MMC Benefits Handbook
Employees of Sedgwick on the Date of the Acquisition
These special rules apply to individuals with past Sedgwick service who are actively employed with a company in the Marsh McLennan World-wide Controlled Group on or after January 1, 2000. In general, individuals employed by Marsh McLennan who were employed by Sedgwick on the corporate merger date, November 3, 1998, were first eligible to participate in the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan on January 1, 2000.
Effective as of January 1, 2000, the Sedgwick Retirement Plan was merged into the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan. Your Sedgwick benefit as of December 31, 1999, if any, updated for Marsh McLennan pay history up to and including December 31, 2016, the date benefit accruals were discontinued under the Plan, will be added to any benefit you accrued starting January 1, 2000 under the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan. The total combined benefit will be payable from the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan if you are vested when you leave the Company.
Note: Your Sedgwick service will count for vesting in the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Program to the extent it was recognized under the Sedgwick Retirement Plan if you were employed on the corporate merger date and remained employed through December 31, 1999; it does not count as Benefit Service under the US Retirement Program. Your benefit and vesting service dates on record can be found via Colleague Connect (https://mmcglobal.sharepoint.com/sites/Home). Click Pay & Benefits, select My Pay & Benefits, under Savings & Financial Planning click Retirement Calculator and then go to Information About You.
Effect on Eligibility Requirement with Prior Sedgwick Service
Your previous eligibility service with a Sedgwick company will generally count toward the one year of service eligibility requirement under the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan.
Benefit Accrual Rates with Prior Sedgwick Service
The benefit that you earn after 1999 will be determined under the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan formula using service with Marsh McLennan after 1999. Prior Sedgwick benefit service is not counted as benefit service under the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan formula.
The benefit formula for the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan uses a higher accrual rate (i.e., 1.6%) for the first 30 years of benefit service than the rate (1.0%) used in later years. To determine which rate applies when your Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan benefit is calculated, your combined length of benefit service with both Sedgwick and Marsh McLennan will be considered as applicable for determining the period to measure average monthly earnings. Prior Sedgwick benefit service is counted only to determine how many years of service count toward the 30 years.
For example, say you had 25 years of Sedgwick credited service as of December 31, 1999. You continue employment with Marsh McLennan for 15 years beginning in 2000, until you retire with a combined total of 40 years of service. Your Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan benefit for your post-1999 service would be calculated using the higher accrual rate for five years (because these five years, when added to your 25 years of Sedgwick service, total 30), the lower accrual rate for the remaining 10 years, and your total base salary history with both Marsh McLennan and Sedgwick.
If you were not an active employee participant in the Sedgwick Retirement Plan on December 31, 1999, only your service and base salary with Marsh McLennan on or after January 1, 2000, will count toward the benefit accrual rates.
Pay Average to Determine Post-1999 Marsh McLennan Benefit
The base salary that you earned with Sedgwick will count for the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan's five-year pay average that is used to determine benefits accrued as of December 31, 2005, if your Sedgwick benefit service is counted for the Marsh McLennan accrual rates under any of the situations described earlier. If your prior Sedgwick base salary counts, then your Sedgwick base salary and your Marsh McLennan base salary will be taken into account when determining your overall US Retirement Program frozen benefit accrued as of December 31, 2005 and any additional benefit earned before January 1, 2006.
Otherwise, only your base salary with Marsh McLennan on or after January 1, 2000, will count toward the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan benefit calculations.
Vesting Requirement with Prior Sedgwick Service
Generally, the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan requires 60 months of service for full vesting. Your prior Sedgwick vesting service generally counts for this purpose and includes all calendar years prior to January 1, 2000 in which you earned 1,000 hours of service with Sedgwick
- prior to the date you were first eligible to start contributing to the Sedgwick Plan and
- after the date you first became eligible to contribute if you actually elected to contribute to the Sedgwick Plan.
Your previous vesting service with a Sedgwick company will count toward the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan's 60 months of service vesting requirement if:
- you were vested or credited with vesting service under the Sedgwick Retirement Plan when you left Sedgwick employment; or
- you were an active employee participating in the Sedgwick Retirement Plan on December 31, 1999; or
- you were employed at Marsh McLennan on November 3, 1998 and left employment when you were not yet vested under the Sedgwick Retirement Plan on or after November 3, 1998; or
- you were hired by Marsh McLennan after November 3, 1998, within five years of leaving a Sedgwick company.
Otherwise, only your service with Marsh McLennan on or after November 3, 1998, will count toward the 60 months of service vesting requirement.
Prior Marsh McLennan Service Impact on Sedgwick Benefit
If you were employed by a Sedgwick company on November 3, 1998 and before that you worked at Marsh McLennan, your Marsh McLennan service will count in determining your vesting status under the Sedgwick Plan if you are employed by Marsh McLennan on or after January 1, 2000 and if:
- you left Marsh McLennan after 1984; or
- you left Marsh McLennan before 1985 with a vested Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan benefit.
