Our Strength is Your Security
You can be very proud of your career in state employment. One of the rewards is knowing you’ve earned the right to a secure and enjoyable retirement.
Retired state employees founded MRSEA in the 1940’s as a way to keep in touch and to provide opportunities for getting together with former co-workers. We expanded our focus in the early 1970’s to include advocacy on behalf of our members, particularly in the areas of pensions and group insurance.
The Minnesota Retired State Employees Association (MRSEA) exists for one reason only: to enrich your life as a retiree. MRSEA works hard to preserve and improve your public retirement benefits and also serves as a social organization. We are united to advocate for the well being of state retirees by:
- Monitoring the deliberations of the legislature and the Minnesota State Retirement System Board of Directors; and responding as appropriate to promote, protect and enhance retiree interests;
- Maintaining working relationships with other retiree organizations;
- Advocating for the affordability of state retiree health, dental, and long term care benefits;
- Promoting social activities through local chapters and statewide meetings.
Some of our accomplishments:
- Working with state agencies and the legislature, we helped develop our current method of increasing our pensions after retirement. These changes have resulted in substantial lifetime increases in pensions of retirees. Minnesota’s program is among the best in the nation.
- Our hard work gained retiree access to the long term care insurance program administered by the State.
- We sponsored legislation providing for retiree representation on the Investment Advisory Council of the State Board of Investment and on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota State Retirement System.
- We advocated for and supported legislation that provides improved joint survivor annuity benefits.
- We continue to maintain a good relationship with the legislature.
- We provide members with a method for making voluntary contributions to a retired people’s political action fund.
- We participate in the annual Retiree Open Enrollment Meetings.
MRSEA is a non-profit organization that boasts thousands of Minnesota state retiree members. Our members are state employees from all areas including such diverse groups as retired legislators and judges plus various groups from the University of Minnesota and a number of metropolitan agencies. An all-volunteer organization, we are managed by a fifteen member board of directors.
Each year all members are invited to attend the annual meeting and an annual social event in the Twin Cities. Periodic chapter meetings are held in Brainerd, Duluth, Fergus Falls, Mankato, Marshall, Rochester, and Northwoods. If you live in one of the chapter areas you will be invited to their meetings. It’s a great way to keep in touch with former co-workers.
The larger our membership, the stronger is our voice. We hope that you will join, will follow up-dates periodically sent by email and lend your voice to our efforts to protect retiree benefits. Remember: