If members have questions about their MOSERS benefits, including retirement, life insurance, and long-term disability insurance, they can certainly ask those questions over the phone or by email. However, if they prefer to meet with a benefit counselor in our office, they can schedule an appointment in advance. There are several advantages to scheduling the appointment in advance rather than just stopping by. The biggest advantage is that members will likely have a much shorter wait time if they make an appointment. Counselors are available to assist members from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Our office is open during the noon hour for members who would like to drop off forms, but we also have a drop box outside our office available 24/7.

Our benefit counselors can:

• Print off benefit estimates during an appointment.
• Discuss retirement options.
• Demonstrate how to retire online.
• Provide personal assistance when submitting a claim for life insurance or long-term disability benefits.
• And so much more!

Please encourage your employees to schedule an appointment in advance and to look at 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 Microsoft Teams, making it easy to connect one-on-one with a benefit counselor.

Please encourage your team members to sign up for MOSERS education events in 2024! We’ve got something for all career stages.

Newer Employees & MOSERS Webinars

• For employees who are newer to the state but have less than five years of service (not yet vested).
• Daytime and evening webinars are available.
• Speakers include MOSERS and MO Deferred Comp.
• Webinars are approximately 2 hours.
• Register via GoTo Webinar for a daytime webinar or evening webinar.

Mid-Career Webinars

• For employees with at least five years of service (vested) and more than five years until retirement eligibility.
• Daytime and evening webinars are available.
• Speakers include MOSERS and MO Deferred Comp.
• Webinars are 2 ½ hours.
• Register at myMOSERS by following step-by-step instructions for enrolling in a webinar via myMOSERS and GoTo Webinar.

Ready to Retire Webinars and Seminars

• Full-day webinars or in-person seminars.
• Speakers include MOSERS, MO Deferred Comp, the Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan (MCHCP), and the Social Security Administration (SSA).
• Visit the Ready to Retire page to get all the details!

This year, in addition to our MSEP 2011 webinars, MOSERS is offering IN-PERSON Ready to Retire seminars for MSEP 2011 members in Jefferson City and two new locations!

February 27 in Jefferson City
March 28 in Macon
July 18 in Blue Springs (Kansas City area)
July 23 in Jefferson City
MSEP 2011 webinars on May 29 and Nov 7

See all seminar and webinar options for all career stages on our Education page.

Benefit Providers Table – January 2024

COLA memo – January 2024

Highlights of Your Total Compensation Package brochure – January 2024

Impact of a Layoff on MOSERS Benefits Guide – January 2024

Smart Start Checklist – January 2024

Understanding Your 1099-R Form – January 2024

The 2024 Education Schedule is Here!

Leaves of Absence - Impact on MOSERS Benefits

Termination Forms for Retirees

Retiree Sick Leave Reports

Recently Updated Resources

Please encourage your employees to register for one of our educational programs as they are designed for every career stage. The schedule includes both in-person seminars and online webinars.

As an HR rep, you have an open invitation to attend any type of session. If you are unable to enroll through myMOSERS, email us at MOSERSEducation@mosers.org.

Feel free to copy and paste the information below in an email to your employees.

2024 Education Schedule is here!

Newer Employees & MOSERS Webinars – Learn about the state benefits administered by MOSERS, including pension plan features, life insurance, long-term disability, and your personal retirement savings plan options with MO Deferred Comp.

Mid-Career Webinar – Find out how different career and life events may affect your pension benefit.

Ready to Retire Sessions – Learn about the retirement process and how different decisions may impact your pension benefit. If you are within five years of retirement eligibility, register to attend a Ready to Retire webinar or seminar.

Visit the Education page for more information!

BIG NEWS IN 2024 - New MSEP 2011 Seminar Locations!

