We encourage you to explore this website (and ) to learn all about your pension plan.

Your partners in planning.

Throughout your working career, your employer takes care of your pension plan deductions, wage and service records, and plan contributions. Regular reports are sent to ORS to become part of your personal pension record. When it's time to retire, your employer hands off all your final records to ORS, and we become your partner in retirement.

Take charge of your future.

Don't wait! Learn all about your pension, and then develop a plan for retirement so that it is all you hope it will be. Click here to see why planning and saving is so important.

The March 2012 issue of Connections, our semiannual retiree newsletter, is now available. Articles in this issue include:

• Message From the Director

• Financial Summary for FY 2011

• Ask an Expert

• When to Contact ORS 

Published March 22, 2012

If you are facing a layoff, privatization, or leaving Michigan public school employment to pursue other opportunities, it's important to understand what will happen to your retirement benefits.

Visit the Leaving School Employment section of our website to learn what options are available to you so you can better manage your retirement plan.

Published on March 15, 2012

Insurance rates change every January. The new rates for 2012 were included with the December  and January Warrants and EFT statements. View the rates now.

The Insurance Options Summary (R0379C) has been updated with 2012 insurance information. This form compares different insurance options available for public school retirees, giving a side-by-side summary of each option, as well as contact information for the insurance providers. Read the new summary now.

For more detailed information on insurance coverage, contact the health care provider directly.

Published on January 23, 2012

Our office will be closed on the following dates:

January 16 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 20  - President's Day
May 28 - Memorial Day

State office closings for holidays are regulated by the Michigan Department of Civil Service Regulation 5.08. Public Act 124 of 1865 is the Michigan law governing official state holidays.

Published January 13, 2012

Your pension payment may be subject to Michigan income tax beginning January 1, 2012. For the latest information, including details about the Michigan Supreme Court decision, read our Frequently Asked Questions.

Published December 8, 2011

Pensions are paid on the 25th of each month for the month they're due. If the 25th falls on a weekend or holiday, watch for your payment on the previous business day (December payments are issued about one week early). Below are the pay dates for the remainder of 2011, and 2012.

2011: December 16.
2012: January 25, February 24, March 23, April 25, May 25, June 25, July 25, August 24, September 25, October 25, November 21, and December 18.

Published December 6, 2011

The October 2011 issue of Connections, our semiannual retiree newsletter, is now available.

Articles in this issue include:

• New law affects pension taxation: What will happen. What you need to do.
• From the Director
• Welcome new retirees
• Plan your next Pure Michigan trip
• Now's the time to Go Direct
• Ask an expert
• When to contact ORS

If a member of a public pension gets divorced, the court may order that a portion of their pension be paid to an alternate payee such as a former spouse or dependent child. For active or deferred members, this order is known as an Eligible Domestic Relations Order (EDRO). For retired members, it is known as a Domestic Relations Order (DRO). To make things easier for you and your attorney, ORS has developed downloadable, fillable forms to allow our members to create accurate and complete EDROs or DROs that can be administered under the retirement statutes:

Eligible Domestic Relations Order (EDRO) (R0259C) 
Eligible Domestic Relations Order: Background and Instructions (R0911X)

Domestic Relations Order (DRO) (R0323X)
Domestic Relations Order to Void the Survivor Option Only (R0914CGB)
Domestic Relations Orders: Background and Instructions (R0912X)

These are the preferred documents to file with the Office of Retirement Services. They are the fastest, most efficient way to complete your filing. Complete it online, save it, print it, then take the printed copy to the court for the judge's signature.

Published October 7, 2011

No more waiting for your Member Statement - it is now available in miAccount. Your personalized statement displays your wages, service credit, service credit purchases, and contributions as reported to us from your employer.

Because of this time-saving tool, we will no longer mail paper statements. Log in to miAccount, and then click on Member Statement in the left navigation bar to view your up-to-date account information.

Published on April 1, 2011

As more of our customers are using our secure online services, we want to remind you of what we do to keep your information safe. We will never send you an unsolicited email asking you to click on a link and then provide confidential information. Whenever you need personal information from us or we need personal information from you, we'll use our secure online tool, miAccount. ORS uses the latest industry standards for secure website transactions. For more information on safe internet practices, visit www.michigan.gov/cybersecurity.

Published on March 4, 2011