VRS Modernization

Modernization is a Virginia Retirement System (VRS) program that updates VRS information in batches and requires employers to report only employees with changed information.

The state offers the ability for employers to update retirement information for employees by:

• Direct manual updates using an online connection to the VRSMod system.

• Uploading data using a batch file.

• A combination of these methods.

Menu Path

From the Human Resources menu, select State. From the State - VA menu, select VRS Modernization.

Submission Period

Monthly

Selection Rule

Employees who match both of the following criteria entered on the VA VRS Modernization - Load page are selected and reported:

• Employees with the same Employer Organization Code in the Employer Code field on the Virginia State Retirement page.

• Employees belonging to the Pay Groups and Departments

Prerequisites

• Enter valid information in the following fields on the Human Resources Profile - State page: 

  • Primary Employer Organization Code

  • Additional Employer Organization Code

  • Turn Off Salary Update

• Enter valid information in the following fields on the Virginia State Retirement page:

  • Employer Code

  • Contrct Period

  • Annual Salary

  • Job Name

  • Times Taken

• Set up VRS Modernization deduction codes.

• Complete the Setup procedure.

Setup

Set up the following before creating the VRS Modernization report.

Deductions

Associate the VRS Modernization deduction codes with one of the following deduction types:

• B - Buyback Code

• C - Hybrid Defined Benefit Employer Contribution

• D - Hybrid Defined Benefit Employee

• R - Retirement Code

1. On the VA VRS Modernization page, select Deductions.

2. Filter records using the filter criteria. To filter records:

   1. Select an option in the first field.

   2. Select or enter a value.

   3. Select Add if the button is enabled.
      Refer to Searching for Records for more information.

3. Select Add Record.

4. In the Deduction Code field, search for and select a VRS Modernization deduction code.

5. In the Deduction Type field, select one of the following:

   • B - Buyback Deduction

   • C - Hybrid Defined Benefit Employer Contribution

   • D - Hybrid Defined Benefit Employee

   • R - Retirement Deduction

6. Select Save, then Yes.

Repeat this process for the remaining VRS Modernization deduction codes.

For more information, refer to Deduction Types Overview.

Load Data

Perform this process on the first business day of the month.

1. On the VA VRS Modernization page, select Load.

2. Select the following:

   • Reporting Month

   • Reporting Year

   • Employer Organization Code

   • Enrollment Start Date

   • Enrollment End Date.

3. Select the Pay Groups and Departments.

4. Select Load, then Yes.

5. If data for the selected criteria is loaded, select Yes to delete and reload the data.

6. Save the Load Summary report and select OK.

7. Navigate to the folder containing the summary report file.

8. Inspect the file. Update data if needed.

9. Repeat these steps until all required data is loaded.

Load Process

The Employer Organization Code on the VA VRS Modernization - Load page is retrieved from the Primary Employer Organization Code field on the Human Resources Profile - State page. If the Additional Employer Organization Code field on the Human Resources Profile - State page is also populated, both codes will be available in the Employer Organization Code field on the VA VRS Modernization - Load page.

Employees who match both of the following criteria are selected and loaded:

• Employees assigned the Employer Organization Code selected on the VA VRS Modernization - Load page

• Employees belonging to the Pay Groups and Departments selected on the VA VRS Modernization - Load page

For each employee selected for loading, a new work file record is created using the Reporting Month, Reporting Year, and Employer Organization Code selected on the VA VRS Modernization - Load page. Based on this data, the required employee information is retrieved. During this process, the Annual Salary field on the Virginia State Retirement page is updated with the value in the Annual Salary field from the employee’s primary pay rate on the Employee Pay Rate Information page.

Before creating the new work file record, the settings for the Enrollment (E) and Change (C) flags are determined as follows:

• The work file for the employee’s previous month’s record is first checked.

• If a record is found, each field of the current data selected for the employee is compared to the previous month’s value.

• If no differences are found, the newly constructed work file record is written with the change flag set to N. If there are differences, the change flag is set to C.

• If a record is not found, the employee hire date is compared to those in the Enrollment Start Date and Enrollment End Date fields on the VA VRS Modernization - Load page to determine if the employee is a new hire.

• If the employee hire date falls between the Enrollment Start Date and Enrollment End Date fields on the VA VRS Modernization - Load page, the Enrollment flag is set to Y.

