How to Check Member Eligibility

The Check Member Eligibility Tool application was designed for two primary purposes: 

1. To allow employers to identify ASRS retirees and easily determine for whom you may be required to submit alternate contributions, and
2. To assist state agencies in determining who has an existing ASRS account for the state employee’s 6-month waiting period purposes. 

To look up an individual on the “Check Member Eligibility” page, input the Social Security Number (SSN) and date of birth (DOB) of your employee. Both Fields are required to begin the search. The search results will be displayed at the bottom of the page.

When looking at the results, many different results may pop up. Below is a definition of what each result means:

The result we get the most questions about is “Undetermined,” and a few scenarios exist in this case. One reason can be that contributions were submitted and then taken back as a credit because the member wasn’t eligible to have contributions withheld. Another possible reason could be that the member contributed but transferred to another state retirement system like the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System or the Corrections Officer Retirement Plan.

The “DOB Error” and “DOB Missing” results can also cause some confusion. The “DOB Error” result is triggered when we have the employee’s SSN in our system but with a different date of birth. This doesn’t necessarily mean the employee is already a member because this can happen when they’re added as a beneficiary to another member’s account with an incorrect birthdate. The “DOB Missing” status typically means that the employee is a member but did not complete the enrollment process and needs to submit their enrollment as soon as possible.

Employers will also use the Check Member Eligibility Tool to check the ASRS status of a new hire who is 65 or older to determine whether or not they are eligible for the 65+ Membership Waiver. Do not use the 65+ Membership Waiver if the status is Retirement, Retirement in Progress, Contributing, or Contributed.

The best way to get clarification on the ASRS status of an employee is to send an Employer Secure Message with the employee's full name, SSN, and DOB. We will research your request and explain why their information resulted in a certain status.

Written by Brianna Hamlin, Employer Relations

Published February 2024