Thank you again for attending the 2021 Benefits U Conference! We certainly appreciate all of your feedback and invite you to enjoy the 2021 BU Recap! We have also reviewed and edited the recordings for each track and removed the introduction, breaks, and wrap-up sessions to allow direct access to the session content. All four tracks are on the BU Online page. This is a private channel accessible only via this link. If prompted, you may register to watch the recording by entering your name and email address. Each recording provides a timing breakdown and you may easily move through the recordings by using the progress bar at the bottom once you hit play. Recordings are also available on the BU Webpage.  

Phoenix

If you attended BU, you received a sneak peek of Phoenix! Phoenix is the new pension administration system, which you will be using to interact with MOSERS starting in the next 12 to 18 months. 

For those of you who attended BU, if you felt overwhelmed with all the information regarding Phoenix, don’t worry! If you did NOT attend Benefits U, don’t worry!

Thorough training and ongoing support are in the future and will be provided closer to our go-live date. Attendees saw how efficient and automated Phoenix will be as it interacts behind the scenes with SAM II and non-SAM II payroll files. This level of automation will improve the accuracy of our member data, which ultimately increases customer service.

If you would like more information regarding Phoenix, you can read past HR Update articles about Phoenix here. 

We cannot do what we do without YOU! Thank you for all of the work you put in to help us serve our members.

Please share with your employees!

Before receiving a benefit payment from MOSERS, IRS rules require a “bona fide termination” of a member’s employment. For purposes of MOSERS Board Rules, a "bona fide termination" occurs when:

• They have completely severed employment;
• They have not entered into a prearranged agreement (written or oral), prior to retirement, with the State of Missouri or any MOSERS-covered employer for subsequent employment on any basis (full-time, part-time, or other); and
• They are not subsequently employed with the State of Missouri or any MOSERS-covered employer on any basis (full-time, part-time, or other) within 30 days after their employment with their prior employer has ended.

For more information please see our  FAQs on Termination and Reemployment Rules and our Termination and Reemployment Rules flyer

Please note that if they do not have a bona fide separation of service, their retirement will be null and void, meaning they will not receive their pension payments.

Sick leave hours accrued by an employee at a MOSERS covered college or university may be transferred to a state agency or vice versa.

To verify a member’s transferred sick leave from a state agency to a MOSERS covered college or university position, you will need to do the following:

• The HR representative from the college or university will need to contact the SAM II HR representative from the employee’s previous state agency employer.
• For agencies that do not report sick leave in SAM II, unused sick leave should be reported in hours only (not days). If the employee has no sick leave, please enter “0.” Do not leave blank.

For retirement purposes, employees may receive service credit for unused sick leave as reported by the last employer only.

Termination and Reemployment Rules flyer – September 2021

Benefits Provider Table – September 2021

Leave of Absence Impact on Your MOSERS Benefits flyer – September 2021

MOSERS Organization Chart – September 2021

Division of Benefits Order – Request for Estimate Form – August 2021

Life Services Toolkit Flyer – August 2021

Total Compensation Calculator – July 2021

For more information please visit MOSERS' Online Library: https://www.mosers.org/library

30-Day Separation of Service Reminder 

Annual Term Life Insurance Review

Benefits U Conference

Phoenix Update

HR Update: New Tags Feature

Before receiving a benefit payment from MOSERS, IRS rules require a “bona fide termination” of a member’s employment. For purposes of MOSERS Board Rules, a "bona fide termination" occurs when:

• They have completely severed employment;
• They have not entered into a prearranged agreement (written or oral), prior to retirement, with the State of Missouri or any MOSERS-covered employer for subsequent employment on any basis (full-time, part-time, or other); and
• They are not subsequently employed with the State of Missouri or any MOSERS-covered employer on any basis (full-time, part-time, or other) within 30 days after their employment with their prior employer has ended.

For more information please see our FAQs on Separation of Service.

Please note that if they do not have a bona fide separation of service, their retirement will be null and void, meaning they will not receive their pension payments.

It’s that time of year again! The month of October is your employees’ window of opportunity to increase their optional life insurance coverage without proving insurability. Eligible employees can increase their coverage (in increments of $10,000) by up to $20,000 without proving insurability provided the coverage amount does not exceed 6 times their annual salary or $800,000.  Please note this review period does not apply to spouse and child(ren) coverage (see FAQs). If your employees wish to maintain their current level of coverage, no action is required.

Updating Their Beneficiaries

Included on your employees’ Annual Benefit Statement is their primary life insurance beneficiary designation. If their beneficiaries have had a life change that may affect this information, such as a marriage, divorce, or death, please encourage them to update their beneficiary designations as soon as possible. For your employees’ convenience, they may quickly and easily update their beneficiary designations online by following these steps:

• Log in to myMOSERS
• Click on Forms then Life Insurance Beneficiaries in the top menu.
• Follow the instructions for completing and submitting the online form.

