Optional Add-on Benefits

In addition to comprehensive health insurance and a pension that pays a lifetime annuity to eligible retirees from state agencies, ERS offers a variety of optional benefits to help members and their families live healthy, productive and financially secure lives.

Optional benefits available to employees and retirees include:

• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Optional life insurance:
  • Optional life for employees
  • Optional life for retirees
    Note: Optional life insurance requires evidence of insurability, unless a new employee applies within 31 days of hire.
• Dependent Term Life Insurance:
  • Dependent Term Life for employees
  • Dependent Term Life for retirees
    Note: Dependent life insurance requires evidence of insurability unless a new employee applies within 31 days of hire or has a qualifying life event.
• Discount Purchase Program

Optional benefits available only to employees include:

• Short-term and long-term disability insurance that provides income when you’re unable to work, through the Texas Income Protection Plan^SM (TIPP)
  Note: Disability insurance requires evidence of insurability unless a new employee applies within 31 days of hire. 
• Voluntary Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
• TexFlex^SM flexible spending accounts (FSA) that help you save money on income taxes by letting you set aside money from your paycheck, pre-tax, to use for eligible out-of-pocket expenses including:
  • health care,
  • dependent care, while you're at work
  • dental care and
  • vision care.

Optional benefits are paid for 100% by participants. The State of Texas does not provide funding for optional benefits or their administration.

ERS manages optional benefits, and contracts with third-party administrators to help keep costs low.