Reclassification and Your Benefits

Retirement Savings

All civil service and most labor-represented employees who may be reclassified as P&A participate in the Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS) pension plan. You have a limited time to take action if you want to continue participating in the MSRS pension. You will receive an email with a form to return to OHR with a specified deadline. If the form is not received by the deadline, you will automatically be enrolled in the Faculty Retirement Plan (FRP).

Your choice applies as long as you remain continuously employed in a civil service or P&A position. If you leave the University and return later, you will participate in the default retirement plan for your new position.

Compare the FRP and MSRS pension plan

Your eligibility to participate in the University’s voluntary retirement plans does not change. Any contributions you are currently making to these plans will continue. 

Considerations for making your decision:

• Pension vesting period (3 years)
• Career outlook in Minnesota public employment
• Household finances, including partner’s retirement savings
• Your risk tolerance and comfort level with the different types of plans
• Current age and goal retirement age
• Pension benefit estimates from MSRS
• Potential account balance in the FRP

You may want to consult a financial professional to help you make the best decision for your personal financial situation. MSRS, Fidelity, and University benefits consultants are available to help you:

• Minnesota State Retirement System
• Fidelity Workplace Financial Consultants
• OHR benefits consultants (email [email protected] to request an appointment)

Vacation

At the time of reclassification:

• For civil service employees moving to P&A: Up to 120 vacation hours will remain in your bank. Any hours above 120 will be paid out.
• For labor-represented employees moving to P&A: Up to 80 vacation hours will remain in your bank. Any hours above 80 will be paid out.
• All compensatory (comp) time is paid out.

For full details about your vacation time under your new P&A classification, refer to the academic vacation policy.

Sick Time

As P&A, you are covered under the Academic Medical Leave benefit of the Faculty, Academic Professional and Administrative Employee Medical Leave and Academic Disability Program (Self) policy. You will no longer track sick time in MyU. Instead, you will follow your unit or department’s processes for tracking. If you are ever reclassified as civil service or labor represented, you will have access to your accrued sick time again. 

Disability Insurance

As of the date of your reclassification, you are automatically enrolled in the Academic Disability Program. About the plan:

• Income replacement depends on years of service and length of leave.
• University paid; no employee premiums.
• Benefits are taxable. 
• If you have voluntary short-term disability, you may cancel within 30 days of the date of the reclassification or choose to keep it.
• If you have voluntary long-term disability, that coverage will be automatically canceled as of the date of the reclassification.

What Benefits Stay the Same?

Reclassification does not count as a qualifying life event for all of your benefits. Your next chance to make changes to the benefits below will be open enrollment (held every year during the month of November) or due to a qualifying life event such as a birth, marriage, or divorce.

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Retirement Savings

You have a limited time to take action if you want to begin to participate in the Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS) pension and discontinue participation in the Faculty Retirement Plan (FRP). You will receive an email with a form to return to OHR with a specified deadline. If the form is not received by the deadline, you will continue participation in the Faculty Retirement Plan (FRP). 

Your choice applies as long as you remain continuously employed in a civil service or P&A position. If you leave the University and return later, you will participate in the default retirement plan for your new position.

Compare the FRP and MSRS pension plan

Your eligibility to participate in the University’s voluntary retirement plans does not change. Any contributions you are currently making to these plans will continue.

Considerations for making your decision:

• Pension vesting period (3 years)
• Career outlook in Minnesota public employment
• Household finances, including partner’s retirement savings
• Your risk tolerance and comfort level with the different types of plans
• Current age and goal retirement age
• Pension benefit estimates from MSRS
• Potential account balance in the FRP

You may want to consult a financial professional to help you make the best decision for your personal financial situation. MSRS, Fidelity, and University benefits consultants are available to help you:

• Minnesota State Retirement System
• Fidelity Workplace Financial Consultants
• OHR benefits consultants (email [email protected] to request an appointment)

Vacation

For full details about your vacation time under your new civil service classification, read Rule 11 of the Civil Service Employment Rules.

Note: Vacation days are based on 100% appointment; lower full-time appointments are pro-rated. Your maximum balance is two years of vacation accrual. For example, if you’ve worked at the University for seven years, your maximum balance is 32.5 days of vacation, or 260 hours.

Civil service V-class employees (a small number of employees) earn an additional six days per year.

Sick Time

As a civil service employee, you accrue sick time and must track/submit time off using this time bank in MyU. For full details about your sick time under your new civil service classification, read Rule 11 of the Civil Service Employment Rules.

Disability Insurance

As of the date of your reclassification, you are no longer eligible for the Academic Disability program. However, you have 30 days from the date of your reclassification to add voluntary short-term or long-term insurance without evidence of insurability. (You can enroll in short-term disability anytime during the year with evidence of insurability.) Cancellations can only be made due to a qualifying life event or during open enrollment, held each year in November. 

Learn more about disability insurance options. 

What Benefits Stay the Same?

Reclassification does not count as a qualifying life event for all of your benefits. Your next chance to make changes to the benefits below will be open enrollment (held every year during the month of November) or due to a qualifying life event such as a birth, marriage, or divorce.

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Retirement Savings

If you are reclassified from P&A, you will likely participate in the Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS) pension plan. Please see your collective bargaining agreement to confirm. 

You are required to participate in the MSRS pension (or other plan as laid out in your collective bargaining agreement). You will begin contributing to MSRS and stop contributions to the Faculty Retirement Plan (FRP). 

Your eligibility to participate in the University’s voluntary retirement plans does not change. Any contributions you are currently making to these plans will continue.  

Learn more about the MSRS pension plan.

You may want to consult a financial professional to help you navigate the transition. MSRS, Fidelity, and University benefits consultants are available to help you:

• Minnesota State Retirement System
• Fidelity Workplace Financial Consultants
• OHR benefits consultants (email [email protected] to request an appointment)

Vacation

For details about vacations, check your employee group governance document.

Sick Time

As a labor-represented employee, you accrue sick time and must track/submit time off using this time bank in MyU. For full details about your sick time under your new labor-represented classification, refer to your group governance document.

Disability Insurance

As of the date of your reclassification, you are no longer eligible for the Academic Disability program. However, you have 30 days from the date of your reclassification notification to add voluntary short-term or long-term insurance without evidence of insurability. (You can enroll in short-term disability anytime during the year with evidence of insurability.) Cancellations can only be made during open enrollment, held each year in November. 

Learn more about disability insurance options. 

What Benefits Stay the Same?

Reclassification does not count as a qualifying life event for all of your benefits. Your next chance to make changes to the benefits below will be open enrollment (held every year during the month of November) or due to a qualifying life event such as a birth, marriage, or divorce.

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

What benefits stay the same?

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Retirement savings (for most employees in this situation)
• Vacation and sick time accrual
• Disability insurance (voluntary short- or long-term)