1. What is meant by past service for RMS?
2. How do I get Initial Servcie Credits? (i.e. credit for service prior to joining The Church’s Plan)
3. Can past service be taken away from me?
4. How do I earn continuing RMS service?
5. Why isn’t the benefit related to my level of pay like the Primary Retirement Benefit and the Supplemental Retirement Account?
6. Is the benefit taxable? Can it be included as housing allowance?
7. When do I become “vested” in my RMS benefit?
8. Do I have to be enrolled the Concordia Health Plan as an active worker to accumulate RMS service?
9. Do I have to be in the Concordia Health Plan as a retiree to receive the RMS as a benefit?
10. I’m thinking of retiring prior to 1/1/2006. How will this affect any potential RMS benefit?
11. I’m over 60 with 20 years of service and I’m going to retire during 2006. My employer isn’t going to join The Church’s Plan before I retire. Will I receive an RMS benefit?
12. I’m already retired and am receiving a CRP Primary Retirement Benefit. Do I get anything?
13. I’m a surviving spouse currently receiving a Primary Retirement Benefit from the CRP. Do I get anything?
14. I’m a retiree meeting the RMS criteria and I am a surviving spouse meeting the criteria. Do I get both the retiree RMS benefit and the surviving spouse benefit?
15. I’m an early retiree but have deferred my CRP Primary Retirement Benefit. Will I get an RMS benefit?

The new RMS component of the CRP is effective 1/1/2006. Service that could potentially be counted toward determining the RMS benefit is called past service. Specifically, credit for past service is called Initial Service Credits and is sometimes abbreviated ISC.

If you are an active full-time worker and your employer participates in the Church’s Plan by 1/1/2007, you will get credit for past CRP and PPPT service.

If your employer joins The Church’s Plan prior to 1/1/2007 but withdraws from the Plan within five years from joining you will lose your Initial Service Credits.

As long as you work for an employer participating in The Church’s Plan and you are an active worker for CRP purposes, you continue to accumulate RMS service credits.

The benefit is intended to help long-service workers with the cost of medical expenses during retirement. Since medical expenses do not vary with income, the benefit is based only on service and a flat dollar amount per year.

The benefit is taxable as income and cannot be included in housing allowance.

Although the term “vesting” is not applied to RMS, you become eligible for the benefit when you turn age 60 and have at least 15 years of RMS service or meet the Rule of 85 (including any Initial Service Credits). After you meet either of these criteria, you remain eligible for the benefit even if your employer drops The Church’s Plan or if you move to an employer not in The Church’s Plan.

In addition to the requirement that your employer be in The Church’s Plan (and, therefore, must meet minimum participation requirements), you do have to be enrolled in the Concordia Health Plan or be an eligible opt-out to earn ongoing RMS service.

No. In fact, you do not have to use the RMS to pay medical expenses although that is the intended purpose.

If you retire prior to 1/1/2006 and are at least age 59 with at least 14 years of CRP/PPPT service, you will receive an RMS benefit regardless of whether your employer (or former employer) participates in The Church’s Plan. Your RMS benefit will be based on Life Only if you are not married and J&S 70% if you are.

If your employer does not join The Church’s Plan prior to 1/1/2007, you will not receive an RMS benefit. If your employer does join prior to 1/1/2007, you will receive an RMS benefit.

If you retired prior to 1/1/2006 and you were at least age 59 with at least 14 years of CRP/PPPT service at the time you retired or met the Rule of 85, you will receive an RMS monthly benefit. Your monthly RMS annuity payment will be paid in the same form as your CRP Primary Retirement Benefit.

If your spouse retired prior to 1/1/2006 and was at least age 59 with at least 14 years of service or met the Rule of 85 and you are currently receiving and/or are eligible to receive a survivor pension benefit you will receive an RMS benefit equal to 70% of what your retired spouse would have received.

Yes, you get both.

If you retired prior to 1/1/2006 and you were at least age 59 with at least 14 years of CRP/PPPT service at the time you retired or met the Rule of 85, you will receive an RMS monthly benefit. Your monthly RMS annuity payment will be based on the form of payment you select at the point of benefit commencement.