About ERS

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Employees' Retirement System (ERS) covers employees of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (the Commission), a body corporate of the State of Maryland, established by the Maryland General Assembly in 1927. The ERS was established as a single employer defined benefit pension plan effective July 1, 1972, in accordance with the Trust Agreement between the Commission and the ERS Board of Trustees.

Today, the ERS consists of five defined benefit plans:

Plan A
The original plan open from July 1, 1972 until December 31, 1978.

Plan B
Mandatory for all non-police full-time and part-time career Merit System employees, appointed officials, and employees exempt from the Merit System and appointed by the respective County Planning Board to serve as a director hired or appointed on or between January 1, 1979 and December 31, 2012 and for all Employees' Retirement System employees hired on or between March 1, 1994 and December 31, 2012. Plan B is integrated with Social Security.

Plan E
Mandatory for all non-police full-time and part-time career Merit System employees, appointed officials, employees exempt from the Merit System and appointed by the respective County Planning Board to serve as a director, and all Employees' Retirement System employees hired or appointed on or after January 1, 2013. Plan E is integrated with Social Security.

Plan E does not apply to individuals who, as a result of their prior employment, are current Members of Plan B.

Plan C (Park Police Employees Only)
Mandatory for all Park Police hired on or between January 1, 1979 and June 30, 1990 and after July 1, 1993. Plan C also includes members who elected, on or before October 25, 2002, to transfer from Plan D to Plan C.

Plan D

(Park Police Employees Only)
Plan D is mandatory for all Park Police hired on or between July 1, 1990 and June 30, 1993.


Normal Retirement Dates

Plans A and B. The normal retirement date is the first day of the month coinciding with or immediately following the date on which a participant attains age 60 with at least 5 years of credited service, or upon completion of 30 years of credited service, regardless of age.

Plan E. The normal retirement date is the first day of the month coinciding with or immediately following the date on which a participant attains age 62 with at least 10 years of credited service, or upon completion of 30 years of credited service, regardless of age.

Plans C. The normal retirement date is the first day of the month coinciding with or immediately following the date on which the participant attains age 55 and has completed five years of credited service, or has completed 25 years of credited service, regardless of age.

Plan D. The normal retirement date is the first day of the month coinciding with or immediately following the date on which the participant attains age 55 and has completed five years of credited service, or has completed 22 years of credited service, regardless of age.

Benefit Payments

Benefit payments are determined by application of a benefit formula considering the average of an employee's annual base pay during the three consecutive years for Plans A, B, C and D and five consecutive years for Plan E, that produce the highest total earnings prior to retirement and the number of years of credited service, up to 40 years for members of Plan A, 35 years for members of Plans B and E, 30 years for members of Plan C, and 32 years for members of Plan D. Under certain conditions, participants may elect to take early retirement at a reduced benefit level. Joint and survivor options are also available under the Plans.

Cost-of-Living Adjustments

Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) apply for retirees and beneficiaries who have been receiving a benefit for at least six months. The COLA is applied each July 1st and is based on the change in the Consumer Price Index.