Massachusetts State Employees' Retirement System (MSERS)

The Massachusetts State Employees' Retirement System (MSERS / pension plan) is defined benefit plan under IRS Section 401(a) administrated by the Massachusetts State Retirement Board and is designed to provide life-long monthly pension payments to individuals who retire with ten (10) or more years of full-time equivalent creditable service.

For those drawing a 'regular' MSERS pension, that income is calculated based on years of full-time-equivalent creditable service toward retirement, age at retirement and the average of regular compensation paid during MSERS-covered employment.

The Retirement Board's website provides important resources:

MSERS benefits for those who retire differ from those who:

  • Retire due to a disability resulting from personal illness or injury
  • Are survivors of a MSERS participant who passed away prior to drawing a pension (known as Pension Option D)
  • Leave service of the Commonwealth prior to vesting (prior to establishing ten-or-more years of creditable service). These individuals have several options regarding their MSERS contributions.

Note: drawing an MSERS pension may impact Social Security benefits under the federal Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset.

Individuals actively employed under the Massachusetts State Employees' Retirement System (MSERS) name a beneficiary (or beneficiaries) when enrolling. Employees may change their MSERS beneficiary/ies at any time.

So long as there isn't a legal document to the contrary (eg a divorce decree or court order), if the employee passes away prior to drawing an MSERS pension, these beneficiary/ies would either:

  • Receive a lump-sum payment of the balance of the deceased employee's MSERS account. If multiple beneficiaries are named those beneficiaries share the balance of the account. Employees may change their beneficiary/ies by completing and submitting a new Beneficiary Change Form (MSRB) to the MA State Retirement Board (address on the form).
     
  • Draw a pension on behalf of the deceased employee, known as Pension Option D. Under pension Option D the employee has named one beneficiary, their parent, child, sibling, spouse or unmarried former spouse. If an employee wishes to secure an Option D pension for their survivor, in most cases completing and submitting an Option D form to the MA State Retirement Board is the best way to codify that intent. In most cases if the employee has been married for more than one year the spouse is eligible for the Option D pension even if an Option D form has not been submitted.

Retiring under MSERS overrides any prior beneficiary designations on record with the Retirement Board.

UMass Amherst Human Resources offers “Retiring from the State Employees’ Retirement System” workshops monthly through Workplace Learning & Development (https://www.umass.edu/wld/workshops). Workshop topics include:

We look forward to you joining us at a workshop!​​​​​​

If you are retired (drawing a retirement income from the MA State Employees' Retirement System):

  • GIC Health and Basic Life Insurances: the GIC will continue to offer a non-Medicare health insurance plan to you (and your eligible dependent/s) at the retiree rate so long as you are not eligible for Medicare Part A at no cost. The GIC Retiree Benefits Decision Guide provides an overview of retiree insurance plan coverages and premiums.

    If you (or anyone covered under your GIC health insurance plan) is eligible for Medicare Part A at no cost, you must enroll in Medicare Parts A & B if you wish to continue any health insurance through the MA Group Insurance Commission. At that time Medicare Parts A & B become your primary coverage and the GIC will offer you a Medicare supplement plan (inclusive of prescription coverage).

    Contact the Social Security Administration to confirm if you or your dependent(s) will be eligible for Medicare Part A at no cost. If ineligible for Medicare Part A at no cost the GIC offers continuation of a health insurance that is not a Medicare supplement.
     

  • GIC Optional Life Insurance (OLI): you may continue your GIC term OLI insurance for as long as you wish, or cancel or reduce that coverage effective the first day of any future month. For most retirees (based on age at retirement) the GIC OLI premiums increase significantly upon retirement (for premiums please reference the GIC Retiree Benefits Decision Guide. Premiums approximately double when you turn 70 years of age and again each five years thereafter.
     
