Within 60 days of your planned retirement date, you can call the Retirement System office at 352-3227 to request a Pension Benefit estimate based on the retirement date that you indicate.
Once you have settled on a retirement date, you must notify your immediate supervisor or your Department/Division HR Liaison to inform them of your decision to retire and your retirement effective date. Please remember that the retirement effective date is ALWAYS the first day of a month.
Once your retirement eligibility has been verified by the Retirement Office, your Department/Division HR Liaison will provide you with an Application for Service Retirement for you to complete and sign. You will receive a carbon copy of the signed Retirement Application, as well as a calendar that provides dates for the monthly Retirement Processing Session, the last day on payroll, retirement effective date, lump sum check date, and your 1st pension check.
Once the CRS office receives your signed Retirement Application from your Department/Division HR Liaison, you’ll be enrolled for the next available Retirement Processing Session (not more than 2 months prior to your retirement date). The signed Application for Retirement must be received at least one week prior to the Retirement Processing Session in order to be admitted into that session.
Once the signed Retirement Application is received, CRS will mail out a packet of general information including:
- Healthcare benefits;
- A detailed description of benefit payment options;
- Important dates for Retirees;
- A listing of documents that must be provided by the member at the retirement processing session;
- A listing of documents to be signed by the member at the retirement processing session;
- Loan repayment requirements;
- Information about Medicare;
- Information about the designation of Beneficiaries and Optionees;
- How to request a deferral of your lump sum payout to a 457 Deferred Compensation plan.
Documents requiring a member’s signature will be distributed at the Retirement Processing Session; no documents requiring signatures will be provided to the members in advance of the session. The Retirement Processing Sessions are for the benefit of members who have selected a retirement date within the next 60 days, in order to complete all necessary paperwork and answer questions regarding retirement benefits. These sessions are designed to assist those members transitioning from active employment to retirement.
