Employee Benefits at a Glance

Holidays:
13 paid holidays per year.
Annual Leave (paid vacation):
15 days of paid annual leave a year, accrued at a rate of five hours each pay period for a total of 10 hours a month. Once you have completed 10 years of total state service, annual leave is accrued at a rate of six hours each pay period for a total of 12 hours a month. Once you have completed 15 years of total state service, annual leave is accrued at a rate of seven hours each pay period for a total of 14 hours a month.
Sick Leave:
15 days of paid sick leave a year, accrued at a rate of five hours each pay period for a total of 10 hours a month.
Parental Leave:
Up to six weeks of paid parental leave to be taken within the 12 weeks following the birth or adoption of a child. The purpose of parental leave is to give new parents time and flexibility to care for, nurture, and bond with the newest member of their family.
Shareleave:
If you, your spouse, or child (including step and foster children) experience an illness or injury which is life threatening, catastrophic, terminal, or likely to result in a substantial permanent disability and all accrued leave has been exhausted, you may receive paid leave through our ShareLeave program. ShareLeave is a pool of annual leave and compensatory time voluntarily donated by fellow DSS employees.
Family and Medical Leave (FMLA):
An employee is eligible for FMLA leave if they have worked for the State of Missouri for at least 12 months (does not have to be consecutive) and have worked at least 1,250 hours for the State of Missouri during the 12-month period immediately preceding the leave. FMLA provides job-protected leave for qualifying family and medical reasons without a loss of the employer paid portion of your health insurance benefit. Leave for up to 12 workweeks (480 hours) in a rolling 12-month period is provided for your own qualifying serious health condition; incapacity due to pregnancy; for prenatal care; the birth and care of a newborn child; adoption or foster care placement of a child; to care for a spouse, child or parent with a serious health condition; and when a qualified family member is on covered active duty or has been notified of an impending call to covered active duty in a foreign country. Leave for up to 26 workweeks in a single 12-month period is provided to care for a covered service member with a qualifying serious illness or injury.
Leave for Victims of Domestic or Sexual Violence:
An employee who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence or a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence may take up to two weeks of paid or unpaid leave within any 12-month period for qualifying reasons.
Other Paid Leave:
You may receive paid leave for qualifying events/reasons such as court appearances/jury duty, voting, bereavement, education, military duty, local/natural disasters, community involvement, blood donation, bone marrow or human organ donation, SELF counseling sessions, disaster service/American Red Cross volunteer and promotional job interviews within DSS, per policy.
Life Insurance:
Basic term life insurance from Standard Insurance Company is paid by the State of Missouri. Your Basic Life coverage amount is one times your annual salary, rounded to the next higher multiple of $1,000, if not already a multiple of $1,000. The maximum amount is $500,000 and the minimum is $15,000. You may purchase additional life insurance for yourself, up to six times your annual salary (rounded up to the nearest $10,000 increment) or $800,000, whichever is less. If eligible, you may also purchase life insurance for your spouse and child(ren) through MOSERS. For more information, visit mosers.org/members/life-insurance or mhgmovlic.org.
Health Insurance:
Medical and prescription drug coverage is provided for benefit-eligible team members through Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan (MCHCP). You may enroll yourself, your spouse and your dependent children as a new employee (within 31 days of hire) or during the annual open enrollment period each October. You must be enrolled in the plan to enroll your spouse or dependent children. Coverage is effective on the first day of the month following employment.

All three of MCHCP's medical plans offer the same benefits, such as:

  • 100% coverage of preventive care - such as preventive exams, vaccinations, age- specific screenings and much more - when using a network provider.
  • Virtual care through Sydney Health – virtual medical and behavioral health care visits.
  • Medically necessary covered services.

MCHCP Benefits

Dental Plan Comprehensive dental benefits include diagnostic and preventive services, basic and restorative services, and major services through a nationwide network of participating providers. There is a one-year wait period for major services. The cost of dental insurance is paid by the employee.
Vision Plan Vision benefits include: routine exams, allowances for lenses and frames or contact lenses. The cost of vision insurance is paid by the employee.
Strive Employee Life & Family (SELF) The SELF program, offered through ComPsych, is a confidential counseling and referral service that provides support, resources, and information to help employees reduce stress, improve health, and enhance life balance. Employees eligible for MCHCP medical coverage and members of their household may use the SELF program 24 hours a day, every day of the year; and may receive up to ten free counseling sessions, per person, per problem, per calendar year. SELF is confidential and available at no cost to the employee and members of their household. Visit mchcp.org/stateMembers/self.asp for more information and instructions on how to access SELF services.
Strive for Wellness® Strive for Wellness® is a program launched by MCHCP to encourage members to live healthier. The program includes wellness incentives and other resources. You must be registered on myMCHCP to participate.

