SIP2016-Plan Highlights

ADMINISTRATIVE VOLUNTARY INCENTIVE PLAN

Individual Eligibility

Full-time Staff employees of Cleveland State University are eligible to apply for the VIP-2017 if, as of March 1, 2017, the employee:

1. Has at least 15 years of full-time service with the University. "Full-time service" means the years of full-time appointed service on a permanent budget line at Cleveland State University as a Staff employee; excludes any service as a part-time or casual employee.  Employees with temporary service contiguous to permanent employment may use such temporary service to calculate their total years of service.
    
2. Service at another entity, whether or not it is affiliated with Cleveland State University, does not count in satisfying the above eligibility criteria.

An employee who satisfies the above eligibility requirements may apply for the VIP-2017 even if he or she has given notice of his or her intention to retire, except as noted in section for ineligible employees.

Ineligible: 

The following employees and individuals are not eligible to apply for or to participate in the VIP-2017:

• Employees who have started to receive OPERS, STRS, OPERS-LE, SERS, or ARP retirement benefits on or before March 1, 2017.
• Retirees who worked for an employer who participated in OPERS, STRS, OPERS-LE, SERS, or ARP retirement plans and who have been rehired by Cleveland State University.
• Employees who may be using vacation accruals to bridge to an already-specified separation date arranged prior to March 1, 2017.
• Employees who have already signed a formal separation agreement with Cleveland State University.
• Employees who have been given notice prior to March 1, 2017, of their involuntary termination from Cleveland State University.
• Employees who have participated in any other early retirement incentive at any time in the past.
• Part-time Staff employees ("part-time" means an appointment of less than 100% FTE), casual employees, and temporary employees whose temporary employment has not been contiguous to permanent employment.
• Key individuals; positions for which there would be a requirement to be re-filled, i.e., vice presidents, Grade 11 AVP’s.

Incentive Offering

VIP-2017 Participants will receive an Income Replacement Payment of 75% of their annual salary or annualized base wages, to a maximum of $100,000 that will be paid in a single lump-sum, less all deductions for local, state and federal taxes legally required to be withheld, within 30 days following separation from the University.

Income Replacement Payments are calculated based on the employee's base salary/wages on March 1, 2017.

Base salary/wages do not include overtime, supplemental pay, summer pay, call-back pay, shift differentials, or any other non-base salary or wages.

In addition, staff members participating in the VIP-2017 are automatically eligible for payout of accrued vacation and accrued sick time (per policy), may be eligible for continuation of student fee remission (See Professional Staff Personnel Policy 3344-61-12), and for nomination as an Associate of the University.

Approval Criteria

REQUIRED APPROVALS

The Department of Human Resources, as the first level, will first review the VIP-2017 application to confirm the employee’s eligibility to participate. The application will then be reviewed by the Vice President, Dean or Provost, depending on the division in which the employee resides, and Vice President, Business Affairs & Finance and the President’s Office.