Pension Flexibility: Minnesota

Analysis of Minnesota's policies

Minnesota only offers a defined benefit pension plan to its teachers as their mandatory pension plan. This plan is not fully portable and does not provide any employer contribution for teachers who choose to withdraw their account balances when leaving the system. It also limits flexibility by restricting the ability to purchase years of service. The state is commended, however, for allowing teachers to vest at year three and for a provision that improves portability for teachers who defer their pensions.

Teachers in Minnesota also participate in Social Security, so they must contribute to the state's defined benefit plan in addition to Social Security. Although retirement savings in addition to Social Security are good and necessary for most individuals, the state's policy results in mandated contributions to two inflexible plans, rather than permitting teachers options for their state-provided savings plans.

Vesting in a defined benefit plan guarantees a teacher's eligibility to receive lifetime monthly benefit payments at retirement age. Non-vested teachers do not have a right to later retirement benefits; they may only withdraw the portion of their funds allowed by the plan. Minnesota's vesting at three years of service offers flexibility, but only for half of its teachers. According to a recent report, about 50 percent of employees in Minnesota's teacher-covered pension plan vest, meaning that the other 50 percent of teachers do not become eligible for a pension and, therefore, can only collect their refundable contributions.

Teachers in Minnesota who choose to withdraw their contributions upon leaving only receive their own contributions plus interest. This means that those who withdraw their funds accrue no benefits beyond what they might have earned had they simply put their contributions in basic savings accounts. Further, teachers who remain in the field of education but enter another pension plan (such as in another state) will find it difficult to purchase the time equivalent to their prior employment in the new system because they are not entitled to any employer contribution.

The state, however, does offer a portability feature for vested teachers who exit the system but leave their funds in until a later retirement date, known as the portable deferred pension provision. The deferred provision calculates the benefit when a teacher leaves employment, and the benefit is then increased annually at a compounded rate of 2 percent per year until the member retires. This provision at least reduces pension wealth loss due to inflation.

Minnesota limits teachers' flexibility to purchase years of service. The ability to purchase time is important because defined benefit plans' retirement eligibility and benefit payments are often tied to the number of years a teacher has worked. Minnesota's plan does not allow teachers to purchase time for previous teaching experience, which is a severe disadvantage to teachers who move to Minnesota with teaching experience. The state's plan, however, does allow teachers to purchase one year of time per approved parental leaves of absence and up to five years for extended leaves of any reason.

Citation

Minnesota Teachers Retirement Association, Actuarial Valuation Report for fiscal year ended June 30, 2015. Minnesota Teachers Retirement Association, Handbook of Benefits & Services, September 2015. Aldeman, C. and Rotherham, A. (2014). Friends without Benefits: How States Systematically Shortchange Teachers’ Retirement and Threaten Their Retirement Security, Bellwether Education Partners.

Recommendations for Minnesota

Offer teachers a pension plan that is fully portable, flexible and fair.
Minnesota should offer teachers for their mandatory pension plan the option of either a defined contribution plan or a fully portable defined benefit plan, such as a cash balance plan. A well-structured defined benefit plan could be a suitable option among multiple plans. However, as the sole option, defined benefit plans severely disadvantage mobile teachers and those who enter the profession later in life. Because teachers in Minnesota participate in Social Security, they are required to contribute to two defined benefit-style plans.

Increase the portability of its defined benefit plan.
If Minnesota maintains its defined benefit plan, it should allow teachers that leave the system to withdraw employer contributions. The state should also allow teachers to purchase their full amount of previous teaching experience. A lack of portability is a disincentive to an increasingly mobile teaching force.

Offer a fully portable supplemental retirement savings plan.
If Minnesota maintains its defined benefit plan, the state should at least offer teachers the option of a fully portable supplemental defined contribution savings plan, with employers matching a percentage of teachers' contributions.

State response to our analysis

Minnesota asserted that it does allow purchase of service credit for approved leaves of absence and prior teaching experience.

Last word

None of the citations provided by the state address a policy for purchasing time for approved leaves of absence.