The new designation form will become effective upon receipt at MOSERS.

Remind Employees to Check Their Email

In late September, MOSERS sends instructions via email to eligible members explaining how to increase coverage. They may view their notification in their Document Express folder. Please encourage them to read it carefully. If there is no valid email address on file for them, MOSERS will send a letter to them in the mail.

Note: All MOSERS members have access to Document Express. They may use ESS and go to MOSERS. Or log in to myMOSERS and follow the prompts. To create their MOSERS Online ID & password they must have a valid email address on file with MOSERS. If they cannot enroll online, please have them contact a benefit counselor at (800) 827-1063 for assistance.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Annual Term Life Insurance Review, your employees must:

• Be actively employed in a MOSERS benefit-eligible position.
• Be currently insured with less than the maximum amount of optional life insurance coverage (the lesser of six times their annual salary or $800,000).

Online Election Method

If your employee wishes to increase their optional life insurance coverage amount, have them go to their MOSERS Member Homepage through ESS or log in to myMOSERS between October 1 and October 31, 2021 (midnight). On their MOSERS Member Homepage, they will need to simply click on the Learn More button and follow the steps to increase their coverage.

Confirmation of Their Election

If they increase their coverage, their confirmation letter will be posted to their Document Express, which they can access by logging in to myMOSERS. They will receive an email notification alerting them when it is posted and ready to be viewed; they may then save it to their computer, or print it. If they opted out of electronic delivery, they will receive a confirmation letter in the mail reflecting any changes to their coverage.

Important Details

• To aid in their decision, they will be provided with their current 2021 coverage amount and monthly premiums, as well as what their new 2022 premiums will be if they opt for the increase.
• Any new elections in October will go into effect on January 1, 2022, as long as they meet the “Actively-at-Work” requirement. More information is available in the Life Insurance Handbook.
• Term life insurance proceeds are paid to their beneficiary(ies) when they die. It has no cash or loan value.
• They can use the Optional Life Insurance Calculator to determine the premiums for themselves.

MOSERS’ life insurance is not available to employees of the Department of Conservation or state regional universities (except State Technical College of Missouri & Lincoln University), because those employers provide their own life insurance benefits.

Optional Term Life Insurance FAQs

Q: Can they decrease or terminate their optional life insurance coverage?

A: Yes. They must complete an Enrollment/Change - Optional Life Insurance form and submit it to MOSERS. The form can be completed and submitted electronically by logging in to myMOSERS. This can be done at any time throughout the year. Remember, to be eligible for future annual review periods, they must maintain at least $10,000 of optional life insurance coverage.

Q: Can they continue their optional life insurance into retirement?

A: Yes. If they retire within 60 days of leaving state employment, the state will continue to provide $5,000 in basic life insurance coverage at no cost to them. They may retain up to $60,000 in optional life insurance, provided they had at least that amount while actively employed. They may retain all their coverage until age 62 if they retire under the “Rule of 80" in MSEP 2000 or under the “Rule of 90” in MSEP 2011. At age 62, the coverage amount will automatically reduce to $60,000. They may reduce or terminate their optional life coverage amount after they retire, but they may not increase it.

Q: Can they purchase (or increase) coverage for their spouse or dependent child during the annual review?

A: They may increase coverage on a spouse at any time, but will need to prove insurability. To do so, they must complete and submit the following forms by logging in to  myMOSERS:

• Standard Medical History Statement
• Enrollment/Change - Optional Life Insurance

Dependent changes for eligible children can be requested at any time without proof of insurability, not just during October. The coverage amount will remain $10,000 per child with a premium of $2 per month, regardless of the number of insured children. For coverage purposes only, a child is defined as the member's child from live birth to age 26. This includes dependent stepchildren and grandchildren, adopted children, and children for whom the member is the court-appointed legal guardian provided they are living with the member. Full-time members of the armed forces of any country, regardless of age, are not included in the definition of an eligible child.

Disabled children older than age 26, who are continuously incapable of self-sustaining employment because of developmental, intellectual, or physical handicap and are dependent on the member for support, are also eligible for dependent coverage. However, the member must provide proof that their child is handicapped and be approved by Standard Insurance Company for continued coverage. (They may request a Continued Dependent Life Insurance for a Disabled Child form from a MOSERS benefit counselor.)

Q: Can they enroll in the Optional Life Insurance Plan if they are currently not enrolled?

