To maintain and supplement Mississippi’s workforce in hospitals and other governmental entities as needed in response to COVID-19, Governor Tate Reeves has signed Executive Order No. 1472. This order temporarily waives the required 90-day break in service for any Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi (PERS) retiree whose effective date of retirement occurred prior to April 15, 2020.
“We greatly appreciate the efforts of Governor Reeves and other state leaders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said PERS Executive Director Ray Higgins. “In consultation with the Attorney General’s Office and outside tax counsel, we assisted with the Executive Order and fully support its implementation. We believe the temporary waiver may help supplement the workforce during the state of emergency with no adverse impact to the System.”
Though the order waives the 90-day break-in-service requirement, retirees who return to work will need to adhere to one of the following so as to not suspend their retirement benefits:
Work no more than half the normal hours or days and earn no more than half the salary in effect for the position during the fiscal year or
Work for an amount of time in the fiscal year sufficient to earn up to a maximum of 25 percent of the retiree’s average compensation used for calculating retirement benefits.
Any PERS retiree who wishes to return to work with a PERS-covered employer must submit a completed PERS Form 4B, Reemployment of PERS Service Retiree Certification/Acknowledgement.
For more information, you may e-mail customerservice@pers.ms.gov with any questions.