MPSERS Reform - Update Register for Access miAccount Program

September 4, 2012

 

Dear Superintendent or College President:

 

Over the next few weeks, you’ll receive several messages from the Office of Retirement Services regarding the retirement reform which was recently signed into law. Watch your US mail and your email for information about revised contribution rates and specific information about changes to your payroll reporting process.

The retirement reform gives Michigan public school employees important decisions to make regarding their retirement plans. Our priority at ORS is to get all our members to access their personalized election materials and ultimately make their elections in miAccount, ORS’s online retirement account access tool. We recognize the influence you have on your employees and want to recognize your efforts and how, with your help, we can achieve 100% miAccount access!

ORS is offering the Access miAccount program, which will pay your reporting unit based on the number of your employees who use miAccount to access their personalized election information during the election window - September 4, through October 26, 2012, 5 p.m. EDT. For your help, your district will be paid according to the chart below:

 

Access miAccount is designed to recognize your efforts to reach our mutual members. It also helps members by ensuring that even those hard-to-reach employees (on leave, seasonal, etc), have someone watching out for them and helping them get logged in and educated about their retirement elections.

 

To participate

Register today to participate in the Access miAccount program; registration closes on September 14 so don’t delay. Only one contact person per reporting unit may register. ORS will provide this contact person with regular updates on the progress of your employees including a list of those who have not yet logged into miAccount beginning with the week of September 24.

 

To achieve 100% miAccount access

In the first week of the campaign, your employees will receive a letter encouraging them to go to miAccount to view their personalized election materials. Copies of these letters are posted on the employer website. Also in the first week, your district will receive a package with materials, flyers, and posters, which you can use to promote the importance of the MPSERS reform and employees’ elections. Distribute the materials to all of the school buildings. Hand a flyer to every employee and display the posters in the staff lunch room, break room, bus garage, kitchen, and school office. Think about what will move your employees to action. Would the extra funds be used for a new playground? Books? Author visits?  Field trips? Computers?

 

Here are some things you can do to encourage people to login and make an election:

• Schedule appointments to make sure employees have access to computers
  • Identify ways to help people who aren’t internet savvy
• Personally talk with or call each employee; ask parent volunteers (maybe PTA) to make reminder calls to employees
• Reinforce your message by placing flyers in employee mailboxes
• Post posters in a visible location
• Discuss the election at staff meeting
• Create a raffle for district employees who participate (electronic tablet, gift card or other incentive)

 Remember, your employees have their member IDs and all the information they need to access their personalized election materials. As always, ORS is here to help as a partner in providing excellent service to your employees. If you have any questions, please contact employer reporting at ORS_Web_Reporting@michigan.gov or (517) 636-0166.

 

Sincerely,

Office of Retirement Services