Quasi-State Employer Information

Assignments determine which (if any) pension retirement plan applies for each appointment. Assignments are determined by Minnesota state statute, agency Human Resource policies and consider the following criteria:

• employee classification status (classified, unclassified, non-status),

• appointment status (unlimited, limited, temporary, emergency, seasonal, trainee, intern, non-state, probationary, provisional); and

• work hours (full-time, part-time, intermittent).

For each appointment the employee holds, employers must choose the appropriate retirement plan code. Retirement codes indicate the applicable MSRS pension retirement plan and contribution rate for the employee. 

An employee may participate in one or more pension retirement plan simultaneously depending on appointments held.

MSRS does not have access to these agencies personnel systems; therefore, the agency is expected to cooperate with inquiries about the status of individual employees.

Resources

Correcting Plan Assignments

Quasi-state employers provide their employees with retirement plan information.

The employer must forward the Employee Information (pdf) form to MSRS for confirmation of coverage.

Most retirement plan assignments are non-elective, meaning there is no employee choice in the retirement pension plan in which they are covered. The following are some exceptions:

Unclassified Plan Member Transfer Rights

(electing General Employees Retirement Plan)
Some members of the MSRS Unclassified Retirement Plan may elect the General Plan. Excluded from this election are constitutional officers, members of the legislature and judges who elect the Unclassified Retirement Plan after 24 years of Judges Plan membership.

Members, hired after June 30, 2010, may elect by filing an election form (pdf) no later than thirty days following termination, to terminate participation in the Unclassified Retirement Plan if the member has no more than seven years of allowable service as of the date of election. If the member was employed prior to July 1, 2010, the written election must be submitted no later than thirty days following the termination of covered employment and the member must have at least ten years of allowable service as of the date of the election.

GERP membership, electing Unclassified Plan based on previous appointment

When an Unclassified Retirement Plan member is subsequently (without intervening state employment), appointed to an unlimited, full-time, unclassified position normally covered in the General Plan, the employee may elect Unclassified Retirement Plan coverage by written notice to the MSRS Executive Director within one year of appointment.

Employee on leave to serve in a labor organization

If an employee is on leave of absence from a MSRS covered position to serve a labor organization (MAPE, AFSCME, MGEC, etc.), the employee may elect to retain the plan coverage of their permanent appointment.

A supply of election forms are provided to the labor organizations and must be submitted within 90 days of the start of the first leave of absence. The labor organization then submits the ongoing contributions. If payroll commences from the labor organization and there is no election on file, MSRS sends an election form to the member.

Employees serving a labor organization are limited to a salary that does not exceed 75% of the salary of the governor set in section 15A.082.