Macon and Kansas City

A key resource highlighted at Benefits U last month was the Leaves of Absence - Impact on MOSERS Benefits flyer. We hope this document clarifies how various unpaid leaves of absence or leave events impact your employees’ benefits through MOSERS. To ensure accurate records for your employees, submit the Leave of Absence/Back to Work form through the secure Employer Login as soon as your employees have unpaid leave events or return to work from unpaid leave.

Another point of emphasis at Benefits U last month was submitting status change forms, such as leaves of absence, transfers, and terminations to MOSERS as quickly as possible. This is particularly important for employees who are retiring. To accurately calculate an upcoming retiree’s pension, we need the employee’s termination form no later than the first week of the month the employee is retiring. You can access status change forms through the secure Employer Login. Thank you for your continued assistance in reporting status changes for your employees to MOSERS.

For SAM II employers, MOSERS receives final unused sick leave balances from SAM II to calculate pension benefits for retirees. Once MOSERS has captured this information, the retiree appears on the Current Retiree Sick Leave and then the Previous Retiree Sick Leave reports within the secure Employer Login.

When a retiree appears on these reports, you can safely remove their unused sick leave balance from SAM II. Removing unused sick leave from SAM II will not remove retirees from the reports - they will drop from the Current Retiree Sick Leave Report to the Previous Retiree Sick Leave report as the next month’s retirees' cycle through the process.

Working these reports is important because a retiree reemployed in a benefit-eligible position cannot receive additional retirement credit for pre-retirement unused sick leave, including any remaining hours that did not convert to whole months of service credit at retirement.

Basic & Optional Life Insurance Handbook - December 2023

Destination Retirement Checklist (University Employees) - December 2023

Destination Retirement Checklist - December 2023

Key Facts Regarding Funding - December 2023

Legislators & Statewide Elected Officials' Retirement Handbook (MSEP, MSEP 2000, & MSEP 2011) - December 2023

Long-Term Disability Insurance Handbook - December 2023

Missouri Public Pension Exemption flyer - December 2023

MOSERS Strategic Plan - December 2023

New Employee Orientation brochure - December 2023

Pension Payment & Holiday Schedule - December 2023

2024 Education Schedule - Coming Soon!

Thank You to All Who Attended Benefits U 2023

2024 Education Schedule – Coming Soon!

We are currently in the process of finalizing our 2024 education schedule and anticipate having registration for Ready to Retire sessions open by mid-December. The schedule includes both in-person seminars and online webinars.

Newer Employees & MOSERS Webinars – Employees can start learning about the state benefits administered by MOSERS.

• For employees who are newer to the state with at least six months but less than five years of service (not yet vested)
• Speakers include MOSERS and MO Deferred Comp
• Sessions last approximately 2 hours
• Daytime sessions run from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
• Evening sessions run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Mid-Career Webinar – Employees can learn how different career and life events may affect their pension benefit.

• For employees with at least five years of service (vested) and ten or more years until retirement eligibility
• Speakers include MOSERS and MO Deferred Comp
• Sessions last approximately 2.5 hours
• Daytime sessions are held from 9:30 a.m. to Noon
• Evening sessions are held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Ready to Retire Sessions – Employees can learn about the retirement process and how different decisions may impact their pension benefit.

• For employees within 5 years of retirement eligibility
• Speakers include MOSERS, MO Deferred Comp, the Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan (MCHCP), and the Social Security Administration (SSA). 

For MSEP/MSEP 2000 members:

• Full-day webinars are from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., with a 30-minute lunch break.
• Full-day seminars are from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and include a box lunch.
• Evening webinars are held from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and speakers include MOSERS and MO Deferred Comp only.

For MSEP 2011 members:

• Full-day webinars are from 9:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., with a 30-minute lunch break.
• Full day seminars are from 9:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and include a box lunch.

Universities – Ready to Retire on-campus dates have been assigned. Feel free to check the calendar mid-December as well.

• On-campus events
• Speakers include MOSERS and MO Deferred Comp

Stay up to date and visit our Education page frequently for more information, including schedules and how to register.

