Employers
Welcome, Employers!
Here you will find resources for administering the VRS Optional Retirement Plan for Higher Education (ORPHE).
Qualified employees of Virginia’s public colleges and universities have the option to participate in the VRS ORPHE, rather than VRS Plan 1, VRS Plan 2 or the VRS Hybrid Retirement Plan. For those employees who choose the ORPHE plan, they will also choose an investment provider.
Employees have 60 days from their hire date to elect ORPHE; otherwise, they will become members of the other applicable VRS plan.
During open enrollment, participants have a choice of two providers for directing ongoing contributions to the plan: DCP (record kept by MissionSquare Retirement) and TIAA. Any changes in providers become effective on the first pay date in January of the following year.
Participants who wish to change providers can compare their options and make a selection in myVRS. When open enrollment concludes, employers are responsible for acknowledging employees’ provider changes in myVRS Navigator.
Employers are responsible for acknowledging participants’ provider elections in myVRS Navigator. You should ensure payroll records accurately reflect each participant's election and contributions are remitted to the correct provider.
- After logging into myVRS Navigator, click on the Organization menu and select Election Acknowledgment Maintenance. The Election Acknowledgment Maintenance screen lists all employee records pending acknowledgment, including open enrollment provider elections.
- Before acknowledging an ORP employee’s provider election, ensure that payroll records are established accurately based on the provider change.
- For state central payroll employers, myVRS Navigator will automatically send provider elections to DOA/CIPPS. Decentralized employers will need to ensure payroll records are accurately established based on participants' elections and contributions are remitted to the correct provider.
- After selecting the employee records you wish to acknowledge, review and click the box next to the “I acknowledge” statement at the top of the page.
- Once the “I acknowledge” box is checked, a new button — Acknowledge — will appear. Click the Acknowledge button to finish.
Provider Contacts for Employers
| DCP | Virginia Retirement System (Record-Kept by MissionSquare Retirement) |
TIAA | |
|---|---|---|
| Employer Support Contact | Employer Support Team | - |
| 1-VRS-DC-PLAN1(1-877-327-5261), select option 3 1-800-669-7471 TDD |
1-888-842-7782 | |
| Mon-Fri, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. 777 N. Capitol Street NE Suite 600 Washington, DC 20002 |
Mon-Fri, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. 8500 Andrew Carnegie Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28262 |