A: If they have a family status change (includes marriage, divorce or legal separation; birth of a child; adoption of a child; or death of a spouse or child), they may be eligible to apply for up to $30,000 of optional life insurance coverage, in $10,000 increments, for themselves without proving insurability. Those previously denied coverage or already carrying the maximum coverage are not eligible. They must complete an Enrollment/Change - Optional Life Insurance form within 31 days of the event and submit proof of family status change. Otherwise, to enroll in the Optional Life Insurance Plan, they will need to submit the online Medical History Statement along with the Enrollment/Change - Optional Life Insurance form and be approved by Standard Insurance Company.

Q: Can they increase their optional life insurance coverage by MORE than $20,000 if they don’t have a family status change as described above

A: As a MOSERS member, they may increase coverage on themselves at any time, but they must prove insurability. To do so, they must complete and submit the following forms by logging in to myMOSERS:

• Standard Medical History Statement
• Enrollment/Change - Optional Life Insurance

Thank you for attending the 2021 Benefits U Conference! We enjoyed the sessions and hope you did too. We will be reviewing and preparing the recordings to post to the website and will let you know when they are live. We will be sharing a recap of the conference including your feedback in the October HR Update.   

If you attended Benefits U, then you received a sneak peek of Phoenix! Phoenix is the new pension administration system, which you will be using to interact with MOSERS starting in the next 12 to 18 months. Those who were able to join us at Benefits U saw how efficient and automated Phoenix will be as it interacts behind the scenes with SAM II and non-SAM II payroll files. This level of automation will improve the accuracy of our member data which ultimately increases customer service. Although there was a lot to take in with all the Phoenix demos, those that attended noticed the ease of use and how intuitive it is. There are errors and warnings built in to call your attention to invalid pieces of data that do not pass the controls programmed into the system. Phoenix will give you direction on what needs to be addressed and how. Think of it as having a personal assistant coaching you through the process.

If those of you who attended were overwhelmed with all the information, don’t worry! Within the next few weeks, we will upload the recorded video session demonstrations to the Benefits U page. Keep in mind that this was only a sneak peek. Thorough training and ongoing support are in the future and will be provided closer to our go-live date. We cannot do what we do without YOU! Thank you for all of the work you put in to help serve our members.

If you were unable to attend BU this year, stay tuned because we will be posting the recorded sessions in the coming weeks. Check the BU page for updates!

We extended an invitation to attendees of Benefits U to ask for what they would like to see in Phoenix. Carson Lepper, Phoenix Project Manager, asked payroll reps to email PMO@mosers.org with their requests using the following format “As a_______________I want________________so that _______________. To give you an idea of what a completed statement like this might look like here are some examples.

As a payrep/human resource manager

I want to access any member's service history

so that if an employee has breaks in service, I can accurately calculate their Leave Progression Date for SAMII purposes.

As a personnel officer at DPS

I want the Eligible to Retire Report to allow me to select multiple organizations in one run

so that I can run the organizations I am responsible for and see them all at one time.

As a payrep/human resource manager

I want a report of changes made to the submitted payroll file

So that I can accurately request 1DEDs/NDED in SAMII.

As a payrep/human resource manager

I want the Phoenix/PMO support staff to be easily accessible during implementation, either via phone, virtual meeting, or email

so that if I have difficulty uploading payroll, I have the extra support to walk me through the screens.

If you submit an idea to PMO@mosers.org we will reach out to you so we can fully understand your request. Providing your idea in the given format, allows us to begin thinking about the scope, complexity, and value of your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

We have recently updated our HR update webpage with a NEW feature. Similar to our Rumor Central Blog, the HR Update page now features a tags sidebar. This allows you to filter through the posts based on the subject (or tag) of the post. We know HR Update is an important resource for MOSERS employers. Keeping this platform up to date and efficient is a top priority. If you have ideas about how to improve HR Update, please email nicoled@mosers.org.

Benefits Provider Table – September 2021

MOSERS Organization Chart – September 2021

Division of Benefits Order – Request for Estimate Form – August 2021

Life Services Toolkit Flyer – August 2021

Total Compensation Calculator – July 2021

For more information please visit MOSERS' Online Library: https://www.mosers.org/library

Benefits U Conference

Employer Training Webinar

Invalid Address Report

Salary Verification

Scheduling In-Person Visits

Internal Transfers

Transferring Sick Leave

Current Email Addresses

Benefit-Eligible Positions

Registration is OPEN!

Register Today!

If there is someone else in your office that may be interested in attending the Benefits U Conference, please forward this invite directly to them. Thank you!

Transfers & Terms 2.0 – Recording Available

Follow the link below to view the recording of the Transfers & Terms 2.0 Employer Training Webinar previously held on July 29, 2021. To register to watch the recording, enter your name and email address. To move through the recording use the progress bar at the bottom:

Employer Forms Webinar Transfers & Terms 2.0 - RECORDING

00 – 11 min: Intro, Resources, MOSERS Forms

11 – 39 min: Transfers

39 – 48 min: Terminations

48 – 56 min: Employer Webpage; Q & A; Wrap-up

Download webinar handouts.