• If the employee is not a new hire, a search is done to find any records for the employee.

• The record is written to the work file if no records are found.

• If records are found, an interruption has been caused by employee leave or separation and rehire. The newly constructed work file record’s Change flag is set to C.

Maintain Data

You can correct loaded data before submitting the report.

1. On the VA VRS Modernization page, filter records using the filter criteria. To enter filter criteria, select an option from the list and then enter or select a value.

   • To add a record, click Add Record. Refer to Field Descriptions and enter valid information in the required fields. Select Save, then Yes.

   • To edit a record, select the ellipsis in the Actions column, then select Edit. Update the information and select Save.

   • To delete a record, select the ellipsis in the Actions column, select Delete, then select Yes.

Field Descriptions

Employee Information Tab

Address Information Tab

Retirement Information Tab

Create File

1. On the VA VRS Modernization page, select Batch Report.

2. Select the Reporting Year, Reporting Month, and Employer Organization Code.

3. Create a hard copy of the report to verify data before you create the electronic file:

   1. Select Formatted Report.

   2. Select PDF or Excel.

   3. If you have the security to view the entire Social Security Number (without masking) and want to include the entire Social Security Number, select Print Full Social Security Number.

   4. Select Report All or Report Changes Only - Batch.

   5. Select Create, then Yes.

4. Save the file and select OK.

5. Navigate to the folder containing the report file.

6. Inspect the file. Update data if needed.

7. Repeat these steps until all the required data is included.

8. Create the electronic file:

   • Select Batch File for VRS Modernization.

   • Select Create, then Yes.

   • Save the file and select OK.
     The default file name is vrs<MMYYYYEmpOrgCode>.txt.  
     where:

     • MMYYYY represents the Reporting Month and Reporting Year selected in Step 2.

     • EmpOrgCode represents the Employer Organization Code selected in Step 2.
       
       The file format is tilde-delimited.

Download the report and follow the state's submission procedures.

Report Process

The batch files consist of only changed records for an individual employer code.

All records are selected from the work file created during the Load process.

If Report Changes Only - Batch or Batch File for VRS Modernization is selected on the VA VRS Modernization - Batch Report page, the records are selected based on the Reporting Year, Reporting Month, and Employer Organization Code and included only if the change flag is set to C.

For the batch files, values are written for the fields based on the VRS specifications. For more information, refer to VRS Modernization Report - File Layout and Data Mapping.

Some fields noted as optional that have no data source are left blank. If a record is written because it is marked as changed, fields identified as optional in the Maintenance column will be written, whether or not there was a change.

The batch file is a flat ASCII file you can transfer to a PC for upload to VRSMod.

Most customers use employee numbers for reporting to VRS. Those that do not use employee numbers must either:

• Manually enter the VRS-assigned number in the Employer Code field on each employee's Virginia State Retirement page.

• Arrange for custom programming to update the Employer Code field on each employee's Virginia State Retirement page from a state-provided file.

Monthly load processing must be performed to correctly calculate the VRS retirement amounts, regardless of reporting method.

Upload Salary

Salary amounts are retrieved from the Annual Salary field on the Virginia State Retirement page. If the field is blank, the salary amount is retrieved from the Annual Salary field on the Employee Pay Rate Information page. The Annual Salary field on the Virginia State Retirement page is updated once the VRS Modernization records are loaded.

If the Turn Off Salary Update option on the Human Resources Profile - State page is selected, you must manually update the Annual Salary field on the Virginia State Retirement page. You can manually update each employee record or use the Upload Salary option to bulk update employee records.

Create the Salary Upload File

Create a comma-delimited file called vrssal.dat. The format is:

Social security number,Salary (one employee per line)

For example:

999-99-9999,10000.00

999-99-9991,20000.00

999-99-9994,24000.00

Upload the Salary File

1. On the VA VRS Modernization page, select Upload Salary.

2. Select Choose File and browse to the containing folder.

3. Select the vrssal.dat file and select Open.

4. Select Load, then Yes.

5. Select OK.

Purge Data

If you need to correct setups or employee data, purge the existing records and reload the data.

1. On the VA VRS Modernization page, select Purge.

2. Select the Reporting Year and Reporting Month.

3. Select Submit.

4. Select Yes, then OK.