Individuals employed as temporary employees by state agencies (including Valdosta State University) are required by Georgia law to contribute 7.5% of their pay to the Georgia Defined Contribution Plan (GDCP) instead of making contributions to Social Security.

Who does NOT participate in GDCP

  • Benefited employees who participate in one of the other retirement plans
  • Persons qualified as bona fide independent contractors
  • Active members of the Employee Retirement System (ERS) or Teachers Retirement System (TRS)
  • Retirees of ERS or TRS
  • Persons working for an institution in which that person is regularly enrolled and attending classes and meets IRS student-exclusion criteria.

Automatic enrollment for GDCP-eligible employees

  • Employees hired into GDCP-eligible positions will have automatic deductions and will receive a letter from ERS/GDCP requesting them to designate a beneficiary.

Requesting a refund of GDCP contributions

  • The Employees Retirement System of Georgia (ERSGA) administers the GDCP program. When leaving a GDCP-eligible position, you may request a refund of your GDCP contributions. In order to be eligible to apply for a refund, VSU must notify ERSGA of your GDCP termination date and your GDCP account status must be “inactive.”
  •  to visit the ERS site to log in to your account and request a refund of GDCP contributions.
    • Please contact your department to ensure they have submitted paperwork to terminate your temporary employment at VSU.
    • It may take 6-8 weeks from the date you receive your last paycheck for ERS to receive notification of your termination and process your refund. If you still cannot access the ERS site after this time, please email hrstaff@valdosta.edu.
    • If you transferred from a temporary position to a benefits-eligible position at the University and are not able to request a refund after two weeks from the date of transfer, please email hrstaff@valdosta.edu.