  • GIC Long Term Disability (LTD) Insurance: your GIC LTD insurance coverage ends upon retirement. If you became disabled prior to retirement and are drawing GIC LTD payments upon retirement, those payments will be reduced in the amount of your MSERS pension (minimum monthly payments may continue.)
     
  • HCSA: You may not incur GIC HCSA eligible expenses after your retirement (unless you continue coverage under COBRA by making post-tax contributions to that account, undermining your tax-savings for participating). If you enroll in the GIC HCSA for the calendar year in which you retire, please take this into account when estimating your annual election amount & ensure you have spent at least as much as you have contributed to the HCSA by your retirement date.

    This payment will be the net of federal income taxes (22%) and MA state taxes (income and Paid Family Medical Leave/PFML). You may elect to tax-defer some or all of sick/vacation payments into a University 403b or Massachusetts 457/SMART account, within IRS limits. If you wish to do this you must make these arrangements in the calendar month prior to payment.  
     
  • University Paid Leave Accruals & Compensatory time: non-MSP members are paid for unused vacation leave, 20% of unused sick leave and compensatory time after retirement. MSP members receive a longevity payment (1.5 days of pay for each full year of service to the University). These payments are typically issued one-to-two payperiods following your last payment for time worked. COBRA: you may continue your employee dental insurance plan for up to 18 months (up to 36 months through MA Public Employees Fund for members of AFSCME Unit A and PSU/MTA Units A&B) by paying 102% of the premium. Your dental plan administrator will send a COBRA notice to your home. If you wish to continue your current coverage under COBRA, return the COBRA enrollment form to that administrator. COBRA dental premiums are not deducted from your monthly MSERS pension or ORP payments; you will need to make direct premium payments to the plan administrator.
     
  • GIC Retiree Dental Plan: you may enroll in the GIC Retiree Dental Plan (plan information in the GIC Retiree Benefit Decision Guide) upon retirement, upon involuntary loss of coverage under another plan (for instance expiration of coverage under COBRA, above) or during the GIC open enrollment (end of April/beginning of May each year with coverage effective July 1) any year. Please note that if you enroll in the GIC Retiree Dental Plan and later cancel your coverage, you are not eligible to re-enroll in the future.
     
  • Other: you may choose to purchase dental insurance through the Commonwealth Connector, another organization...or not to purchase dental insurance. You are not required to purchase dental insurance. Payroll-deducted Home / Auto Insurances: these premiums will not be deducted from your retirement income. Some providers will continue to provide a discount if you pay premiums via a transfer from a bank account. Please contact your insurance company directly to explore options. 
     
  • Met/Hyatt Legal Insurance: your Met/Hyatt Legal insurance coverage ends upon retirement. You may continue the coverage for one year thereafter by prepaying the premium. Contact Met/Hyatt Legal directly to make arrangements.
     
  • Dental Insurance: the dental insurance you have as an employee ends following your retirement. You have two options for dental insurance based on your former University employment. If dental insurance coverage is important to you, explore these and other dental coverage options (eg, through the MA Health Connector, the AARP and other).

To initiate your retirement application process you must:

  1. File an MSERS retirement application with the MA State Retirement Board within the 120 calendar days immediately preceding your retirement date, providing the supporting documentation referenced on the form.
  2. Complete/submit a MA Group Insurance Commission (GIC) Status/Change Form via bit.ly/MyGICLink (https://mygiclink.force.com/GenerateDocusignPage) or hard copy with UMass Amherst Human Resources. If you wish to continue purchasing health insurance through the GIC and anyone covered under your GIC health plan is eligible for Medicare Part A at no cost, the GIC will require those individuals to enroll in Medicare Parts A&B...and will write to those individuals at home offering them a Medicare supplement plan (please reference information provided earlier on this webpage). Typically in order to process the Medicare Part B enrollment form the Social Security Administration will require proof these individuals have had "qualified health insurance coverage" between age 65 and your retirement. Please contact UMass Human Resources if you require a corresponding Social Security form to be completed.