Employee Benefits

Faculty Retirement Plan Information

Optional Retirement Plan for Higher Education (click here)

Virginia Retirement System

Membership in the Virginia Retirement System is a condition of employment for eligible
employees of participating employers. All full-time, salaried employees of the following
entities are eligible for membership in the Virginia Retirement System:

• Commonwealth of Virginia: (Classified, part-time employees of the
  Commonwealth are also eligible for membership in the Virginia Retirement
  System.)
• Any participating Virginia city, county, town or political subdivision; and Instructional, clerical and administrative employees of local Virginia school
  divisions.

Eligible employees become members as soon as they begin work, as a condition of
employment. Some employers require a probationary period during which there is no
coverage.

Eligibility

VRS members are eligible for full retirement benefits at age 65 with at least five years of
service or at age 50 with at least 30 years of service (this applies to state employees,
teachers and most political subdivision employees). Some political subdivisions have
elected not to provide unreduced retirement benefits to employees who retire at age 50
with 30 years of service. If the political subdivision did not elect to allow their employees
to retire at age 50 with at least 30 years of service, the earliest the member may retire
with a full unreduced benefit is age 55 with 30 or more years of service or age 60 with at
least 30 years of service, or after age 55 when the sum of the member's age and service is
90.

Members may retire as early as age 55 with at least 5 years of creditable service or as
early as age 50 with at least 10 Calculation years of service.

Benefit

The amount of the retirement benefit under VRS is 1.7 percent of average final
compensation multiplied by years of service credit, with a reduction factor applied for
early retirement.