It’s that time of year again!

For employees who already have optional life insurance, October is their window of opportunity to increase their coverage without proving insurability (no medical history statement required).

Benefit-eligible employees actively employed before September 1, 2025, can increase coverage amounts (in increments of $10,000) by up to $20,000 without proving insurability, provided the coverage amount does not exceed six times their annual salary, or $800,000.

Keep in mind that this opportunity does not apply to spouse and child(ren) coverage (see FAQs). If an employee wishes to maintain their current level of coverage, no action is required.

In late September, MOSERS will email eligible employees with instructions on how to increase coverage. We will send a personalized letter via Document Express (their MOSERS online mailbox) to each eligible employee outlining their optional life insurance coverage options. The letter will be sent by regular mail to employees without a valid email address on file. Please encourage them to read it carefully.

All MOSERS members can access Document Express by logging in to myMOSERS and following the prompts. Remind your employees that they must have a valid email address on file with MOSERS to create an Online ID and password. Employees who cannot complete the process online may contact a MOSERS benefit counselor for assistance.

If your employee wishes to increase their optional life insurance coverage amount, have them log in to myMOSERS between now and October 31, 2025 (midnight). On the MOSERS Member Dashboard, the employee must click the Update Now button and follow the steps to increase coverage.

If an employee increases their coverage, we will post a confirmation letter in their Document Express online mailbox and send an email notification once it is ready to view. Employees can log in to myMOSERS to access the letter. If the employee opted out of electronic delivery, MOSERS will mail a confirmation letter reflecting any changes to their coverage to their home address.

• We will provide eligible employees with their current 2025 coverage amounts and monthly premiums, and their new 2026 premiums.
• Any new elections made in October will go into effect on January 1, 2026, as long as the employee meets the “actively at work” requirement. More information about this requirement is available in the Life Insurance Handbook.
• Term life insurance proceeds are paid to the employee’s designated beneficiary(ies) if the employee passes away. There is no cash or loan value.
• Employees can use the Optional Life Insurance Calculator to research premiums on their own.

Life insurance through MOSERS is not available to Department of Conservation or university employees (except State Technical College of Missouri & Lincoln University) because those employers provide their own life insurance benefits.

The Annual Benefit Statement employees receive from MOSERS includes their primary life insurance beneficiary designation. Please encourage employees to update their beneficiary designations if they have a life event that may affect this information, such as a marriage, divorce, or death. Beneficiary designations can be updated online by following these steps:

1. Log in to myMOSERS
2. Select Update Beneficiaries from the Member Dashboard.
3. Review your current designations and select Update Beneficiaries at the bottom of the screen.
4. Click the edit icon next to the name of any currently designated beneficiaries to review and edit their contact information. Make any changes as needed.
5. Select Add New Beneficiaries to add a new potential beneficiary.
6. Click the green plus sign to create a new beneficiary. Enter all required fields.
7. Select Continue to update primary and contingent beneficiary designations.
8. Add any new primary or contingent designations and adjust allocations for each beneficiary.
9. Click the checkbox stating that you have read and accepted the submission authorization, then click Submit.

The new beneficiary designations will become effective upon receipt by MOSERS.

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

A: Yes. They can log in to myMOSERS and select Enroll/Change Life Insurance Coverage from the I want to… menu. This can be done at any time during 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 employees continue their optional life insurance into retirement?

A: Yes. If they retire directly from active employment or within 65 days of leaving state employment, the state will continue to provide $5,000 in basic life insurance coverage at no cost. In addition, retirees may retain up to $60,000 in optional life insurance, provided they carried at least that amount while actively employed.

• Employees who retire under the Rule of 80 in MSEP 2000 or Rule of 90 in MSEP 2011 may retain all their coverage until age 62. At age 62, the coverage amount will automatically reduce to $60,000.
• Retirees may choose to reduce or terminate their optional life coverage after they retirement, but they may not increase it.

Q: Can employees increase their coverage amount by more than $20,000 in October?

A: Yes. They may increase their coverage at any time during the year but must prove insurability. To do this, they can log in to myMOSERS and select Enroll/Change Life Insurance Coverage from the I want to… menu. They must also complete the Medical History Statement.

