Occasionally, you will find a pending enrollment for an employee who is no longer employed by your organization. You may be wondering, “What do I do with this enrollment?” If the employee did work for you in a position that met membership criteria and contributions were reported or will be reported, please submit the enrollment.
While the Member Eligibility statement on the enrollment form may make you hesitate to submit it for a terminated employee because it states, “I confirm that this employee is in a position that meets the requirements...” we understand that the statement is valid only from the membership date you provide through the last posted contributions.
In the rare scenario where the new employee enrolled prior to starting employment and then never actually worked for you, you may delete the enrollment.
Why should a terminated employee still go through the enrollment process?
When an employee terminates their employment without enrolling with the ASRS, they are unable to access their online account, update their beneficiary or apply for a refund or retirement because the ASRS cannot verify their identity. If they contact the ASRS for assistance with their account within six months of leaving employment, the ASRS will refer them back to their former ASRS employer to complete the enrollment process.
For this reason, the ASRS highly encourages employers to reach out to employees that have not yet enrolled (these are the individuals listed on your Enrollments Required report). This is especially important if an employee has not enrolled and is terminating or has recently terminated employment.
Please Note: As the ASRS employer, it is your responsibility to provide the enrollment code and registration instructions to all new employees who meet ASRS membership criteria. This process provides important demographic information to the ASRS. Without a completed enrollment, the member may not be able to apply for a refund or retirement. Also, the member’s account is more vulnerable to fraudulent activity and potentially exposed to unclaimed property laws if the member should pass away or simply forget about their account.
All new employees should be given a copy of the Employee Online Instructions and encouraged to enroll, regardless of previous ASRS service. The Employee Online Enrollment Instructions are available on the Manage Enrollments page within your Employer myASRS website to users who have the “Process Enrollments” role assigned to them. Employers can also add their name and enrollment code to the first page of the New Member Guide and provide that PDF to their new employees.
Please keep the above tips in mind while assisting your new employees with the ASRS online enrollment process. If you encounter other enrollment issues, please let us know by submitting an Employer Secure Message through your secure myASRS Employer account
Written by Nichole Fuller, Employer Relations
Published May 2023
