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THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS ARE AMBIGUOUS ON THE ISSUE WHETHER COUNTY RETIREES WHO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE ARE ENTITLED TO THE FULL MEDICAL BENEFITS AFFORDED THEM AT RETIREMENT, EXTRINSIC EVIDENCE, I.E., WHAT HAD BEEN DONE IN THE PAST, SUPPORTS THE DETERMINATION THAT RETIREES WHO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE ARE NOT ENTITLED TO FULL BENEFITS (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department determined retired Monroe County employees who become eligible for Medicare are not entitled to the full medical insurance benefits which were afforded them at retirement. The collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) were deemed ambiguous on the issue and the court looked to what had been done in the past as controlling extrinsic evidence:

Inasmuch as the contract language is reasonably susceptible of more than one interpretation, we conclude that the CBAs are ambiguous with respect to whether retirees who are eligible for or enrolled in Medicare are entitled to fully-paid health insurance coverage that is equivalent to the insurance coverage in effect at the time they retired. Thus, we turn to extrinsic evidence to determine the parties’ intent with respect to the health insurance coverage to be provided to those retirees who are eligible for or enrolled in Medicare. Where, as here, “a contract is ambiguous, its interpretation remains the exclusive function of the court unless determination of the intent of the parties depends on the credibility of extrinsic evidence or on a choice among reasonable inferences to be drawn from extrinsic evidence’ ” … . …

For decades, defendants provided retirees who were not yet eligible for Medicare with health insurance benefits, but provided retirees enrolled in Medicare with only Medicare supplement plans. No objection was made and, until recently, the union representing plaintiffs never sought to negotiate any additional benefits for retirees eligible for or enrolled in Medicare. Ames v County of Monroe, 2018 NY Slip Op 04886, Fourth Dept 6-29-18

​MUNICIPAL LAW (EMPLOYMENT LAW, THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS ARE AMBIGUOUS ON THE ISSUE WHETHER COUNTY RETIREES WHO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE ARE ENTITLED TO THE FULL MEDICAL BENEFITS AFFORDED THEM AT RETIREMENT, EXTRINSIC EVIDENCE, I.E., WHAT HAD BEEN DONE IN THE PAST, SUPPORTS THE DETERMINATION THAT RETIREES WHO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE ARE NOT ENTITLED TO FULL BENEFITS (FOURTH DEPT))/CONTRACT LAW (MUNICIPAL LAW, THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS ARE AMBIGUOUS ON THE ISSUE WHETHER COUNTY RETIREES WHO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE ARE ENTITLED TO THE FULL MEDICAL BENEFITS AFFORDED THEM AT RETIREMENT, EXTRINSIC EVIDENCE, I.E., WHAT HAD BEEN DONE IN THE PAST, SUPPORTS THE DETERMINATION THAT RETIREES WHO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE ARE NOT ENTITLED TO FULL BENEFITS (FOURTH DEPT))/EMPLOYMENT LAW (MUNICIPAL LAW, THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS ARE AMBIGUOUS ON THE ISSUE WHETHER COUNTY RETIREES WHO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE ARE ENTITLED TO THE FULL MEDICAL BENEFITS AFFORDED THEM AT RETIREMENT, EXTRINSIC EVIDENCE, I.E., WHAT HAD BEEN DONE IN THE PAST, SUPPORTS THE DETERMINATION THAT RETIREES WHO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE ARE NOT ENTITLED TO FULL BENEFITS (FOURTH DEPT))/COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS (MUNICIPAL LAW, THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS ARE AMBIGUOUS ON THE ISSUE WHETHER COUNTY RETIREES WHO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE ARE ENTITLED TO THE FULL MEDICAL BENEFITS AFFORDED THEM AT RETIREMENT, EXTRINSIC EVIDENCE, I.E., WHAT HAD BEEN DONE IN THE PAST, SUPPORTS THE DETERMINATION THAT RETIREES WHO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE ARE NOT ENTITLED TO FULL BENEFITS (FOURTH DEPT))/MEDICAL INSURANCE BENEFITS (MUNICIPAL LAW, EMPLOYMENT LAW, THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS ARE AMBIGUOUS ON THE ISSUE WHETHER COUNTY RETIREES WHO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE ARE ENTITLED TO THE FULL MEDICAL BENEFITS AFFORDED THEM AT RETIREMENT, EXTRINSIC EVIDENCE, I.E., WHAT HAD BEEN DONE IN THE PAST, SUPPORTS THE DETERMINATION THAT RETIREES WHO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE ARE NOT ENTITLED TO FULL BENEFITS (FOURTH DEPT))

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