Compare all five VRS retirement payout options side by side — Basic Benefit, Survivor Option, Advance Pension Option and PLOP — to understand the trade-offs before your irrevocable election.
Understand the VRS Hybrid plan's defined contribution side — mandatory and voluntary contributions, employer matching, vesting schedule, and how to take distributions at retirement.
Learn the VRS Health Insurance Credit rates for state employees, teachers and political subdivisions — who qualifies, how much you get and how to file.
How the VRS hazardous duty supplement works for SPORS, VaLORS and political subdivision safety employees — eligibility and when it ends.
Find out when VRS sends your first retirement check, how direct deposit works, the payment schedule, and what the confirmation letter covers.
How a divorce affects your VRS retirement — what a Domestic Relations Order (DRO) does, how it limits payout options, and the forms you need to know.
How VRS pension income is taxed — federal and Virginia state withholding, the age 62+ subtraction, PLOP lump sum taxes and Form 1099-R reporting.
Step-by-step guide to applying for VRS retirement — the 120-to-60-day window, myVRS vs paper VRS-5, spousal acknowledgment and the checklist before you file.
Find out the earliest age you can retire under VRS Plan 1, Plan 2 or Hybrid — unreduced eligibility, reduced retirement and the early retirement penalty.
How the VRS Partial Lump-Sum Option Payment works — eligibility rules, the 1x/2x/3x tiers, the permanent pension reduction and tax implications of taking a PLOP.
How VRS disability retirement works — who qualifies, how it differs from VSDP, the application process, and what happens to your benefit if you recover.
How VRS COLA adjustments are calculated for Plan 1, Plan 2 and Hybrid retirees — the formula, the caps, when it kicks in and the 2025-2026 approved rates.