Welcome to the ORS website for state of Michigan employees who are in the Defined Benefit plan. (Not sure if you're in the Defined Benefit or 401(k) Defined Contribution plan? Click here).

We encourage you to and come back often for important information.

Changes that affect your Defined Benefit (DB) retirement plan were recently signed into law and grant you choices regarding your future retirement plan.

1. The new law provides you with the choice to voluntarily pay 4 percent of your salary to remain in the DB pension plan for future service, or to decide not to make that choice and instead become a participant in the Defined Contribution (DC) plan for future years of service.
   Election Deadline: March 2, 2012.
2. Your 3 percent retiree healthcare contributions will be refunded to you, with interest.

Your Retirement Choices.

Click here to learn more about your retirement plan options. Or, visit miAccount to make your election.

You will receive a refund of your contributions made to the retiree healthcare fund since November 2010. Visit the Civil Service Commission website and click on the bottom Employees or Announcements tabs for more information.

If you want to know how the retirement reform will affect your Final Average Compensation (FAC) calculation, especially in regard to overtime, we have put together several tools that may help. Click on the links below for more information.

• FAQs: Impact on Overtime and Your FAC.
• Tutorial: Defined Benefit Plan, Overtime Rules.
• Handout: Overtime and Your Pension.

Published January 18, 2012

Our office will be closed on the following dates:

January 16 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 20  - President's Day
May 28 - Memorial Day

State office closings for holidays are regulated by the Michigan Department of Civil Service Regulation 5.08. Public Act 124 of 1865 is the Michigan law governing official state holidays.

Published January 13, 2012

Public Act 264, signed by Governor Snyder on December 15, amends the State Employees' Retirement System. State employees in both the Defined Benefit plan and the Defined Contribution plan have additional options, and will need to make choices about their future benefits. Click here to see a summary of the Defined Benefit legislation summary. The ORS website will be updated regularly with additional details and tools to help members understand the changes.

For information about the 3% healthcare contribution refund, visit the Civil Service Commission website and click on the Employees or Announcements tabs at the bottom of the page.

Published December 15, 2011

Your pension payment may be subject to Michigan income tax beginning January 1, 2012. For the latest information, including details about the Michigan Supreme Court decision, read our Frequently Asked Questions.

Published December 8, 2011

Pensions are paid on the 25th of each month for the month they're due. If the 25th falls on a weekend or holiday, watch for your payment on the previous business day (December payments are issued about one week early). Below are the pay dates for the remainder of 2011, and 2012.

2011: December 16.
2012: January 25, February 24, March 23, April 25, May 25, June 25, July 25, August 24, September 25, October 25, November 21, and December 18.

Published December 6, 2011

The October 2011 issue of Connections, our semiannual retiree newsletter, is now available.

Articles in this issue include:

• New law affects pension taxation: What will happen. What you need to do.
• From the Director
• Welcome new retirees
• Plan your next Pure Michigan trip
• Now's the time to Go Direct
• Ask an expert
• When to contact ORS

If a member of a public pension gets divorced, the court may order that a portion of their pension be paid to an alternate payee such as a former spouse or dependent child. For active or deferred members, this order is known as an Eligible Domestic Relations Order (EDRO). For retired members, it is known as a Domestic Relations Order (DRO). To make things easier for you and your attorney, ORS has developed downloadable, fillable forms to allow our members to create accurate and complete EDROs or DROs that can be administered under the retirement statutes:

Eligible Domestic Relations Order (EDRO) (R0259G) 
Eligible Domestic Relations Order: Background and Instructions (R0911X)

Domestic Relations Order (DRO) (R0323X)
Domestic Relations Order to Void the Survivor Option Only (R0914CGB)
Domestic Relations Orders: Background and Instructions (R0912X)

These are the preferred documents to file with the Office of Retirement Services. They are the fastest, most efficient way to complete your filing. Complete it online, save it, print it, then take the printed copy to the court for the judge's signature.

Published October 7, 2011

The 2011-2012 Insurance Rates are now available on the Employee Benefits page of the Michigan Civil Service Commission website.

Published on August 26, 2011

No more waiting for your Member Statement - it is now available in miAccount. Your personalized statement displays your wages, service credit, service credit purchases, and contributions as reported to us from your employer.

Because of this time-saving tool, we will no longer mail paper statements. Log in to miAccount, and then click on Member Statement in the left navigation bar to view your up-to-date account information.

Published on March 8, 2011