ERS Employee Perks and Benefits

Health Benefits

New employees are eligible for health coverage through the Texas Employees Group Benefits Program (GBP). According to the recent ERS Retirement and Benefits Survey Report, almost 85 percent of employees consider the Texas Employees Group Benefits Program (GBP) to be a valuable part of their total compensation. 

Insurance benefits can include the following coverage: 

  • health, 
  • dental, 
  • vision,
  • life and 
  • disability.  

ERS also offers wellness programs to improve the quality of the life and longevity of our employees, such as: 

  • care management,
  • weight management,
  • fitness programs and 
  • tobacco cessation.

ERS Member Survey

Employees and retirees continue to value the GBP and State of Texas Retirement plan. Read more results.

Tuition Reimbursement

Upon the approval of the Executive Director, ERS may reimburse an employee at ERS for the cost of tuition, fees and books incurred for job-related classes at an accredited college or university as defined by Education Code, Chapter 61.003 for the completion of a degree program.

ERS will reimburse costs only after an eligible employee has successfully completed the course with a passing grade of at least a ‘C’ or the equivalent. Reimbursement is subject to the availability of funds and currently is limited to $2,500 per semester with a maximum annual reimbursement of $7,500.

Additional Benefits

ERS understands that work-life balance is important for today’s workforce. To help employees at ERS achieve this balance, we offer flexible works schedules, part-time telecommuting, wellness incentives and a variety of paid time off, such as:

  • annual leave/vacation,
  • sick leave,
  • federal and state holidays,
  • bereavement leave and
  • jury duty.

Learn more about the Vacation Leave Accrual Guidelines.

Wellness

Health and wellness programs to improve employee quality of life and longevity.

Retirement

Most ERS employees become members of the ERS retirement plan as soon as they start working. The State of Texas Retirement plan is a defined benefit plan that provides retired employees with a monthly payment (or annuity) for the rest of their lives—no matter how long they live—once they retire after reaching eligibility.

Learn more about retirement benefits and retirement planning.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Learn more about this federal program that helps employees of government agencies, like ERS, pay off certain student loans faster.

Learn more about benefits for state agency employees.

Onsite Training

We believe in supporting professional development of our employees throughout their career at ERS.  With the pace of business today, it’s necessary to provide on-going training for our employees to continuously stay up to date on information and the skill quality of our team.

ERS provides employees with on-site training for both professional development and personal well-being.  On-site training topics range from, “Delivering the Strategic Message” to, “The Sandwich Generation” (adult children who care for their aging parents and have minor aged children in their care).  ERS also provides training for our supervisors with topics such as, “Performance Management” and “Making the Transition from Employee to Manager”.

Employees in specialized positions also have the option to attend conferences off-site, allowing them to bring fresh ideas to ERS.

Resources