Content was presented by Juanita Mummert, Assistant Benefits Officer-Education, Jamie Mullen, Employer Services Manager, Juanita Libbert, Receivables Analyst & Shelley Lehmann, Contribution Analyst.

Preparing for MOSERS Annual Life Insurance Review

MOSERS is making final preparations for our Annual Optional Term Life Insurance Review which will occur during the month of October. MOSERS does not send mail to members who have an invalid address on file in our system. It is important that we have correct mailing addresses on file for all benefit-eligible employees. Please sign in to the Employer Login and select the MOSERS Invalid Address report. Submit any necessary changes as soon as possible so that eligible employees will receive their review forms at the proper mailing address.

The Salary Verification Report is ready to work. If you are responsible for working this report, please sign in to the Employer Login, hover over the Error Reports heading, and click the Salary Verification Report.

Names of individuals responsible for working the report will appear. You may view any or all portions of the report by clicking on the appropriate name or department. You will then be able to submit your responses to MOSERS electronically.

The report is essential in ensuring that covered employees receive the correct amount of life insurance coverage each year. The report must be completed by September 7th.

Eligible employees receive one times their annual salary in basic life insurance coverage. The amount of coverage adjusts each January according to the employee's annual earnings in effect on July 31 of the previous year or the employee's first day of coverage, if not covered on July 31.

• Annual earnings include normal earnings from a benefit-eligible position, including shift differential pay.
• Overtime pay and other irregular payments are excluded from annual earnings.
• If an employee is working in both a benefit-eligible and non-benefit eligible position at the same time, only pay from the benefit-eligible position is included in annual earnings.

For the report, MOSERS used the SAM II base salary plus shift differential pay from the July 2021 payroll file to update basic and optional life insurance coverage amounts for most state employees. Manual salary verification is still needed for hourly and intermittent employees, employees on leave, employees working in multiple positions, and anyone not in SAM II.

Last year we received a few inquiries regarding the pay types of "retention pay," a "security differential," and "COVID-19 pay." Please note:

• Retention pay and a security differential (just as a shift differential noted above) are included in annual earnings.
• COVID-19 pay, on the other hand, is excluded from annual earnings.

Did you know we have several benefit counselors who are available to meet with employees face to face in our Jefferson City office?

If members have questions about their MOSERS retirement, life insurance, or long-term disability benefits, they can certainly ask those questions over the phone or by email. However, if they prefer, they can schedule an appointment in our office. Counselors are available to assist members from 8:00 a.m. until noon and from 1:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Our office is open during the noon hour for members who would like to drop off forms, however, we also have a drop box outside our office available 24/7.

Our benefit counselors can:
• Print off benefit estimates while you are here
• Discuss your retirement options
• Show you how to retire online
• Personally assist you if you need to submit a claim for life insurance or long-term disability
• And so much more!
Please encourage your employees to make an appointment in advance and to see our tips for in person visits.

If employees would rather meet virtually, instead of in-person, they can just let us know when they contact us to schedule an appointment. We will set it up through GoToMeeting, making it easy to connect one-on-one with a benefit counselor.

Please note that a transfer form should be submitted to report the internal transfer of an employee. An internal transfer is when an employee moves from one organization or section to another within the same agency or department, this includes moving from one facility or work location to another within the same agency or department.

The transfer form alerts MOSERS of a change in pay location for the employee and their service records are updated accordingly. Submitting the transfer form is important to help MOSERS maintain accurate service records and ensure the salary received for an employee aligns with their service.

Please encourage your employees to provide us with their current email addresses.

• In order to receive their benefits, it’s important that we have their current address on file!
• Members must have a current email address on file to set up or to change their myMOSERS Online ID and password.
• This will also be important for the upcoming MOSERS Board elections next year.

They can update their email and mailing address by logging in to myMOSERS. Selecting Personal Information then clicking Update Personal Information. Please note that updates to email or mailing addresses become effective by the next working day. If they are unable to do so online, please have them contact a MOSERS benefit counselor, who will be happy to assist.

Or, as a pay rep, you can update employee email addresses directly through the Missing Email Report. Log in to the MOSERS Employer Login. Once logged in, navigate to the Error Reports dropdown and select Missing Email Report. Select an employee from the report and click Update Email. Enter a valid email address for the employee and click Update. The Missing Email Report refreshes daily. Updates submitted through the report become effective the next working day. View the Error Reports Tab video for a step-by-step demonstration of the Missing Email Report beginning at minute 1:36.