Phase-In Retirement

This procedure has been approved by the TMCC President, who has the sole authority to execute Phase-In applications (See Chapter 4, Section 14 of the NSHE Procedures and Guidelines Manual).

The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) offers a phase-in program that allows faculty, professional staff, and classified employees to phase-in their retirement by lowering their Full-Time Equivalency (FTE) in the years prior to official retirement.

  • FTE may range from .50 and .80 FTE course load or work assignment
  • During Phase-in, Employee and NSHE will continue contributing to the retirement plan as if employed at 100% FTE
  • Salary and leave accruals will be pro-rated based on FTE

The phase-in notice and requests are not a guaranteed benefit; it is an approval process. Agreed upon time for phase-in may vary at each NSHE institution. Please contact the Human Resources Office for more information on the Phase-in Retirement Program.

Eligibility

  • The employee must have attained the age of 65 and completed at least five years of service with the institution at the expiration of the term of the agreement; or
  • The employee must have attained the age of 60 and completed at least ten years of service with the institution at the expiration of the term of the agreement; or
  • The employee would have completed 30 years or more of service with the institution at the expiration of the term of the agreement.

Professional Process (Administrative and Academic Faculty)

  • Employee contacts Human Resources to ensure eligibility.
  • If employee is eligible, they fill out the Phase-In Retirement Pre-Application Notice and submit the form to their Department Chair, Director, Dean, and/or Executive Director and/or Vice President.
  • Employee should meet with their Department Chair, Director, Dean, and/or Executive Director and/or Vice President to discuss any potential impacts on the department.
  • If the Phase-In Retirement Pre-Application Notice is endorsed by the Department Chair, Director, Dean, and/or Executive Director and/or Vice President, the VP (or their designee) will send the completed Notice to Human Resources.
  • Human Resources will then complete the Request for Phase-In Retirement form and obtain the appropriate signatures.
  • Once the President approves the Request for Phase-In Retirement form, Human Resources will prepare the phase-in agreement.
  • No contract exists until such time as the agreement has been fully executed by the President of the institution.
  • Any changes to the agreement, once executed, must be endorsed by the President and approved by the NSHE Chancellor.
  • If denied at any stage, the notification will be in writing.

Note: If an employee is enrolled in the PERS Retirement Plan, please see the Classified Process below for additional PERS Board approval steps.

Classified Process

  • Employee contacts Human Resources to ensure eligibility.
  • If an employee is eligible, they meet with their Supervisor to discuss their phase-in request (no forms are completed at this time).
  • If the Supervisor agrees that the request is in line with departmental needs, they will pass on the verbal request to the Director and/or Dean (this can also be a joint meeting with the Supervisor and Director and/or Dean).
  • The Director and/or Dean and VP will review the verbal request together and determine if the requested timeline meets the needs of the department. If endorsed by everyone, the VP (or their designee) will notify Human Resources with the agreed-upon timeline of phase-in retirement and the FTE for each year.
  • Human Resources will then complete the Request for Phase-In Retirement form and obtain the appropriate signatures.
  • Once the President approves the Request for Phase-In Retirement form, Human Resources will notify Business Center North (BCN) who will prepare the formal agreement. 
  • BCN will send the signed agreement to the PERS Board for final approval.
  • BCN will notify TMCC HR with the status of the application. 
  • No contract exists until such time as the agreement has been fully executed by the PERS Board.
  • If denied at any stage, the notification will be in writing.

Deadlines

Request for phase-in retirement is due on February 1 of each year for the following Fall Semester.

Notification of the decision to approve or deny the phase-in request shall be made to the employee by February 15. If the phase-in request is denied, the president will provide a written rationale for the decision.