Employer Update

Clarification: This article clarifies earlier guidance about when and how to make salary updates for members returning from military leave.

When employees are called to active duty military service, take time to carefully review and communicate the potential impact on their VRS benefits and provide a smooth transition for our valued armed services members.

To ensure an employee receives service credit, it's essential to take the necessary reporting steps when the employee goes on leave and later, when the employee returns to the workplace. These steps are in accordance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

To accurately report employees going out or coming back from military leave, follow these steps:

1. Mark the employee on leave without pay in myVRS Navigator. Select the Active Duty Military Leave option.
2. While the employee is in leave-without-pay status for active-duty military service, do not report contributions to VRS.
3. Mark the employee as Active in myVRS Navigator when he or she returns to work from leave.
4. Employees called to active-duty military service are eligible for service credit for the time served. When an employee returns to active employment, employers should request the employee provide the DD214 and certify eligible active-duty military leave in myVRS Navigator. Certify each period of active-duty service, provided the employee's discharge was other than dishonorable.
5. Clarification: If while on leave the employee was entitled to any annual salary changes, those salary updates will need to be made upon return to active employment. There should be a separate entry made for each increase occurrence.

Hybrid Retirement Plan members may want to make up employee mandatory and voluntary contributions from the period they were on leave (for the defined contribution component only). They have the option to submit the Application for Contribution Make-Up (VRS-26M).

There is also an Application for Uniformed Service Leave Make-Up and Payroll Authorization formfor those returning members who participate in the Commonwealth of Virginia 457 Plan. Make-up forms for optional retirement plan participants are available upon request.