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Benefits - Active Members
HOW DO I APPLY FOR MY RETIREMENT BENEFITS?
Any member of the System contemplating Retirement should
know the following:
It is imperative that you visit the GERS Office or write
a letter requesting a Prior Service Evaluation at least two
(2) years in advance of your anticipated retirement date.
The purpose of the prior service evaluation is:
- To verify years of service with the Government of the
Virgin Islands and to ensure that those years are
credited with GERS. There are instances where an
individual may have worked at a particular
agency/department, but that service time may not have
been credited at GERS. An evaluation outlines the exact
service time documented at GERS and provides the member
with an opportunity to either review their personal
records or to obtain the missing information from the
Social Security Administration.
- To verify if contributions are owed; for their early
years of service, as a result of a salary adjustment, or
in the case of hazardous duty employees (as appropriated
by law). Note: All contributions owed to the system must
be paid to GERS prior to the member receiving an
annuity, except for those Hazardous employees who are
governed by ACT 5226 or Act 6110.
- To receive an estimated annuity outlining what
benefits will be paid.
COMPLETING THE RETIREMENT APPLICATION
Prospective retirees should call our office to schedule
an appointment with a Benefits Analyst at least three (3)
months prior to the date they are planning to retire in
order to complete an application. Note: By law, an
employee is required to give his/her department 90 days
notice of their intent to retire.
Retirement is not automatic. If an application is
not completed with our office, we can not process a
retirement annuity payment.
If an application is completed after the date of
retirement, by law the System can only go back ninety (90)
days from the application date. For example, if someone
leaves the government effective December 31st and does not
complete an application until July 31st, his or her annuity
becomes effective May 1st. The individual would have lost
four (4) months of benefits. See Title 3, Chapter 27,
Section 705 (a) VIC. Thus, it is imperative that an
application is completed on a timely basis.
The following items are required when applying for
Service Retirement Annuity:
v Driver's License or Voter
Identification
v Passport, Birth Certificate, or
Naturalization Certificate
v Copy of Retirement Letter
v For beneficiary purposes please provide
the beneficiary(s) Name, SSN, Date of Birth, and Mailing
Address
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