For more information regarding any benefits provided by MCHCP, visit mchcp.org.

Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance:
LTD insurance provides partial income replacement in the event you become disabled, and is provided at no cost to you (employer pays premiums as long as you are an active employee) by MOSERS through Standard Insurance Company (The Standard). There is a 90-day benefit waiting period in the event you become disables. For more information, visit mosers.org/members/long-term-disability.
Retirement:
Under the Missouri State Employees' Retirement System (MOSERS), the date on which you were first hired in a MOSERS benefit eligible position will determine your membership in the retirement plans – MSEP, MSEP 2000 or MSEP 2011. If you were first employed by the state in a benefit eligible position on or after January 1, 2011, you are required to contribute 4% of your gross pay to the retirement system. If you worked in a benefit eligible position prior to January 1, 2011, there is no cost to you. For more information, visit mosers.org.
Deferred Compensation:
The Missouri Deferred Compensation Plan, administered by MOSERS, provides you with a method to conveniently save money for retirement through payroll deduction. Along with accumulating savings for your future, there are many other advantages to saving with MO Deferred Comp, including:
  • Immediate eligibility upon hire to save with one of the nation's lowest cost retirement savings plans.
  • A simplified, low-cost, professionally managed investment lineup and both pre-tax and ROTH (after-tax) savings options.
  • Automatic payroll deductions into your MO Deferred Comp account.
  • Effective July 1, 2022, the State of Missouri will match your contributions dollar-for-dollar up to a maximum of $75 each month, if you contribute at least $25 a month to your MO Deferred Comp account.
  • Easy consolidation of retirement savings accounts from previous employers, including BackDROP rollovers.
  • Penalty-free access to your savings after you leave state employment.
  • Free financial seminars and one-on-one consultations with industry experts.
  • Both free and fee-only financial planning services to help you address financial concerns and achieve your financial goals.
  • 24/7 online access to your account and numerous tools and resources, such as handy calculators and educational videos.

Employees (excluding temporary staff) hired for the first time by the State on or after July 1, 2012, are automatically enrolled to contribute 1% of their pay each pay period. To opt out of automatic enrollment, you must log into Account Access (through modeferredcomp.org, SEBES, or the Employee Self-Service (ESS) Portal) and adjust your contribution to zero within 30 days of your official hire date. Employees can adjust their contributions at any time. For more information, visit modeferredcomp.org or contact the MO Deferred Comp Plan.

Cafeteria Plan:
The MoCAFE Cafeteria Plan is an employer-sponsored payroll-deduction savings plan that lets you set aside a portion of your paycheck on a tax-free basis to pay for certain insurance premiums and to be reimbursed for certain medical, child, and dependent care expenses through a Flexible Spending Account (FSA). FSA accounts are exempt from federal income taxes, Social Security (FICA) taxes and state income taxes. The only premiums that may be paid for with the Cafeteria Plan are state-sponsored health, dental and vision insurance premiums. For more information, visit MoCafe.com.
MOST - Missouri’s 529 Education Plan:
The MOST 529 Education Plan is a convenient, flexible and tax-advantaged way to save for education costs and is available through payroll deduction. MOST offers the following advantages: MO state tax deduction of up to $8,000 per person (or $16,000 if you’re married filing jointly) in annual contributions; tax-free withdrawals when used for qualified expenses; there are no annual fees required to participate; and an account may be opened with as little as $25. For more information, call 1-888-414-6678 (MOST) or visit missourimost.org.
WeSave Discount Program:
Employees who participate in the free WeSave Missouri State Employee Discount Program will have opportunities to save money on goods and services purchased from participating merchants. WeSave members are entitled to exclusive savings at local, national and online merchants and can earn “WeCash” on many purchases that can be applied to future WeSave purchases. For more information, visit pers.oa.mo.gov/state-employees/employee-benefits/wesave-missouri.
Team Member Discount Hub:
The State of Missouri Team Member Discount Hub offers active and retired employees access to a wide variety of discounts on products and services from various vendors in order to express appreciation for your valued service to Missouri citizens. For more information, visit mo.savings.workingadvantage.com or the benefit link in the ESS Portal.
Dollar Value of Total Benefits:
Learn about the dollar value of your benefits by reviewing the Team Member Benefits as a Percentage of Salary document at pers.oa.mo.gov/media/pdf/ team-member-benefits-percentage-salary. The below estimates are based on annual salary amounts.
Annual Salary Amount $34,997 $47,865 $54,715 $60,000 $75,000
% Amount of Benefits Included w/ Salary 14.6% 14.6% 14.6% 14.6% 14.6%
Dollar Value of Total Benefits $34,063.77 $41,412.84 $45,382.15 $48,343.43 $56,910.29
Total Benefits as a Percent of Salary 97.3% 86.5% 82.8% 80.6% 75.9%