July 6, 2026 — Sick leave credit changes proposed in the tentative 2026-2031 PS&T agreement would be based on a 2015 life expectancy table, rather than the current 1999 tables, for employees retiring on or after Jan. 1, 2027.
What does that mean for you?
Sick leave credit is the actuarial value of your monthly sick leave credit, calculated at the time of retirement, and used to offset the monthly cost of your New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) premium.
People are living longer, and with the updated life expectancy tables, the value of your sick leave at retirement will be less. Your calculation is different depending on your salary and the hours you work each week. Your hourly rate of pay includes annual salary plus additional factors such as location pay, shift or geographic differential, and inconvenience pay.
As an example: A member with a total annual salary of $90,000; the maximum 200 days, or 1,600 sick leave hours accrued; and a 40-hour workweek (8 hours a day), would earn a sick leave credit of $68,960. This equates to $204.63 under the current 1999 life expectancy table and $182.43 under the proposed 2015 table – a difference of $22/month if retiring at age 55. Retirement at 65 would equate to $286.14 a month under the old tables and $248.95 under the proposed – a difference of $38 a month.
While PEF wants members to be aware of this pending change in how sick leave credit will be calculated if the contract is ratified, members should keep in mind that the across-the-board raises they earn each year of the contract will also increase the value of each hour of sick leave, since their wages will be increasing year over year.
You can calculate your own sick leave by visiting www.cs.ny.gov/employee-benefits/login (this currently reflects the 1999 tables, but will be updated if the contract is ratified).
For more information, watch this video about calculating sick leave credit.