If you leave state employment this year at age 60 years, 9 months, you will be required to wait and draw your benefit at age 67.  In order to be eligible for early retirement, you must reach age 62 prior to leaving state employment. Please note that taking early retirement will reduce your base benefit by ½ of 1% (.005) for each month your age is younger than normal retirement age. Your normal retirement age would be at 67. You can find more information in the MSEP 2011 Handbook.

In the scenario you describe, the answer is yes, a vested member of MSEP 2000 who leaves state employment and returns to state employment will still be in MSEP 2000. Their prior service would immediately be reinstated upon reemployment. They would be eligible for normal retirement under the Rule of 80/”80 and Out” or age 62, whichever came first. As a member of MSEP 2000, they would not be required to make the 4% employee contributions.  

In the scenario you describe, if the employee did not return to work, they would be considered an inactive vested member of MSEP 2000 and would become eligible for normal retirement at age 62.

Note: If an inactive vested member of MSEP or MSEP 2000 elected a buyout in 2017 or 2018 then returned to state employment, they would be a member of MSEP 2011, would be required to make the 4% employee contributions and would have to meet the retirement eligibility for MSEP 2011.

We encourage members to contact a MOSERS benefit counselor to discuss their individual situation and learn how various scenarios would impact their benefits. 

If you would like to unsubscribe from this list, log in to myMOSERS and change your email preferences. After logging in, select Personal Information then Email Options. From there you can opt out of receiving Rumor Central Updates. 

In order to be eligible for the BackDROP, a member must work at least 2 years past their first normal retirement date. The "DROP" in BackDROP stands for Deferred Retirement Option Provision. With BackDROP, eligible members can get a one-time lump-sum payment in addition to their monthly pension payments from MOSERS. Members can make the choice to take BackDROP on their Retirement Election form.

The BackDROP period is the period of time between a member’s BackDROP date (the day their BackDROP period begins) and their actual retirement date. The maximum BackDROP period is five years. The lump-sum payment is equal to 90% of the pension benefits (based on the Life Income Annuity option) that the member would have received during the BackDROP period had they been retired. Choosing BackDROP will, most likely, reduce the amount of their monthly benefit. 

This is something we are working on improving with our new pension administration system. Currently, in order to only receive one copy per household, one of you will need to opt in to receive all notices electronically. (Note: Doing so will result in that person receiving nearly all of their correspondence from MOSERS online – not just RetireeNews.) Start by logging in to myMOSERS, selecting Personal Information then Email Options. From there you can opt in to electronic notices. 

Annual Benefit Statements for active members are available online. You can access your statement by logging in to myMOSERS, clicking on Online Documents then on Document Express. You can then download and save it or print it. If you have opted to receive your correspondence from MOSERS through the mail, we mail your statement to your home address each year in March.  

MOSERS has no authority over the policies and procedures of an agency in determining onsite requirements when an employee is ending their service. Therefore, we encourage you to talk with your HR staff and/or your supervisor in advance of your retirement to find out about the policies and procedures at your agency.

Your last day of work as a MOSERS benefit-eligible employee, as reported by your employer, must be at least one day prior to your retirement date with MOSERS. Your retirement date with MOSERS must be on the first day of a month.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to sign up for a Ready to Retire seminar or webinar, see the Ready to Retire page of our website and contact a MOSERS benefit counselor for more information. 

Yes, since your spouse elected a survivor benefit for you at retirement, you will continue to receive your survivor benefits each month for your life, even if you remarry.

Please update your personal information with us if your name, address or bank information changes. You can do so by contacting us and our benefit staff will assist you. Also, please be sure to review and update, if necessary, who you have designated to receive your final survivor benefit payment. Your final benefit payment is paid on the last working day of the month in which you die.

Yes, he can transfer his credited service with MPERS to MOSERS. If he is a vested member of MSEP or MSEP 2000, the Rule of 80 (“80 and Out”) will still apply for normal retirement eligibility.

To apply for the transfer of service, if he is a vested member of MSEP, MSEP 2000 or MSEP 2011, once he is hired by the Department of Corrections, he must simply notify MOSERS in writing. He should include his name, Social Security number, and his dates of service under MPERS. We will verify his previous service with MPERS. MPERS will send MOSERS the equivalent amount of employer (state) contributions made for this service. We will send him a notice confirming the transfer when the process is complete. This is a free transfer of service; there is no cost to the member.

If he is not vested, he can transfer his service after one complete year of service under MOSERS. Also, for members of MSEP 2011, the retirement eligibility requirements are different.

If he is looking at other options, you can review the complete list of MOSERS covered Employers on our website. See our Purchasing and Transferring Service Guide for MSEP (Closed Plan) Members or Purchasing and Transferring Service Guide for MSEP 2000 Member for additional service transfer and purchase options.