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  • Receiving a Refund of Employee Contributions

    Jul 5, 2022, 2:06 PM By MOSERS
    I recently had my last day of employment on June 30, 2022 and want to know what the next steps are to cash out my contributions. 

    Members of MSEP 2011 or the Judicial Plan 2011 who leave state employment may choose to either request a refund (if they don’t anticipate returning to state employment) or leave their contributions with MOSERS (if they do anticipate returning to state employment).

    If you decide to request a refund of your employee contributions, please be aware that there is a 90-day waiting period from the date of termination before MOSERS can issue a refund. You must complete the Member Request for Refund of Employee Contributions form, get it notarized, and submit it to MOSERS.

    Please note that, if you take a refund, you will forfeit all your credited service. Alternatively, you may leave your contributions with the System if you think you might return to work for the state at some point in the future and would like for those years of service to count toward an eventual retirement benefit. To learn more, please visit our Refund of Employee Contributions page. 

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  • Separation of Service and Reemployment

    Mar 11, 2022, 12:02 PM By MOSERS

    Is it true that state workers that retire in 2023 will not be able to come back to work for state government on a temporary basis and why is this?

     

    No, that is not true. A retired member may return to work with a MOSERS-covered employer as long they follow the termination and reemployment rules.

    Before receiving a benefit payment from MOSERS, an employee must have a “bona fide termination". For purposes of the MOSERS’ board rules, a "bona fide termination" occurs when:

    1. You have completely severed employment;
    2. You have not entered into a prearranged agreement, prior to retirement, with any employer for subsequent employment on any basis (full-time, part-time, or other); and
    3. You are not subsequently employed by any employer on any basis (full-time, part-time, or other) within 30 days after your employment with your prior employer has ended.

    For purposes of these rules, “employer” means the State of Missouri or any other MOSERS-covered employer. See FAQs on Separation of Service for more information.

    Upon meeting the termination and reemployment rules, you may return to work and continue receiving your monthly pension payment, as long as your position is not a MOSERS or MoDOT and Patrol Employees’ Retirement System (MPERS) benefit-eligible position.

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  • Reemployment and Your Pension

    Mar 4, 2022, 3:22 PM By MOSERS
    Hello. I do have a question about working part time in state government after retirement. I know that a job with a state agency is limited to less than 1000 hours annually, and I did that for awhile right after retirement. I have been offered a part time job with a private consulting firm that is contracted with a state agency. Since my employer would be a private firm, not state government, these hours would not count towards a 1000 hour limit, correct? Thanks!

    You are correct. Upon meeting the termination and reemployment rules, you may return to work and continue receiving your monthly pension payment, as long as your position is not a MOSERS or MoDOT and Patrol Employees’ Retirement System (MPERS) benefit-eligible position (i.e. a position normally requiring at least 1,040 hours a year).

    Contracted employees working directly under a private firm are not typically classified as state employees. Such employment should not interfere with your ability to receive your MOSERS benefit, however, we recommend that you contact the employer to confirm that anyone employed as such would not be considered a state employee.

    If you return to work for the state of Missouri in a MOSERS or MPERS benefit-eligible position:

    • Your monthly pension payment will stop.
    • Depending on various factors (your plan, how long you work, etc.), you may or may not earn additional credited service during reemployment.
    • When you retire again, your monthly pension payment will equal the amount you were receiving when you returned to work plus any additional benefit you may have earned during reemployment.
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  • Termination & Reemployment with a MOSERS Covered Employer

    Oct 25, 2021, 10:17 AM By MOSERS
    I'am retired on mosers and now working MOA at the University, how many hours can I work per year.

    It is the responsibility of your employer, not MOSERS, to determine if the position you are working in is a MOSERS benefit-eligible position. Generally speaking, an employee must work in a position normally requiring at least 1,040 hours per year to qualify for MOSERS benefits. If your employer determines that the position is not benefit-eligible and you have followed the termination and reemployment rules outlined below, you may work in that position and still get your MOSERS pension benefits.

    Termination and Reemployment Rules

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

    • You have completely severed employment;
    • You 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
    • You 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 your employment with your prior employer has ended.

    See FAQs on Termination and Reemployment Rules and a flyer on Termination and Reemployment Rules for more information.

    Reemployment

    Upon meeting the termination and reemployment rules, you may return to work and continue receiving your monthly pension payment, as long as your position is not a MOSERS or MoDOT and Patrol Employees’ Retirement System (MPERS) benefit-eligible position.

    If you return to work for the state of Missouri in a MOSERS or MPERS benefit-eligible position:

    • Your monthly pension payment will stop.
    • Depending on various factors (your plan, how long you work, etc.), you may or may not earn additional credited service during reemployment.
    • When you retire again, your monthly pension payment will equal the amount you were receiving when you returned to work plus any additional benefit you may have earned during reemployment.
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  • Transferring to PSRS/PEERS

    Aug 26, 2021, 11:09 AM By MOSERS
    If I were to leave this position, and go to work for the school system, will my retirement time still be the same?
    It sounds like you are referring to a position covered by the Public School Retirement System/Public Education Employees Retirement System (PSRS/PEERS). You can find retirement eligibility information (age and service requirements) for those systems on the PSRS/PEERS website.

    A vested member of MOSERS who later takes a job covered by PSRS/PEERS may elect to transfer their service. This transfer is not a day-for-day transfer. The transferring system sends the actuarial value of the member’s service to the other system, which then converts that value to service. Members may purchase any remaining service not covered by the transfer at full actuarial cost.

    There are a variety of provisions that may allow employees to purchase or transfer service between MOSERS and another public retirement plan in Missouri. You are not required to purchase or transfer service if you move from one retirement system to another. You can potentially earn retirement benefits from more than one system.

    Depending on your plan, see either the Purchasing and Transferring Service Credit brochure (MSEP & MSEP 2000) or the Purchasing and Transferring Service Credit brochure (MSEP 2011), or contact a MOSERS benefit counselor for more information about your individual situation. 

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We strive to provide the most accurate information possible in our answers to Rumor Central questions. However, occasionally, laws, policies or provisions change and individual circumstances may vary. Please contact a MOSERS benefit counselor or see the handbooks in our website Library for more detailed information. If there is any difference between the information provided in this blog or on the MOSERS website and the law or policies that govern MOSERS, the law and policies will prevail. See our Privacy, Security & Legal Notices for more information.