Change in Employment Status

When you maintain your employment at MSU, but change your employment status, your benefits may be affected.

For any questions pertaining to paid time off please contact payroll@montclair.edu.

Health Benefits

As a full time employee, you are eligible to enroll in medical, prescription and dental benefits through the State Health Benefits Program.
If you were previously covered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) your medical and prescription benefits will continue and you will have a 60 day waiting period for your dental benefits.

Pension Benefits

If you were hired into a Civil Service full time position, you will be enrolled in PERS.
If you were hired as a faculty, manager or professional staff member, you will be enrolled in ABP.
If you were previously enrolled in DCRP as a temporary employee and accept a PERS eligible position, your DCRP contributions will automatically stop and a PERS application will be submitted on your behalf.
If you were previously enrolled in ABP as a temporary employee and accept an ABP eligible position, you will remain in ABP.

Health Benefits

As a full time employee, you are eligible to enroll in medical, prescription and dental benefits through the State Health Benefits Program. If you were previously enrolled under the Part Time State Health Benefits Plan your coverage will be terminated and you will have the option to enroll in COBRA coverage until your full time benefits become effective.

Pension Benefits

If you were previously enrolled in DCRP as a part time employee and accept a PERS eligible position, your DCRP contributions will automatically stop and a PERS application will be submitted on your behalf.
If you were previously enrolled in ABP as a part time employee and accept an ABP eligible position, you will remain in ABP.

Health Benefits

Part time employees working less than 30 hours per week are no longer eligible to participate in the State Health Benefits Program.
Health benefits will continue until the end of the month of your change in status.
You may continue all plans under the COBRA provisions for up to 18 months. A COBRA packet will be mailed to your home address.

Pension Benefits

If you are enrolled in ABP pension and your position is less than 50%, you are no longer eligible to participate in the plan.
If you are enrolled in a PERS pension, you may still be eligible to remain in the plan. If you do not meet the requirements to remain in PERS you may be eligible to be enrolled in DCRP.
- PERS eligibility working under 35 hours a week:
  - Employee is either a Tier 1,2 or 3 PERS employee and meets the minimum salary requirement for their tier
  - Tier 4 and 5 PERS employees are not eligible for PERS, but may be eligible for DCRP
- DCRP eligibility:
  - Employees otherwise eligible to be enrolled in PERS but do not work the minimum number of hours per week required for PERS
  - Earn a salary of at least $5,000 annually and not being paid by a grant

Health and pension benefits remain the same
Payroll deductions will continue for your benefits in the months of July and August.

You will pay extra deductions each paycheck to cover the months of July and August.

If you have a change in employment status from a PERS eligible position to an ABP eligible position you have a one time option to either remain in PERS or transfer to ABP. The information below is used to compare the plans side by side. For additional information, view the State website.

Benefit	PERS	ABP
Vesting	After 10 years of PERS participation	Immediate for employees moving from PERS to ABP
Employee Contributions	7.5% of base salary	5% of base salary
Employer Contributions	Funds are actuarially determined each year	8% of base salary
Voluntary Contributions	Employees may elect to join the ACTS, Deferred Compensation, or SACT Plan	Employees may make voluntary before/post tax contributions with 7 ABP investment carriers and/or join the Deferred Compensation Plan
Loans	Available to active employees with at least 3 years of posted service credit Permitted up to 2 loans per calendar year and can borrow up to ½ of their personal contributions	Vested members are eligible to receive loans based on their account balances
Transferability	You may transfer active membership in PERS to any public employer offering a state administered plan	You may transfer between approved DSP(s).
Pre-Retirement Death Benefit	Beneficiary receives the return of your contributions with interest	Beneficiary receives total value of account(s) including employer contributions and all investment earnings
Retirement Benefit	Determined by an employee’s years of membership in the system and final average salary. Can be taken as a single life annuity or a joint and survivor annuity amount.	Based on the employee’s age, the value of the account (contributions plus investment earnings) and the distribution options selected.
Life Insurance	Employer provides 3X the employee’s base salary of contributory life insurance	Employer provides 3.5X the employee’s base salary of noncontributory life insurance
Long Term Disability	Ordinary Disability retirement benefits are available to Tier 1,2 and 3 members after 10 years of pension credit Long Term Disability is available to Tier 4 and 5 members after one year of continuous employment in PERS. Benefit is up to 60% of pre-disability salary. Retirement contributions continued during disability	Eligible after completing one year of full time continuous employment in an ABP eligible position Benefit is up to 60% of pre-disability base salary Retirement contributions are continued during disability