Employers and local boards play a fundamental role in enrolling new members into our plans. This ensures that new members begin contributing towards their retirement in a timely manner and accrue accurate credited service. Both factors help determine benefit payment amounts that members earn upon retirement.
The following information summarizes the steps employers and local boards must use to complete the new member enrollment process.
Step 1: Membership eligibility and pre-employment physical
Evaluating an employee’s eligibility to participate in PSPRS-managed plans is the first step in the enrollment process. General eligibility requirements are below. Employers and local boards are encouraged to review pertinent state laws for details.
PSPRS
Employees must be hired into a full-time position (regularly works an average of 40 hours per week for more than six months in a calendar year) that is regularly assigned to hazardous duties. PSPRS plan members are required to be an AZPOST certified peace officer or a firefighter.
CORP
Employees must be hired into a full-time (regularly works an average of 40 hours per week) position as one of the following:
- State corrections officer
- State, county or city detention officer
- Probation officers under the judiciary
- Other designated positions as defined under statutes
Public safety applicants must undergo a pre-employment physical examination to identify any physical or mental conditions that exist prior to plan membership. Examination records must be retained as permanent record by the local board, which must operate under the Model Uniform Rules of Local Board Procedure for public safety and corrections. From here, the local board must confirm an applicant’s eligibility for PSPRS membership and benefits.
Step 2: Determining member status through employer portal
With plan eligibility approved by the local board, a hiring employer must log into the PSPRS Employer Portal and enter the member’s name, date of birth and Social Security number into the Employee Lookup tool within the portal. This tool helps employers determine the proper benefit tier placement for members, as most will be new to PSPRS-managed retirement plans while others could be inactive members or transfers from other employers.
Step 3: Online member enrollment through employer portal
This step registers public safety and corrections employees as PSPRS and CORP members and begins the process to ensure timely retirement contributions are made by the member and employer. To do this, employers must log into the Employer Portal and enter a member’s information into the Demographics Data tool. Employers must enter the personal email contact information for all new members to allow PSPRS to send members information concerning retirement benefit options.
Step 4: Submitting plan membership form
Employers must work with members to complete and submit membership forms to PSPRS. These forms are necessary to help PSPRS collect member contact information and identify member spouses and beneficiaries. Membership forms must be submitted to [email protected], or faxed or mailed according to instructions listed on the forms.
Please note that hires who are new to the system (incoming Tier 3 members without previous employment in PSPRS or CORP-covered positions) will receive automatically generated emails that include instructions to open new Member Portal accounts along with information about benefit options. New Tier 3 hires have 90 days to make benefit elections.
Step 5: Beginning member and employer retirement contributions
Employers must be careful to begin making contributions for new plan members in a timely manner. For new Tier 3 employees, this process begins during the pay period that holds the 91st day of the new member’s employment. Employers will receive notice from PSPRS at this time through an email that includes both the new member’s 91st date of employment and the member’s benefit elections to ensure that proper member and employer contribution amounts are paid and reported to the public safety and corrections officers retirement plan, and, if applicable, the member’s 401(a) Defined Contribution retirement plan.
Please note that contributions for existing plan members, including transfers from other employers and inactive members who have not previously terminated and refunded contributions, begin immediately upon hiring.
Please refer to the annual employer valuation reports to view member and employer contribution rates.
