Once you are vested, you cannot lose your accrued pension benefit or pension credit. However, before you are vested, it is possible to permanently lose pension credit, vesting credit and your accrued pension benefits, if you experience a break in service.
There are two types of breaks in service, temporary breaks in service and permanent breaks in Service. Generally, if you have a permanent break in service, you lose your status as a participant under the Plan including your vesting service and pension credit.
Temporary Break in Service: Failing to earn at least 500 Hours of Vesting Service or 250 Hours of Pension Credit (0.25 Year of Pension Credit earned prior to January 1, 2025), during a calendar year.
Permanent Break in Service:
- Incurring five or more consecutive Temporary Breaks in Service; or
- For a Participant who has five or more Years of Vesting Service but who is not a Vested Participant, incurring the number of Temporary Breaks in Service equal to or greater than your number of Years of Vesting Service.
There are exceptions to the break in service rules for military service, FMLA, disability and certain types of employment. Contact the Retirement Benefits Department for more information.