HR Update

It’s that time of year again! MOSERS’ Annual Life Insurance Review is open now through October 31, 2026.

Benefit-eligible employees who were actively employed before September 1, 2026, and already have optional life insurance may increase their coverage without proving insurability (no medical history statement required).

Coverage may be increased by $10,000 or $20,000, up to six times the employee’s annual salary (rounded to the nearest $10,000 increment), or a maximum of $800,000. This review period only applies to the employee’s coverage, not spouse or child(ren) coverage. No action is needed to keep coverage at its current level.

Department of Conservation and university employees (except State Technical College of Missouri and Lincoln University) are not eligible for life insurance through MOSERS, since those employers provide their own life insurance benefits.

MOSERS will email eligible employees and send a personalized letter in Document Express (their MOSERS online mailbox), outlining their optional life insurance coverage options. Employees without a valid email address on file will receive the letter by mail.

Employees who can’t complete the process online may contact a MOSERS benefit counselor for assistance via email at mosers@mosers.org or phone at (800) 827-1063.

Before increasing their coverage, employees can use the Optional Life Insurance Calculator to estimate their new premium amount.

Between now and October 31, 2026, employees can log in to myMOSERS, click the Increase Coverage button on the Member Dashboard, select their new level of coverage, then Save and Complete to submit their election.

The increase will take effect January 1, 2027, provided the employee meets the actively at work requirement described in the Life Insurance Handbook.

Employees will receive a confirmation letter in Document Express or by mail (if they’ve opted out of electronic delivery) showing their current 2026 coverage amount and premium, along with their new 2027 premium.

During the annual review period, the Increase Coverage button will display on the Member Dashboard. Employees who want to increase their existing coverage by $10,000 or $20,000 can do so by selecting the button and following the steps, with no proof of insurability required.

For coverage changes not included in the annual review, employees can log in to myMOSERS and select Enroll/Change Life Insurance Coverage at any time during the year. This includes increasing coverage by more than $20,000, decreasing or terminating coverage, enrolling for the first time, or adding or changing spouse or child(ren) coverage. Most of these require proof of insurability.

During the annual review period, employees should not use the Enroll/Change option to increase coverage by only $10,000 or $20,000. Using this option requires proof of insurability and can prevent or delay the increase.

Outside the annual review period, a qualifying family status change, such as marriage, birth, or adoption, allows employees to increase or add coverage without proving insurability if they act within 31 days. See the Life Insurance Handbook for details.

The Annual Benefit Statement includes each employee’s primary life insurance beneficiary designation. Please encourage employees to review and update their beneficiaries after a life event, such as a marriage, divorce, or death. Beneficiaries can be updated at any time in myMOSERS.

Every four years, the Annual Life Insurance Review becomes a true open enrollment. The next open enrollment period is October 2027 (next year). During open enrollment, employees who don’t have optional insurance may enroll in new coverage up to $100,000, and employees who already have coverage may increase it by up to $100,000 (both in $10,000 increments, without proving insurability).

This year’s review is a standard review year, meaning employees who already have coverage may increase it by up to $20,000. See the Annual Life Insurance Review page for more information.

The 2026 MOSERS Board of Trustees Election is open! Please encourage your employees to participate and vote. As active MOSERS members, they will help determine who holds two of the eleven positions on the MOSERS Board of Trustees.

YesElections, the third-party election administrator, has mailed an election notice with voting instructions to all eligible active MSEP, MSEP 2000, and MSEP 2011 members. Employees with a current email address on file with MOSERS will also receive reminder emails during the election period.

1. Via myMOSERS.
2. Directly through the YesElections voting site.
3. By phone at (844) 695-8672.

Note: This applies only to employers whose employees have basic life insurance coverage through MOSERS. No action is needed if your agency doesn’t offer MOSERS life insurance.

Please submit your Salary Verification Report(s) by Friday, September 4, 2026. Thank you to everyone who has already submitted theirs!

1. Log in to Phoenix.
2. Select Reporting from the left-hand menu.
3. Click Salary Verification
4. Select your Reporting Group(s).

For step-by-step instructions, see the Salary Verification Quick Guide. The Quick Guide is always available under the Training section on the Phoenix home screen.

• Basic life insurance coverage effective January 1, 2027, will be equal to one times the employee's annual salary as of July 31, 2026.
• Annual salary includes regular earnings from a benefit-eligible position, recurring shift differential, security differential, and retention pay.
• Annual salary excludes overtime, one-time payments, and wages from non-benefit-eligible positions.

If you have questions or need help working through the report, contact Employer Services at (800) 827-1063, option 2, or email us at employers@mosers.org.

Thank you for helping to ensure your employees have accurate life insurance coverage!

Note: This reminder applies only to employers whose employees have basic life insurance coverage through MOSERS. No action is needed if your agency doesn't offer MOSERS life insurance.