If they have a family status change (including 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 increase their optional life insurance coverage by $100,000 (in $10,000 increments) for themselves without proving insurability.

They must log in to myMOSERS and select Enroll/Change Life Insurance Coverage from the I want to… menu within 31 days of the event and submit proof of family status change. Otherwise, the employee must also submit the Medical History Statement and be approved by The Standard Insurance Company for the increase to be effective.

Q: Can employees purchase (or increase) coverage for their spouse or dependent child in October?

A: Yes. They may increase or add coverage on a spouse at any time but must prove insurability. To do this, they can log in to myMOSERS and select Enroll/Change Life Insurance Coverage from the I want to… menu. They must also complete the Medical History Statement.

Eligible dependent child(ren) can be enrolled at any time without proof of insurability by logging in to myMOSERS and selecting Enroll/Change Life Insurance Coverage from the I want to… menu. Dependent changes can be requested at any time, 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 biological children, dependent stepchildren and grandchildren, adopted children, and children for whom the member is the court-appointed legal guardian, provided they live 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 handicaps and are dependent on the member for support, are also eligible for dependent coverage. However, the member must provide proof that their child is disabled and be approved by The Standard Insurance Company for continued coverage. (The Continued Dependent Life Insurance for a Disabled Child form is available in our Online Library or can be requested from a MOSERS benefit counselor.)

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

A: Yes. They may add optional life coverage at any time during the year but must prove insurability. To do this, they can log in to myMOSERS and select Enroll/Change Life Insurance Coverage from the I want to… menu. They must also complete the Medical History Statement.

If they have a family status change (including 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.

They must log in to myMOSERS and select Enroll/Change Life Insurance Coverage from the I want to… menu within 31 days of the event and submit proof of family status change. Otherwise, the employee must also submit the Medical History Statement and be approved by The Standard Insurance Company for the coverage to be effective.

Join us for an engaging experience designed to help you increase your knowledge, enable employees to better understand their benefits, and network with your peers. During this event, you’ll hear the latest news and updates on administering MOSERS benefits and visit with benefit providers.

2025 Benefits U Conference Agenda

Jefferson City, MO 65101

Registration Deadline: October 20, 2025

1. Access the Employer Login
2. From the main menu, select Tools and then Education
3. Benefits U will display under upcoming seminars. Select Attend.
4. Select Save to confirm your registration.

Encourage your co-workers to attend Benefits U. If they have access to the Phoenix Employer Portal, they can enroll online. Otherwise, they can call us at (573) 632-6100 (options 1, 5, 1) and we will register them as an attendee.

Special Accommodations: If you have a food allergy or need special accommodations at Benefits U, please email MOSERSEducation@mosers.org or call (800) 827-1063 or (573) 632-6100, (options 1, 5, 1) for assistance.

Hotel Information: If you would like to reserve a room at Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City for Benefits U, MOSERS has a block of rooms reserved at a group rate of $110/night plus tax. The discounted rate will be available for the night before the event.

Hotel Discount Deadline: The last day to book your room is Sunday, October 5. Book online or call (407) 581-8250, select option (31) for guest services, and use the code 251106MOCI.

If you haven’t completed your Salary Verification Report in Phoenix, please do so by Friday, September 5, 2025. This ensures your employees’ life insurance coverage for 2026 is accurate.

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)

A brief video tutorial and written instructions are available under Training on the Phoenix home screen to guide you through the process.

• Coverage effective January 1, 2026, equals one times the employee’s annual salary as of July 31, 2025.
• Annual salary includes regular earnings from a benefit-eligible position, recurring shift differential, security differential, and retention pay (including the state’s years-of-service pay plan).
• Annual salary excludes overtime, one-time payments, and wages from non-benefit-eligible positions.

Call Employer Services at (800) 827-1063, option 2, or email employers@mosers.org. We’re happy to guide you through the report.

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

The 2025 Benefits U Conference is quickly approaching. If you haven’t already, please save the date for November 6, 2025, in Jefferson City at the Capital Plaza Hotel. We are working on confirming speakers for the event, and registration will open in September. We look forward to seeing you there!

