Employer Update

VRS honored for excellence in financial reporting: The Virginia Retirement System has received awards for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Reportand Popular Annual Financial Reportfor fiscal year 2021 from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA). This is the 40th consecutive award for the comprehensive report and the sixth consecutive award for the PAFR. Read the full release.

Political subdivisions: Contact VRS if looking to offer hazardous duty coverage. If you are considering adding enhanced hazardous duty benefits for your employees beginning July 1, 2023, contact VRS now to begin the process. Because this benefit requires an actuarial study, it takes approximately four to six months to complete the process before the coverage can become effective. For more information, contact ZaeAnne Allen, employer coverage coordinator, at zallen@varetire.org or 804-775-3514.

VRS is always here to help members. They can tap into webinars, one-on-on virtual counseling and more by visiting the Education & Counseling page on the VRS website.

• A pair of upcoming sessions hosted by MissionSquare Retirement – Spend Like There IS a Tomorrow (1-2 p.m., December 7) and Will You Have Enough to Retire Comfortably? (1-2 p.m., December 14) – focus on smart spending and retirement planning.
• For employees close to retirement, Your Next Steps (1-2 p.m., December 15) guides them through retirement application process.
• Virtual appointments (video or audio-only) are available for all members. They can schedule a session from the Education & Counseling page.

Submit VRS forms and documents securely with Zix. Any VRS form or related documents that you previously faxed to VRS can be sent using Zix, a widely used source for encrypting and decrypting emails. Our Using Zix to Send Encrypted Email job aid shows you how to register your Zix account. Contact VRS Employer Support if you have any questions.

Are you new to administering VRS benefits? Let us know so our employer representative team can introduce themselves to you and point you to resources and training opportunities.