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 Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), like this Ring of Fire variety, attract pollinators to your garden for natural pest control. The vibrant colors and patterns – some detectable only with ultraviolet vision – help bees find nectar. Read how fluorescent color can be used to attract bees: Oregon State University website.
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What’s going on
CORRECTED issue
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 Happening this month
September 23
ESC webinar
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Office Hour and Q&A
The Employer Service Center (ESC) trainer will start by presenting important reminders and then open the floor to your questions. Ask the ESC representatives about anything that is challenging you. Details on how to join will be sent by News Bite emails starting one week before the webinar. More information is on the employer Training webpage.
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September 25
PERS Board meeting
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Rates presentation, approval
Milliman will present new 2027-29 employer contribution rates to the PERS Board for approval. After rates are approved, the system-wide valuation report and list of new net contribution rates for all employers will be published to the Actuarial Valuations webpage and Contribution Rates webpage, respectively.
In late October, individual employer actuarial valuations and 2025 rate-setting valuations will be published on the Actuarial Valuations webpage. Valuation reports will include system-wide and individual-employer 2027-29 contribution rates and the data used to calculate them.
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September 29
Side Account Expiration Process
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Information session
This one-hour online session is open to all employers with side accounts. PERS Actuarial Services and Financial Services teams will explain what happens as your side account approaches its end date. The teams will then take questions.
Presubmit questions by emailing them to actuarial.services@pers.oregon.gov.
You will receive instructions and links for joining the webinar in News Bite emails starting on September 15.
Complete information about the side account expiration process is posted on the Side Accounts webpage, section “Expiration of Side Accounts in 2027.”
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Throughout the month
PERS Expo registration
Member training registration
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Learn about PERS membership and benefits
Encourage employees to sign up for official educational presentations given by PERS staff. Sessions are offered virtually or in-person statewide.
Register for PERS Expo (more info in article below).
Register for member training: After clicking the appropriate link below, click the name of the session you want. On the next screen click Next, then choose your desired session from a complete list of offerings.
Presentations for Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan (OPSRP) members — information for new members, mid-career members, and retiring members.
Presentations for Tier One and Tier Two members — information for retiring members.
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New member presentations: OPSRP retirement, layoffs
New retirement-preparation session
[CORRECTIONS IN BOLD] CHECKLIST FOR PERS RETIREMENT is a new webinar for members who plan to retire in the next 18 months. The session provides a checklist of steps and decisions a member will need to consider as they approach retirement. Topics include:
- Estimating your retirement benefit amount.
- Decisions you will need to make.
- The PERS retirement process and timelines.
- Information the employer needs.
- Other agencies you may need to contact.
For information and registration, go to the Tier One/Tier Two Presentations webpage or the OPSRP Education Presentations webpage and scroll down to the link for Checklist for PERS Retirement.
New webinar for employees who are being laid off
TRANSITIONS. An employer can request this presentation when they have a group of PERS members who are being laid off. The session informs members of options available to them as they leave PERS employment.
To schedule this webinar for your employees, email Debbie Foote, PERS Retirement Education Team, at debbie.foote@pers.oregon.gov.
Reminder: presentation for new members
OPSRP BASICS is a great session for PERS members within their first five years of PERS-covered employment. Employees can sign up on the OPSRP Education Presentations webpage. The presentation helps your employees understand the most important aspects of their PERS membership, including:
- How to establish membership and vest in your pension.
- When you can retire.
- How much your benefits might be.
- Where to find retirement-planning resources.
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Dear Rep,
Can I submit wage records on any date?
Signed, Detail 2 Dilemma
Dear DETAIL 2 DILEMMA,
[CORRECTIONS IN BOLD] Regular reports that contain wage records are due on specific dates. So, when you create a Regular report for your standard payroll, you must enter the report date that aligns with the reporting frequency your organization has agreed to with PERS. (This is called your reporting frequency.)
When you create a Demographics and Adjustment report, you can enter any date except a Regular report date. Those dates are reserved for Regular reports only.
Instructions for creating a Regular report are in employer guide 4, Creating a Report, section “Creating a New Regular Report.”
Regular report dates
To find your Regular report dates, go to the Employer EDX Regular Report Dates webpage. The frequency assigned to your organization is the one that matches your organization’s pay schedule. The reporting frequencies are:
- Monthly: the pay period ends on the last day of the month.
- Semi-monthly: the pay period ends on the 15th of the month and the last day of the month.
- Weekly: the pay period ends Friday of every week.
- Bi-weekly: the pay period ends every other Friday.
If you are not sure of your organization’s Regular reporting frequency, ask the ESC Call Center. If you need to change it, see “To Change Your Reporting Frequency” on the EDX Regular Report Dates webpage.
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PERS Expo is an annual, all-day learning event for all PERS members. This year’s event is October 7.
To attend, members register for the event and then choose the individual webinars and panels they would like to attend. Topics include:
- Overview of PERS benefits.
- Maximizing your retirement savings.
- Rules of membership like vesting, earning service time, and qualifying for retirement.
- Links to downloadable resources like checklists and retirement to-do lists.
Click button or link below to open registration page (or enter this URL in your browser address field): www.engagez.net/node/1963206
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Need help?
Contact the Employer Service Center to ask questions and get one-on-one reporting help.
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