If you have any questions about the conference, please email us at MOSERSeducation@mosers.org.

Enrolling in a Webinar via myMOSERS instructions - July 2025

RetireeNews - 2025 Summer Newsletter - July 2025

The employer retirement contribution rates for MSEP, MSEP 2000, MSEP 2011, and the Judicial Plans changed effective July 1, 2025. These rates are calculated annually by MOSERS’ external actuary and certified by the MOSERS Board of Trustees.

• MSEP, MSEP 2000, MSEP 2011: 30.25%
• Judicial Plan, Judicial Plan 2011: 60.54%

Local Employers: Please ensure your payroll systems are updated to reflect the new contribution rates.

SAM II Employers: No action is required. Contribution rates have been updated in SAM II.

There are no changes to the contribution rates for CURP, basic life insurance, or long-term disability benefits.

See Contribution Rates for more information.

Each year, we ask our 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.

The salary verification process will be completed in Phoenix, our new pension administration system.

• The Salary Verification Report will be generated after you submit your payroll report for the pay period ending July 31.
• You will receive a notice in your Phoenix Inbox when the report is available.
• All verifications must be completed by September 5, 2025.

We will provide detailed instructions and a brief video tutorial in August before the reports are ready to help you complete the process in Phoenix.

• Annual salary includes regular 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.

In situations where an employee transfers between MOSERS-covered employers without a break in service, SEBES enrollment is typically not required. The guidance below explains how to identify a transfer, defines what qualifies as a break in service, and clarifies when SEBES entry is necessary.

A transfer occurs when an employee moves from one benefit-eligible position with a MOSERS-covered employer to another MOSERS benefit-eligible position within 30 calendar days of their termination, meaning there is no break in service.

• Employees who meet these criteria are eligible to maintain their existing MOSERS benefits without interruption.
• As a result, when an employee transfers between most SAM II agencies, you do not need to enter them into SEBES.

A break in service is defined as a period of 30 days or more during which the employee is not actively working in a benefit-eligible position between termination and rehire. Employees returning to a benefit-eligible position after a break in service must be enrolled in SEBES.

• Terminating Agency: Update the ESMT with the appropriate resignation or dismissal status.
• Hiring Agency: Update the ESMT with the appropriate hire status. Do not enter the employee into SEBES. The transfer will be captured automatically via the ESMT update and reported to MOSERS through the SAM II Daily File.

Employees must be entered into SEBES if they are eligible to make new benefit elections. This includes employees who:

• Are hired for the first time into a benefit-eligible position.
• Transition from a non-benefit-eligible position to a benefit-eligible position.
• Are returning to state employment after a break in service.
• Are newly employed by your agency, but were most recently employed by one of the following:

1. Department of Conservation
2. Department of Transportation
3. Highway Patrol
4. A state college or university (excluding State Tech & Lincoln University)

• Use the Retirement Plan Look-Up under Tools to help determine whether an employee has a break in service requiring SEBES enrollment.
• Refer to the Transfer Flow Chart – SAM II Agencies for step-by-step guidance on SEBES entry requirements.

If you have any questions, contact Employer Services at (800) 827-1063, option 2, or email employers@mosers.org.

We still have seats available at several in-person Ready to Retire seminars this summer. These sessions are designed for general state employees who are 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 Education, then clicking Enroll next to the session they would like to attend.

Once registered, we will send a confirmation to the member’s 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 2025 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 our Summer Retirement Seminar Tour!

Do you need copies of MOSERS publications? We can provide you with paper versions of the SEBES Enrollment Guide, New Employee Orientation brochures, handbooks, and more!

Previously, you could order publications from the MOSERS public website. Now, you can order them through the Phoenix Employer Portal. Go to Tools in the left navigation and select Materials Request. You can order up to 200 copies at a time.

Retirement Guide - July 2025

Total Compensation Calculator - July 2025

Impact of a Layoff on MOSERS Benefits Guide - June 2025

Enrolling in a Webinar via myMOSERS instructions - May 2025