Beneficiary
the person or estate you name to get a lump sum of your leftover contributions if there is no eligible survivor.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 20; DPERS Actives Newsletter (Feb. 2025), p. 3More on this →New to this? Read which plan you're in, then the formula and early retirement.
Bona fide separation
the three-month break from work for a participating employer required after retirement if you are under 59½.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 36; 29 Del. C. §5502(d)(1)More on this →Burial benefit
a free $7,000 taxable payment to the beneficiary you name, paid when a pensioner dies.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 34More on this →Buy-in
service you pay for at retirement (sick leave, leaves of absence, military or other governmental service) to raise your pension.
Summary Plan Description (2026), pp. 27-28More on this →CAS (Comprehensive Annual Statement)
the yearly statement on my.delaware.gov showing your service, contributions, FAE, estimate and beneficiaries.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 13More on this →Credited service
your years of pension-creditable work, counted to the nearest twelfth of a year, plus any service you buy.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 10; 29 Del. C. §5527(a)(1)More on this →DPERS
the Delaware Public Employees' Retirement System, the umbrella for SEPP and Delaware's other public pension plans.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 6FAE (final average compensation)
your average monthly pay over your three highest 12-month periods.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 22More on this →Joint and survivor election
your one-time choice at retirement of a 50%, 66.67%, 75% or 100% survivor pension, costing 0%, 2%, 3% or 6% of your pension.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 20; Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slide 15More on this →Lag payroll
the one-month delay before your first pension deposit, which then pays two months at once.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 29; Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slide 35Option to Extend (OTE)
using a vacation or sick leave payout to extend your service up to your retirement date.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 27, Table 4More on this →Pension-creditable position
a full-time or regular part-time job with a participating employer; working in one after you retire stops your pension.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 7; p. 36More on this →Post-2011 employee
the law's name for someone first hired in a pension-creditable position on or after January 1, 2012.
29 Del. C. §5501(i)More on this →PRI (post-retirement increase)
a raise in pensions granted by the General Assembly; not automatic.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 35More on this →Reduced pension
an early pension at 55 with 15 years, or at any age with 25 years, cut for each month you are away from age 60 or from 30 years of service.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 18, Table 2; p. 24More on this →Service pension
the unreduced pension you get when you meet an age-and-service rule (for example 60 with 15 years if hired before 2012).
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 18, Table 2More on this →State share
the part of the health premium the State pays; for retirees it is prorated by hire date and years of service.
Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 25-28; 29 Del. C. §5202(b)More on this →Survivor
the person who can get a monthly pension when you die: your spouse, then eligible children, then dependent parents.
Summary Plan Description (2026), pp. 19-20, Table 3More on this →Unified service
combining SEPP service with New State Police, County and Municipal, or Judicial plan service to meet eligibility; set up only at retirement.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 11, Unified ServiceVested pension
the pension a former employee who left before retiring can start at 62 (hired before 2012) or 65 (hired 2012 or later).
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 18, Table 2; Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slide 9More on this →Vesting
having enough service to keep a future pension if you leave: 5 consecutive years if hired before 2012, 10 years (5 consecutive) if hired in 2012 or later.
Summary Plan Description (2026), pp. 8-9More on this →Source: State Employees' Pension Plan Summary Plan Description, 2026 edition (PDF dated May 14, 2026), pp. 6-11, 13, 18-20, 22, 24, 27-29, 34-36. Also: Office of Pensions workshop (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 9, 15, 25-28, 35; DPERS Actives Newsletter (Feb. 2025); 29 Del. C. §§ 5202, 5501, 5502, 5527. Last reviewed .