on-one session with a TIAA financial consultant.

You can continue to save money through our two employee discount programs LifeMart and Perks at Work, which offer savings on a host of products and services—from new and used cars to hotel rooms, restaurants, car rentals, and tickets to your favorite theme parks. Visit the Discounts page of the Benefits & Worklife website.

You and your family members are eligible for a 15% discount on prescription eyewear, frames, lenses, and lens treatments, 10% off nonprescription sunglasses, and 5% off contact lenses for a six-month supply at the Wilmer Eye Institute.  You also can receive a discount of $500 per eye on any laser correction procedure.

Call 410-955-9373 for more information and a list of locations.

For laser correction procedures, call 410-955-5080 and select option 2.

Some discounts are available to JHU retirees.  Check with the Johns Hopkins Technology Store at 410-516-0448 for details.

You are eligible for a 25% discount on JHU Press books. To place an order online, use the four-letter code HJAY for discounts. Use the same code to order by phone; identify yourself as a retiree to the customer service representative, and the discount will be applied. For information, visit the Johns Hopkins University Press website or call 410-516-6956.

Unless you are a faculty member or have another affiliation with Johns Hopkins, your JHED account will be disabled 90 days after your retirement date. You will no longer be able to access your current Johns Hopkins email account and the contents in that mailbox will be unrecoverable.

As part of your retiree benefits, you are eligible for a retiree email account with the address <[email protected]>. This is a fully functioning email account and you will need to register it within 90 days of your retirement date.

Upon retirement, you will receive an email in your employee account with instructions and a temporary password. In order to set up your retiree email account, you will first need to log in to your employee account for this information. For your reference, you may view sample instructions here. If you do not receive the email with instructions and your temporary password, please contact [email protected] to confirm your eligibility for a retiree email.

Note that emails and contact lists stored in your Hopkins employee email account will not automatically transfer to your new retiree email account. During the 90-day transition period before your JHED account is deactivated, save your contact lists and forward important personal emails.

For additional questions or assistance setting up your retiree email account, please contact the IT Help Desk at 410-955-HELP (4357).

In-state residents can purchase Maryland or Delaware license plates with the Johns Hopkins seal at a cost of $10 for Delaware and $35 for Maryland. For information or an order form, call Alumni Relations at 410-516-0363.

Faculty retirees can use their JHED ID to access the University Libraries onsite and remotely, with the same access as current faculty.

Staff retirees can obtain a free library card that grants entry and borrowing privileges to the University Libraries. Access to electronic resources is not available for staff retirees due to publisher license agreements. Before visiting the library to obtain your retiree library card, call 410-516-8335 or [email protected] to obtain a library card.

Retirees who are also alumni have additional access to select electronic resources through the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association licensed databases for alumni. Please contact the Alumni Association at [email protected] or 1-800-548-5481 for more information.

MSE Library Renovation
The Milton S. Eisenhower Library is closed for a multi-year renovation beginning in June 2024. The renovation will transform MSE into a more modern, accessible, and innovative resource for both digital and print-based scholarship at Johns Hopkins University. During the renovation, staff retirees can pick up requested books at the Annex and are encouraged to e-mail [email protected] 24 hours ahead, Monday – Friday. There are no public computers or browsable on-site circulating collection available. Please contact [email protected] or 410-516-8335 for more information.

As a university retiree, you are eligible for 100% tuition remission on credit courses, 80% on noncredit courses, and 25% remission on private instruction at the Peabody Institute. Your spouse, same sex domestic partner, and dependent children are eligible for 50% remission for credit and noncredit courses and 25% for private instruction at Peabody.

A maximum of $5,250 for tuition remission for credit courses per family is offered each calendar year for part-time study; the annual maximum for dependents is $2,625.

Two JHU programs for noncredit courses that retirees are encouraged to explore are the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Johns Hopkins and the Odyssey Program at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

For more information, visit the Tuition Assistance page of the Benefits & Worklife website.

To receive tuition remission, you must complete a tuition remission form and submit it to your divisional Human Resources Office or the Benefits Service Center confirming retirement status before registering.

As a JHU retiree, you are eligible for the Tuition Grant Plan which allows dependent children to receive tuition support for full-time, undergraduate studies at an accredited, degree-granting institution. For more information visit the Tuition Grant page of the Benefits & Worklife website.

You are able to enjoy some of the same resources you enjoyed as an employee. You may register for an annual membership at the O’Connor Recreation Center.

You are eligible to take advantage of discounted JHU employee rates for the WeightWatchers weight loss program.

You are invited to join this private social club, which provides a place to gather, dine, and socialize. For information visit the Johns Hopkins Club website.

Complimentary tickets to all Blue Jays regular season home games are available to retirees upon request, starting each year in February. Retiree ID required. Call 410-516-7490.

You may receive discounts on tours at the Evergreen Museum & Library and the Homewood Museum. For information and a schedule of upcoming events, visit the Johns Hopkins Museums website or call 410-516-0341 for the Evergreen Museum or 410-516-5589 for the Homewood Museum.

You also may be eligible for discounts on tickets to performances by the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra, at Peabody, and in the Shriver Hall Concert Series. Check with each organization about discounts for JHU retirees.