No, as a retiree or survivor, your MOSERS retirement benefit will not be cut due to financial market losses or decreased state revenue. Your benefit does not go up or down based on economic factors. For general state employees, it is calculated using this formula:

Final Average Pay x Multiplier x Credited Service = Monthly Base Benefit.

These are difficult times and we can certainly understand your concerns. Ultimately, your benefits are an obligation of the state and they are secure. We encourage you to see the question about MOSERS’ Investments on March 17 on Rumor Central for more information on MOSERS’ funding. We will also be sending out a special edition of A Moment With MOSERS with executive director Ronda Stegmann also addressing some of your questions. You can view this video update on our COVID-19 update page

It is not currently in your Document Express online mailbox because at this time we have sent Annual Benefit Statements to our college & university members and to Department of Conservation employees only. Due to the COVID-19 state office building closures, including the MOSERS building, we have postponed sending statements to employees of other state agencies. We will resume sending the remainder of Annual Benefit Statements after normal operations resume. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any other questions or concerns.

You can change your email address by logging into myMOSERS. Select Personal Information then click Update your Personal Information. Please note that updates to email addresses become effective by the next working day. You are also able to make changes to your mailing address and phone number(s). If you wish, you may choose a future date (up to 3 months ) for other changes to become effective. If you are unable to do so online, please contact one of our benefit counselors who would be happy to assist you.

No, your benefit will not be subject to reduction if you are vested, leave service, then retire at age 67. (The reduction you are referring to is for “early retirement” and is a reduction of ½ of 1% (.005) off your base benefit for each month your age is younger than normal retirement.)

However, if you continue working until you are 67, then your benefit would ultimately be higher because you would have more service. When you apply for retirement, your base benefit will be calculated using a formula that takes into account your final average pay and your credited service. For a more in-depth look at which option may be best for you, we encourage you to use our Comparison Calculator to compare various scenarios over time or contact one of our benefit counselors.

Benefit counselors are available:

Monday - Friday
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
1:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Contact Us:

(800) 827-1063 toll-free
(573) 632-6100 in Jefferson City

MOSERS follows guidance from Governor Parson’s office regarding state office closures. We encourage you to reach out to your HR representative with any questions surrounding closures and office procedures for COVID-19 at this time. For updates on how MOSERS is responding to the current situation please follow our website. 

The MOSERS Board, our leaders, and our professional investments staff are committed to managing MOSERS’ assets in a prudent manner to ensure the security of your benefits and the sustainability of the system.

MOSERS’ investments have been negatively impacted during the first quarter of CY 2020. However, unlike individual retirees, MOSERS invests over a very long-term time horizon. Our portfolio is well-diversified and designed to weather the volatility of the financial markets. Our assumed rate of return is 7.1%. Over the long term (since 1981- first available data) our return average is 9.5%, which includes other major downturns in the market such as in 1987,  2000-2002, and 2008. Each year, an independent actuary evaluates what our funding needs are and our Board certifies an employer contribution rate. The state of Missouri has consistently contributed the full amount that the actuary has determined is needed, which is key to MOSERS’ long-term sustainability.

Ultimately, your benefits are an obligation of the state and they are secure. We encourage you to visit our Funding page to learn more.

To update your beneficiary designations, you must first log in to myMOSERS. Complete and submit the Designation/Change of Beneficiaries form (“Life Ins Beneficiaries” from the Forms drop-down menu) for basic and optional life insurance. If you are a member of the MSEP 2011 or the Judicial Plan 2011, you should also complete and submit the Contribution Beneficiaries form for your employee contributions.

We are working on a new system that will allow you to make a simple update without re-entering all information for your beneficiaries, but right now, with our current system, you must start over and re-enter all information about your beneficiaries if you want to update one of them.

1099-R forms have been mailed! For immediate access to your 1099-R, or if you find you need a replacement copy of it, log in to myMOSERS. You will find your 1099-R under Personal Information and available for you to print.

Thanks for your question – after a brief hiatus for redesign, Rumor Central is back! We just moved Rumor Central to the new MOSERS website. There is now a handy list of topics making it easier to find the information you are seeking. If you don’t find it there, submit your own question. Just click on the orange box in the upper right corner on the Rumor Central page (right above the list of topics). Now that we have gone live with it and the legislative session has started, I’m sure we’ll have many new questions soon.

Also, remember to check our Legislation page during the legislative session for weekly updates, starting at the end of this week.