Thank you to everyone who has already submitted their Salary Verification Reports in Phoenix. If you haven't completed your report, please do so by Friday, September 4, 2026. This process ensures employees with basic life insurance through MOSERS receive the correct coverage for 2027

What You Need to Do

To access your Salary Verification Report:

1. Log in to Phoenix.
2. Select Reporting from the left-hand menu.
3. Click Salary Verification.
4. Select your Reporting Group(s).

Important Deadline: Submit your completed Salary Verification Report by Friday, September 4, 2026.

Resources Available

Step-by-step written instructions are available in the Salary Verification Quick Guide. You can also find the Quick Guide any time under the Training section on the Phoenix home screen.

Phoenix Employer Reporting offers two look-up tools, each designed with a specific purpose:

• Retirement Plan Look-Up (Tools>Retirement Plan Look-Up)

  Allows you to search for any individual in the system by National ID, whether or not they have worked for your agency. It displays only prior MOSERS-covered service, such as service dates, employer, and retirement plan. Use this tool when hiring to determine whether a candidate has prior covered service and to determine their plan under MOSERS.

• Employee Search (Tools>Employee>Search)  

  Returns only members within the reporting group(s) you have access to. After selecting an individual to open their Employee Information, you can view additional details, including total MOSERS-covered service, and, where applicable, life insurance and retirement contributions. Because results are limited to your reporting group, an individual with no prior service in that reporting group will not appear.

Back-to-school season is here, and it’s time to get back to the basics with MOSERS! Our sessions are designed to help members learn about their state employee benefits as they progress through their careers and experience different life events along the way.

Employees can start learning about their state benefits administered by MOSERS, including pension plan features, life insurance, long-term disability benefits, and their personal retirement savings plan options with MO Deferred Comp.

• For employees who are newer to the state with less than five years of service (not yet vested).
• Sessions last approximately 2 hours.
• Speakers include MOSERS and MO Deferred Comp.

Employees can learn how different career and life events may affect their MOSERS pension benefit.

• For employees with at least five years of service (vested) and five or more years until retirement eligibility.
• Sessions last approximately 2 hours.
• Speakers include MOSERS and MO Deferred Comp.

Employees can learn about pension plan features, life insurance and long-term disability benefits (for eligible members), the retirement process, and more!

• For employees within five years of retirement eligibility.
• Speakers include MOSERS, MO Deferred Comp, the Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan (MCHCP), and the Social Security Administration (SSA).
• Ready to Retire sessions include in-person seminars and online webinars (full-day) or evening webinars (3.5 hours).

Encourage your employees to join us this fall for a webinar or seminar! They can visit our Education page for schedule details and registration instructions.

Each August, we ask employers to verify the annual salaries of benefit-eligible employees with basic life insurance coverage through MOSERS. This step ensures your employees receive the correct life insurance coverage for the upcoming year.

After submitting your payroll report for the pay period ending July 31, your Salary Verification Report will be available in Phoenix.

• Log in to Phoenix.
• Select Reporting from the left-hand menu.
• Click Salary Verification.
• Choose your reporting group.

If your report opens with no employees listed, that means no salaries in your reporting group need verification this year — nothing further is required on your part. The report is considered complete.

Important Deadline: Submit your completed Salary Verification Report by Friday, September 4.

Step-by-step written instructions are available in the Salary Verification Quick Guide. You can also find the Quick Guide at any time under the Training section on the Phoenix Home screen.

Basic life insurance coverage effective January 1, 2027, is equal to one times the employee's annual salary as of July 31, 2026.

• Regular earnings from a benefit-eligible position.
• Recurring shift differential, security differential, and retention pay.

• Overtime or other irregular, one-time payments.
• Wages from non-benefit-eligible positions.

Based on feedback from agency representatives who completed the report last year, we've made a few enhancements to improve the experience and streamline the verification process:

• Export to Excel – You can now export both the Salary Rows to Verify and Past Rows Verified sections to Excel for easier review and recordkeeping.
• Separate Name Fields – First name and last name now appear in separate fields, allowing for improved sorting and filtering.
• Search Functionality – A search box is now available in both sections, making it easier to quickly locate specific employee records.

Contact Employer Services at (800) 827-1063, option 2, or email at employers@mosers.org.

Thank you for helping to ensure accurate life insurance coverage for your employees!

Each year, we ask employers to verify the salaries of benefit-eligible employees who have basic life insurance coverage through MOSERS. This process ensures employees receive the correct amount of coverage for the upcoming calendar year. Basic life coverage equals one times an employees annual salary ($15,000 minimum; $500,000 maximum) and adjusts each January based on the employee annual earnings in effect on July 31.

• Your Salary Verification Report will be generated after you submit your payroll report for the pay period ending July 31. Because reports generate as payroll is submitted, most will become available in mid-August.
• When your report is ready, you’ll receive an email letting you know a notice is waiting in your Phoenix Inbox. That notice will confirm your Salary Verification Report is available.
• All verifications must be completed by early September. We’ll confirm the exact deadline in the August instructions.

