service and your benefits

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This page describes important information and terms related to the types of service used to determine your eligibility for certain Chevron benefits. The service explanations provided here are excerpts from the applicable plans' summary plan description (SPD).
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your service dates

You can review personal information about how your many of the service date types described here affect your personal retiree health, pension, and severance benefits on the BenefitConnect website. Login to BenefitConnect, go to the I need to tab on the top navigation, then choose Points and Service from the My Personal Information column for links to access your personal dates and benefit information. 

types of service

what it's used for

Your Health and Welfare Eligibility Service (HWES) is used to determine your eligibility for vacation, service awards, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability plans and retiree health benefits.

official definition

The following applies to an individual who is an employee on or after January 1, 2012. Different rules apply to an individual who terminated employment prior to January 1, 2012.

Health and Welfare Eligibility Service (HWES) is generally the period of time you're employed by Chevron or by any other member of the Chevron affiliated group, and may include periods when you're not an eligible employee for U.S. pay and benefits.

HWES includes all the time you are on an approved Disability Leave for which you are receiving benefits under the Chevron Long-Term Disability Plan. Under special rules, it may also include the time you are on certain other approved leaves of absence. Special rules apply if you do not timely return to active work with a participating company or if you terminate your employment while on an approved leave of absence. If you believe this applies to you, contact the HR Service Center for further information.

HWES may also include the time you have been providing services as a leased employee on or after July 1, 2002 to a member of the Chevron affiliated group (at the time the services are performed) and you become an employee after providing service as a leased employee, as determined by Chevron Corporation in its sole discretion. If you believe this applies to you, see the Apply for Prior Service Credit information on this page for further instructions.

If you leave Chevron after July 1, 2002, and are rehired within 365 days, your HWES will include the time you were away. If you're gone longer than 365 days and you haven't had a Permanent Service Break as a result of your absence, your service before you left will be added to your service after you're rehired. See the Permanent Service Break section on this page for further information.

If you left Chevron and were rehired, your service before you left will be added to your service after you're rehired unless you incurred a Permanent Service Break. If you have service with an acquired company prior to the date of the acquisition of that company by Chevron, special rules may apply; contact the HR Service Center for more information. Permanent Service Breaks are discussed later on this page.

service adjustments and your vacation

The amount of vacation for which you’re eligible each year is based on your HWES and your regular work schedule. See the vacation page to learn more and to consult the Vacation Policy (HR 120) for more information about how a service adjustment affects your vacation eligibility.

special note on grandfathering rules

The definition of HWES has changed over time, and sometimes it has changed to include additional service that was not previously included. This will not change whether you are subject to a grandfather rule in effect prior to the change. This is because whether an employee meets the conditions to have a grandfather rule apply is determined under the rules in place as of the time the grandfather rule was effective.

what it's used for

Your Vesting and Eligibility Service (VES) is used to determine whether or not you have earned a benefit in the Chevron Retirement Plan.

official definition

Vesting and Eligibility Service (VES) is basically the period of time you're employed by Chevron or by any of the Chevron affiliated group of companies, and when you qualify as a leased employee.

  • It also includes service with certain companies acquired by Chevron.
  • If you leave Chevron and are rehired within 365 days, your VES will include the time you were away.
  • If you're gone longer than 365 days and you haven't had a Permanent Service Break as a result of your period of absence, your VES before you left will be added to your VES after you're rehired.

See the Apply for Prior Service Credit and Permanent Service Break sections on this page for further information.

what it's used for

Benefit Accrual Service (BAS) is used to determine the amount of benefit that you are entitled to under the Chevron Retirement Plan.

official definition

Generally, Benefit Accrual Service (BAS) is the period that you're a participant in the Chevron Retirement Plan and for which you are an eligible employee and receive pay from a Participating Company. It also includes similar service with certain companies acquired in the past by Chevron. BAS includes holidays, vacations, leaves of absence with pay, as well as any time during your employment that you receive Short-Term Disability Plan or Long-Term Disability Plan benefits. It can also include periods you're in military service, on a Family Leave Without Pay, and the first 31 days of certain other leaves of absence without pay. BAS doesn't include any period you're on strike or locked out.

If your employment ends before you are vested and you have a Permanent Service Break, you lose your previous BAS.

If you are a former Chevron employee who was hired before July 1, 1986, your BAS will not include any period before July 1, 1986, during which you were under age 25.

