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Retiree Network News

Articles from the AFT Michigan Forum

Volume 67 No. 2, Fall 2007


Inside The MPSERS Board
By John Olekszyk
Chair, AFT MI Retiree Network

As the newest appointed member of the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System Board representing all retired teachers I thought it would be appropriate to provide retirees and active teachers some insight into MPSERS.

The MPSERS Board is made up of 11 members all appointed by the Governor to represent different segments of public school employees including teachers, support personnel, administrators, community colleges and the State Board of Education. Insurance and financial representatives also serve on the board. This group is responsible for the general oversight of the entire retiree system for school employees.

The MPSERS Board meets every six weeks in Lansing. Prior to the meeting each member receives the meeting agenda which normally includes several hundred pages of material in a great big blue notebook. We are provided a list of all of the personnel who retired since the last meeting as well as a summary of the payroll statistics for that group of retirees. We are also given the list of all disability retirements for that same period.

Each meeting the board is asked to review and make a final decision on all duty and non-duty disability and retirement related applications that were denied by the Office of Retirement Services (ORS). These claims have already been heard by an administrative law judge through an appeal process and that judge makes a recommendation to the board regarding final disposition.

The meeting usually involves some type of presentation (think long PowerPoint). Last month the board reviewed several statistical reports on insurance as well as an overview of several audits conducted on our Health and Pension expenditures.

The Board is currently in the process of reviewing all current and projected health care expenditures. This information will be used to determine the basis for any increases in premium, co-pays and deductibles that may be necessary over the next two years. At least two public hearings will have been held prior to the Board making any decision on proposed increases.

The Board also reviews and considers proposed legislation which affects retirees. It can and does generate proposals for new legislation or changes in the retirement law.

At the end of each meeting, individuals or representatives from such groups as MARSP, MEA, AFT MI and RCC may address the Board on issues or questions.

The administrative arm of MPSERS is the Office of Retirement Services which is responsible for handling the day-to day operation of the system. This includes processing all of the applications for retirement, issuing all retiree pension checks, monitoring and auditing all of the financial operations within MPSERS, and assisting retirees in the resolution of a variety of questions and problems that arise within the system. They also provide workshops for potential retirees. Those individuals who have questions or concerns about retirement can contact ORS at their website, www.michigan.gov/ors.

Although I have only been on the Board for five months, it has been an interesting experience. I would also commend the other more senior members of the Board for their dedication to their role of representing all of the retirees in terms of their pension and insurance benefits. I look forward to serving the interests of retired teachers in the future as we deal with the various problems that the retirement system will face in the years to come.