• We will provide written instructions in August, before the reports are ready, to help you complete the process in Phoenix.
• As always, the Employer Services team is available to assist you with your report.

• Annual earnings include normal earnings from a benefit-eligible position, including recurring shift differential, security differential, and retention pay.
• Do not include overtime or other irregular, one-time payments.
• If an employee holds both a benefit-eligible and a non-benefit-eligible position, only the earnings from the benefit-eligible position are included.

The 2026 Board Election is coming in August! Encourage your employees to cast their vote and participate in the Board Election process. As active MOSERS members, their vote will help determine who holds two of the eleven positions on the MOSERS Board of Trustees.

YesElections, the third-party election administrator, will mail an election notice to all eligible active and retired MSEP, MSEP 2000, and MSEP 2011 members to vote in the election starting on August 12. Members with a current email address on file with MOSERS will also receive an email notification when voting is open.

Please remind your employees to check their inboxes and update their contact information by logging in to myMOSERS.

Eligible members will have six weeks to vote online or by phone. The election period ends on September 23, 2026. For more information about the Board Election process, or to see the candidate bios, check out the Board Election page.

Let your employees know that we still have seats available at several in-person Ready to Retire seminars this summer!

Did you know that approximately 12% of members who attended a MOSERS seminar learned about it from HR? (More than 60% learned about it through a MOSERS email.) Please help us spread the word and encourage your employees to attend an upcoming Ready to Retire session. 

These sessions are designed for employees within five years of retirement eligibility. Members will learn about pension plan features, life insurance, long-term disability benefits (for eligible members), the retirement process, and more!

• Members can register at myMOSERS by selecting Enroll in Education from the I want to… menu.
• After reviewing the schedule, they can click Enroll next to the session they would like to attend and complete the registration information.
• We will send a registration confirmation to their MOSERS Document Express online mailbox and reminders leading up to the session.

Remind your employees to check out our Education page to see all the remaining 2026 seminar dates!

Members can call us at (800) 827-1063 if they are already registered for a session this year but would like to add their spouse or a guest. Available only while seats last!

• Use the Comparison Calculator to see the long-term impact of different retirement options.
• Log in to their MO Deferred Comp account and review their last statement.
• Open a mySocialSecurity account to review their most recent Social Security Statement.

Encourage your employees to join us for some summer fun at one of our Ready to Retire seminars!

The MOSERS optional life insurance premium calculator is a handy resource for employees exploring coverage options. Whether they're newly hired and enrolling for the first time through SEBES, or revisiting their coverage at any point in their career, they can compare premiums across different coverage amounts and see how premiums change with each five-year age bracket.

Optional life insurance can be elected, adjusted, or terminated at any time. However, enrollment outside the initial 31-day window requires a medical history statement or documentation of a qualifying family status change. For more detailed information about life insurance coverage, employees can visit our Life Insurance page or contact a MOSERS benefit counselor.

We hope you'll find these resources useful to pass along when employees have questions about their life insurance coverage.

When entering a new hire's salary in SEBES, please ensure the amount reflects the employee’s full benefit-eligible earnings and not base pay alone. For basic life insurance purposes, annual salary includes normal earnings plus any recurring differential pay (shift, security, and retention differentials). Overtime and other irregular payments are excluded.

An accurate salary entry in SEBES ensures new employees receive the full basic life insurance coverage they're entitled to. Please reach out to employers@mosers.org if you have any questions.

School may be out for the summer, but MOSERS education sessions are in! Encourage your staff to enroll in a seminar or webinar this summer.

As an HR rep, you are welcome to attend any member education session. See the enrollment information below or call us at (573) 644-1231. You can also email MOSERSEducation@mosers.org.

We still have seats available at several Ready to Retire in-person seminars and online webinars for this summer. These sessions are designed for general state employees within five years of retirement eligibility.

School is always more fun with a friend! Members are welcome to bring a spouse or guest. Guests can be added during the enrollment process in myMOSERS.

Members can log in to myMOSERS, then select Enroll in Education from the I want to... menu. Next, they can choose the session they would like to attend and complete the registration information.

We hope you will join us this summer at a seminar or webinar near you!

May 2 was Human Resource Professionals Day, and we want to take a moment to express our appreciation for all that you do.

Your role as a vital liaison between MOSERS and our members is crucial, and your dedication to educating employees about the benefits we provide is truly valued.

HR professionals play an essential role in Missouri's success—shaping policies, supporting employees, and fostering a culture of growth and well-being. Every day, you make a difference in people’s lives.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership!

Designation of Agent - May 2026

Direct Deposit Authorization form - April 2026

Division of Benefits Order - Request for Estimate form - April 2026

Tax Withholding Authorization and IRS W-4P form - April 2026

Tax-Free Rollover Certification Form (Purchasing or Transferring Service Credit) - April 2026