See the Permanent Service Break sections on this page for further information.

what it's used for

Surplus Employee Severance Program Service (SESP Service) is used in the calculation of severance pay.

official definition

SESP Service is your health and welfare eligibility service since your most recent hire date.

you can see your years of SESP service online at any time

  • To get started, go to the My Chevron online portal and select the Workday icon. 
  • Once in Workday, locate the cloud icon or your photo at the top right of the screen and select View Profile
  • Select Job from the left navigation.
  • Select Service Dates from the top menu. 
  • Your SESP Service date is labeled Company Service Date.
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about service dates in my HR

The service dates currently on display in Workday and the My Chevron portal may not be the same date(s) used when determining your eligibility for certain Chevron benefits. Please refer to the personalized eligibility information provided on BenefitConnect for purposes of understanding your personal benefit eligibility. Login to BenefitConnect, then go to the I need to tab on the top navigation, then choose Points and Service from the My Personal Information column for links to access your personal dates and benefit information. 

apply for prior service credit

If you have prior service with Chevron – either as an employee, a contractor or a leased employee - you may be eligible to receive additional service credit for some of your benefits like retirement or vacation. This credit is not automatic; you must apply to request a review of your situation before a determination can be made. If you believe this situation applies to you, please see the Service Credit Application section on the Forms page for further instructions and to download the application(s).

permanent service breaks

  • You will not have a Permanent Service Break if you leave Chevron with more than five years of Health and Welfare Eligibility Service (HWES). 
  • You will have a Permanent Service Break if you leave Chevron before you have five years of HWES and you’re not rehired within five years.
  • If you left employment with Chevron before January 1, 2012, the applicable rules at the time of your termination will apply to whether you had a Permanent Service Break. Contact the HR Service Center if this applies to you and you have questions.

These Permanent Service Break rules apply when determining your Benefit Accrual Service (BAS) and Vesting and Eligibility (VES) under the following conditions:

  • Currently, a Permanent Service Break occurs if you leave employment with the Chevron affiliated group of companies before becoming vested in a Plan benefit and you're not rehired within a certain period of time. If you have a Permanent Service Break, your prior VES and prior BAS are forfeited and not restored, even if you subsequently are rehired. The Plan's break-in-service rules in effect each time you terminate employment determine whether or not you have a Permanent Service Break for your service before that termination.
  • If your employment ends after December 31, 1983, before you were vested, you'll have a Permanent Service Break if you're not rehired within five years or, if greater, within the number of years of VES you had completed before you left. However, there's a difference if you leave Chevron because of your pregnancy, the birth of your child, the placement of a child in your home in connection with his or her adoption, or the care of a child following his or her birth or placement. In any of these situations, you won't have a Permanent Service Break if you're rehired within six years or, if greater, within the number of years of VES you had completed before you left, plus one.
  • Different rules apply if your employment ended during the period from January 1, 1976, through December 31, 1983. During this period, you had a Permanent Service Break if your employment ended before you were vested and you weren't rehired within the greater of 365 days or the number of years of VES you had completed before you left.
  • Generally, if you had any break in service before 1976, you had a Permanent Service Break with respect to that pre-1976 service. 
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service adjustments and your vacation

The amount of vacation for which you’re eligible each year is based on your Health and Welfare Eligibility Service (HWES) and your regular work schedule. See the vacation page to learn more and to consult the Vacation Policy (HR 120) for more information about how a service adjustment affects your vacation eligibility.



This communication provides only certain highlights about benefit provisions. It is not intended to be a complete explanation. If there are any discrepancies between this communication and the legal plan documents, the legal plan documents will prevail to the extent permitted by law. Oral statements about plan benefits are not binding on Chevron or the applicable plan. Chevron Corporation reserves all rights, for any reason and at any time, to amend, change or terminate these plans or to change or eliminate the company contribution toward the cost of such plans. Such amendments, changes, terminations or eliminations may be applicable without regard to whether someone previously terminated employment with Chevron or previously was subject to a grandfathering provision. Unless required by applicable law, there are no vested rights with respect to any Chevron health and welfare plan benefit or to any company contributions towards the cost of such health and welfare plan benefits. Some benefit plans and policies described in this document may be subject to collective bargaining and, therefore, may not apply to union-represented employees.