To: All Commonwealth of Virginia Optional Retirement Plan for Higher Education Participants
This is a reminder that October is Open Enrollment month for participants of the Optional Retirement Plan for Higher Education (ORPHE).
The two available ORPHE providers are Fidelity Investments and TIAA-CREF. ORPHE participants may review the Open Enrollment Notice to Participants (http://www.varetire.org/pdf/publications/OrpheEnrollNot.pdf ) ORPHE participants may switch from one provider to the other for contributions to be effective January 10, 2014.
Participants may find Open Enrollment documents, the participant notification and provider change form under “What’s New” tab on the VRS home page.
- Plan 1; for employees with VRS service credits or an ORP account balance on or before July 1, 2010, and
- Plan 2; for employees with VRS service credits or an ORP account balance on or after July 1, 2010.
- You can also link to the information through the Defined Contributions Plans tab of the Virginia Retirement System homepage and click on ORP for Higher Education or http://www.varetire.org/members/benefits/defined-contribution/orphe-plan1/open-enrollment.asp
If you elect to change providers, you will need to complete the provider change form and forward it to Office of Human Resources on or before close of business, Thursday, October 31, 2013.
You may contact the TIAA-CREF Plan Center at 1-866-904-7805. And you may contact the Fidelity Plan Service Center at 1-800-343-0860 or if you would like to have a similar interaction like you would have with the on-site Representative you may call a Fidelity planning and guidance consultant that works over the phone with you at 800-642-7131.
For further assistance, please contact Denise Frye, Benefits Administrator at dfrye2@umw.edu or X1210.
