Medical Resident/Postdoctoral Scholar Retirement Plan
Plan History and Purpose
If you are employed in medical residency training or postdoctoral scholarship, you do not participate in either the State of Nevada PERS nor in Social Security. The Medical Resident/Postdoctoral Scholar Plan was created in 1994 for the purpose of providing a retirement benefit in place of Social Security. Participation in this plan is a condition of employment unless you had previously accrued a benefit under PERS.
The Plan does not guarantee that you will receive the same benefit you would have otherwise received from Social Security. Your ultimate benefit may be greater or less than your foregone Social Security benefit. However, you contribute to the plan the same percentage of your salary that workers in the Social Security System pay into that system. NSHE contributes the same amount to the plan that you do.
How You Participate
The Medical Resident/Postdoctoral Scholar Retirement Plan is the principal retirement vehicle for medical residents and postdoctoral scholars. You contribute a percentage of your salary to the plan each month. The percentage of salary that you must contribute is equal to the rate at which participants in the Social Security System are taxed. The current contribution rate is 6.2%. Your contributions are made by salary reduction, that is before tax. Your contribution is matched by NSHE. You are always 100% vested in your contributions and NSHE’s, which means that it cannot be taken away for any reason. TIAA is the sole recordkeeper for the retirement program.
You choose how to invest your own and NSHE’s contributions. The amount of money that you accumulate will depend on the performance of the investments you choose. TIAA provides four dedicated financial consultants that are available Monday through Friday on any of NSHE’s eight campuses to assist you in your investment deliberations. To schedule a session, simply visit www.tiaa.org/nshe and click on Schedule a Session (North) or Schedule a Session (South) on the right side of the page.
When You are Eligible to Receive Your Retirement Benefits
You are eligible to receive the benefits you accumulate in this plan when you:
Terminate your employment with NSHE,
Turn age 59 ½ even if still employed,
Die
How Your Benefits Are Paid to You
Your benefits are payable to you in any form allowed by your record keeper. Contact your record keeper for information about benefit distribution options.