Introducing: The Basics series, an on-demand member tool kit
At OPERS, we’re experts on pensions—and we recognize you’re the expert in your field. Let us help you direct your employees to information that may assist them during the onboarding process. Available on-demand, The Basics series was designed to boil down complex and often asked about topics and make them easier to understand. Some topics include:
- Membership in OPERS for College Students
- Refunding an OPERS Account
- Disability Benefits Overview
- Ready to Retire
- Death of an Active OPERS Member
- Re-employed Retirees
The Basics series library is constantly growing. If you are interested in a fact sheet, contact your dedicated employer representative by email at employeroutreach@opers.org.
Annual conversion plans are due March 31
It’s happening, and soon! Annual conversion plans are due March 31 and must be approved before any conversion payments are made if the intent is to include the payments as earnable salary. Plans cannot be retroactively approved. Submit plans for review by mail (OPERS, 277 E. Town St. Columbus, OH 43215), fax (614-857-1138) or email at employeroutreach@opers.org. There is no need to submit an annual conversion plan for annual, sick or personal leave if you do not intend the payments to be considered earnable salary. To learn more about the requirements for Annual Conversion Plans, visit the Employer Educational Opportunities page of opers.org and register for a webinar or view an online recorded presentation.
Social Security Administration 1945 form: Provide full digits
When you hire an employee that is not covered by Social Security, the Social Security Administration requires the new employee to complete a Social Security Administration 1945 form and submit a copy to OPERS.
Effective immediately, if the employee’s nine-digit Social Security number is not provided in full, OPERS will reject the form and request an updated copy with completed information. Providing this information in full ensures the correct employee matches the correct form, which helps to eliminate extra processing time.
Census data validations
Census data validations continue in 2019 for employers selected. The 2018 results yielded the biggest area of non-compliance was employers not submitting the non-contributing list. We worked to identify and collect missing documentation for tax-deferred contribution pick-up plans and longevity plans. Currently, there are no major findings regarding retirement contribution reporting, earnable salary or membership.
The employer census data validation program was developed with the intent to ensure pension information between employers and OPERS is accurate. Additionally, to the program can potentially eliminate the need for OPERS’ external auditors or the Auditor of State’s office to perform an on-site audit of your organization’s census data for the years OPERS validates the information. Past validations have been fruitful and identified non-compliance with earnable salary, membership eligibility and re-employment for OPERS retirees. The findings of the validations helped those employers from either underpaying or overpaying the contributions for which they were responsible.
Employer Notices
Catch up on 2019 Employer Notices and determine how they may apply to you. Notices may have touched on administrative rule amendments, GASB statement updates, service purchase reminders, seminar and form change announcements. Notices from previous years are also available via this link on our website.
Summer employment is hot among seasonal employees. Plan with these cool tips.
In many ways, seasonal employees are just like any new employee. When looking ahead, remember these tips to make sure you’re reporting correctly—for you, your employees and OPERS.
- Ensure OPERS enrollment for all qualified employees. This means withholding and remitting retirement contributions.
- Complete and submit the Personal History Record (PHR, Form A) within 30 days of the employee’s first day worked for which retirement contributions are withheld. If the employee is returning within a year, a new PHR does not need to be completed.
- Report both new and returning employees with a Pay Period Begin (PPB) code of “S” for seasonal/intermittent for the Contributions Report on which the employee is listed.
When the employee terminates for the season:
- Report final contributions with a Pay Period End (PPE) code of Q (quit).
- If the employee will be returning next year, or intermittently, and you consider them still to be working for you, report the final contribution code the same as the PPB code—S.
Employing OPERS retirees
Employer organizations are strongly encouraged to be knowledgeable about all information, regulations and requirements when employing an OPERS retiree—to help keep your organization compliant and to preserve your employee’s (our retiree’s) benefits and health care coverage.
If you have or are contemplating hiring an OPERS retiree as an employee or an independent contractor, we suggest you work directly with your Employer Services representative and Compliance Specialist to ensure compliance with all factors related to employing an OPERS age and service retiree or disability benefit recipient.
- Remember to send OPERS a Notice of Re-employment of an OPERS Benefit Recipient (form SR-6 or 6E for elected officials) within the first 30 days of hiring or securing services provided by a retirement or disability benefit recipient. Failure to notify OPERS of the employment or services of an OPERS retiree may result in the employer being liable for the pension benefits overpaid during the period of work.
- When contracting with the public employer from which they retired, age and service benefit recipients receive neither pension benefit nor health care coverage for the length of the contract. An SR-6 is required for Independent Contractors and those who retired from other Ohio Retirement Systems (ORS). Those retired from an ORS will need to submit the paper SR-6.
Additionally, the impact re-employment can have on a retiree’s health care coverage can sometimes be confusing. The Re-employment and Health Care Fact Sheetdefines who is and who is not considered an OPERS re-employed retiree, and provides information and frequently asked questions for both pre-Medicare and Medicare-enrolled retirees. You and your employees can find this tool on the Retiree page of opers.org under Re-employment.
Annual re-employed retiree employer validation of health care optionse
Annually, OPERS reviews eligibility of those enrolled in OPERS health care to determine if any changes have been made to their status - this includes a re-employed retiree status. Employers will receive a letter with a list of the impacted retirees by mid-May with instructions for next steps. If you have any questions, please contact your Employer Services Representative at 1-888-400-0965, or by email at employeroutreach@opers.org.
Meet your Board of Trustees
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There are many facts about OPERS that you may not know—For example, our membership includes employees from about 3,700 employers. This includes employees for Ohio's state government as well as its cities, counties, townships, universities, colleges, libraries, transit authorities, housing authorities and public hospitals. With more than one million individual accounts, OPERS is an important economic engine for the state and has been providing pension benefits since 1935.
OPERS is not a state agency; we are governed by an independent Board of Trustees who are either voted for by the public employee groups they represent, appointed by the Governor, General Assembly and Treasurer of the state of Ohio, or serve by virtue of office (Director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services).
This configuration means that every single OPERS member has a direct representative on the OPERS Board of Trustees. As a group, these individuals work to ensure all the pension benefits your employees work toward are delivered upon retirement.
Meet the 2019 OPERS Board of Trustees.
Education Essentials
Did you know Employer Services offers on-demand, employer-specific videos to help train your payroll employees? Videos provide up-to-the minute information about how to handle the operations-oriented changes necessary to ensure all things pension are processed quickly and accurately within your organization.
Scheduled webinars are also available. By accessing videos and webinars online at opers.org, desktop training is at your fingertips. Of course, if you prefer one-on-one training, contact your dedicated employer representative at 888-400-0965 or via email at employeroutreach@opers.org. Below are some of the current presentations and webinars available:
Recorded presentations
Denied Salary
Employee Contribution System (ECS) Demonstration
Employer Overview: Law Enforcement and Public Safety
Signing Up and Using Online Payments
Webinars
Contribution Reporting
Earnable Salary*
Employer Programs
Membership Overview for Employers*
Non-Contributing List (NCL)*
OPERS Membership
Pick-up Plans*
Requirements for Annual Conversion Plans*
*Also available as a recorded presentation.