MOSERS Benefits During Military Leave flyer - November 2023

Divorce and Your Pension Benefit brochure - October 2023

Lifetime Benefits - October 2023

2023 Benefits U Conference - Register Now!

2024 Annual Life Insurance Review & Open Enrollment Opportunity

Attention University Employers!

Welcome, Zach Burns!

Phoenix Update

The MOSERS Annual Life Insurance Review and Open Enrollment Opportunity ends at midnight on October 31^st!

If your employees have questions about their optional life insurance needs, they may schedule a one-on-one session with a life insurance specialist from The Standard on October 19th, 23rd, or 30th.

Once every four years, MOSERS, along with The Standard Insurance Company, offers optional life insurance open enrollment for actively employed MOSERS members. The open enrollment period allows you to enroll in new coverage or increase coverage amounts without proving insurability (no medical questions):

• If you currently have coverage, you can increase it in increments of $10,000 up to $100,000.
• If you don’t have optional life insurance through MOSERS, this is your chance to enroll. You may elect coverage amounts in increments of $10,000 up to $100,000.

To be eligible for the life insurance open enrollment, you must be actively employed in a MOSERS benefit-eligible position before September 1, 2023. This enrollment offer applies to member coverage only (not spouse or child coverage). If you have been previously denied coverage by The Standard or you are already carrying the maximum* coverage, you are not eligible to add coverage.

For more detailed information review the 2024 Optional Life Insurance Open Enrollment for Active Members article.

*The maximum amount of optional life insurance coverage is six times your annual salary or $800,000, whichever is less.

If there is someone else in your office who may be interested in attending the Benefits U Conference have them follow the instructions to register.

Transferring CURP Members
An employee’s transfer from CURP to MOSERS takes effect the first day of the month following your receipt of the Transfer of CURP Membership form from the employee. The receipt date should be noted in Section C of the form. Send completed transfer forms to MOSERS and enroll the employee into SEBES.

For example, if you receive the transfer form on October 20, assuming the employee meets the eligibility requirements to transfer, their CURP membership will end on October 31, and their MSEP 2011 membership will start on November 1.

Entering Contract Employees
Contract employees who are paid over 9 or 10 months but receive service credit for 12 months of employment must be entered into SEBES as contract employees instead of regular employees. The distinction is important as it will allow us to grant such employees uninterrupted service credit and keep them off monthly error reports. Submit Leave of Absence forms for regular employees who do not work when the institution is closed for extended periods during the winter or summer breaks.

We are happy to announce the newest member of the Employer Services team, Zach Burns. Zach is an employer services analyst working alongside Megan Schulte and Tricia Kliethermes. Zach has prior experience in insurance claims and mortgage lending. He is eager to put his data analysis and customer service skills to work in assisting you with your reporting duties to MOSERS. Please email employers@mosers.org or call (800) 827-1063 to reach Zach, Megan, or Tricia.

As you may have heard, we are building a new pension administration system called Phoenix! The move to Phoenix is a significant multi-year undertaking. We anticipate a go-live date during the last half of 2024.

As an employer representative from your agency to MOSERS, you will be interacting directly with Phoenix. Our goal is for you to find Phoenix to be intuitive and user-friendly.

Register for Benefits U on November 14^th to learn more about Phoenix and the training we will provide to you prior to go-live.

BackDROP for General State Employees (MSEP & MSEP 2000) flyer - September 2023

Employee Contributions (MSEP 2011 & Judicial Plan 2011) brochure - September 2023

Life Services Toolkit flyer - September 2023

Purchasing and Transferring Service Guide for MSEP (Closed Plan) Members - September 2023

Purchasing and Transferring Service Guide for MSEP 2000 Members - September 2023

Purchasing and Transferring Service Guide for MSEP 2011 Members - September 2023

Summary of Pension Benefit Provisions (All Plans) - September 2023

Summary of Pension Benefit Provisions (MSEP & MSEP 2000) - September 2023

Travel Assistance Flyer - September 2023