Otherwise, your prior Marsh McLennan service does not count for vesting in your Sedgwick benefit.
Vesting Effect for Future Marsh McLennan Service on Sedgwick Benefit
If you previously worked at Sedgwick, but terminated before becoming vested in your Sedgwick Retirement Plan benefit, and you are employed by Marsh McLennan on or after January 1, 2000, your Marsh McLennan service beginning with the date of your employment with Marsh McLennan will be counted in determining your vested status in the Sedgwick benefit if:
- you were employed at Marsh McLennan on November 3, 1998 and left Sedgwick on or after November 3, 1993 and repaid the employee contributions you made to the Sedgwick Plan plus interest within five years of reemployment; or
- you were employed at Marsh McLennan after November 3, 1998 within five years of leaving Sedgwick and repaid the employee contributions you made to the Sedgwick Plan plus interest within five years of reemployment.
Benefit Service Impact for Calculating Prior Sedgwick Benefit
Periods of employment with a Marsh McLennan company do not count as benefit service in determining the amount of any benefit to which you may be entitled under the Sedgwick Retirement Plan formula.
Pay History Impact on Sedgwick Benefit
If you were employed by Sedgwick on November 3, 1998 and remained continuously employed by Marsh McLennan through December 31, 1999 and have a Sedgwick benefit that has not been previously forfeited or distributed in a lump sum that has not been repaid to the Plan, your pay history after January 1, 2000 up to and including December 31, 2016, the date benefit accruals were discontinued under the Plan, will be used to update your December 31, 1999 accrued Sedgwick benefit. Your benefit is multiplied by a factor that is determined by dividing your Final Average Salary calculated at the earlier of your employment termination date and December 31, 2016 by your final average salary as of December 31, 1997.
For example, if your final average salary on December 31, 2016 is $125,000 and your final average salary as of December 31, 1999 was $100,000 your Sedgwick benefit accrued as of December 31, 1999 will be multiplied by 1.25 ($125,000/$100,000.)
Early Retirement Factors Used to Reduce Sedgwick Benefit Attributable to the Sedgwick Retirement Plan
If you have a Sedgwick Retirement Plan benefit and commence payments prior to age 65, your accrued benefit from the Sedgwick Retirement Plan as of December 31, 1999 (as adjusted for any pay update applied to your benefit) are reduced by the early retirement factors that were in effect under the Sedgwick Retirement Plan as of December 31, 1999, as follows:
The Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan early retirement factors will be applied to the benefit you accrue under the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan to compensate for the longer projected payout period.
Prior Johnson & Higgins Vesting Service Impact on Sedgwick Benefit
If you were employed by a Sedgwick company on November 3, 1998 and before that you worked at Johnson & Higgins, your Johnson & Higgins service will be counted in determining your vested status under the Sedgwick benefit if you are employed by Marsh McLennan on or after January 1, 2000 and if:
- you left Johnson & Higgins with a vested Johnson & Higgins benefit; or
- you left Johnson & Higgins on or after November 3, 1993 before becoming vested and were hired by Sedgwick before November 3, 1998.
Otherwise, your prior Johnson & Higgins service does not count for vesting in your Sedgwick benefit.
Periods of employment with a Sedgwick or Johnson & Higgins company do not count as benefit service in determining the amount of any benefit to which you may be entitled under the other company's retirement plan, as applicable.
Pay with a Sedgwick company does not count as pay in the Johnson & Higgins benefit formula. Pay with a Johnson & Higgins company does not count as pay in the Sedgwick benefit formula.
If you have prior Johnson & Higgins or Marsh McLennan service that you believe should be counted in determining your eligibility and vesting in the plans described, notify your Human Resources Representative. Be sure to provide documentation supporting your assertion.
Sedgwick Vesting Service Impact on Johnson & Higgins Benefit
If you are employed by Marsh McLennan on or after January 1, 2000, your Sedgwick/Marsh McLennan vesting service that you earned after your date of hire by Sedgwick will count towards vesting in your Johnson & Higgins benefit if you were hired by Sedgwick before November 3, 1998 and left Johnson & Higgins on or after November 3, 1993 before becoming vested.
Johnson & Higgins Vesting Service Impact on Sedgwick Benefit
If you are employed by Marsh McLennan on or after January 1, 2000, your Johnson & Higgins vesting service that you earned after your date of hire by Johnson & Higgins will count toward vesting in your Sedgwick benefit if you were hired by Johnson & Higgins before October 1, 1997, left Sedgwick on or after November 3, 1993 before becoming vested and repaid the employee contributions you made to the Sedgwick Plan.
Remember that Sedgwick vesting service includes all calendar years in which you earned 1,000 hours of service with Sedgwick.