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Advocating for Active and Retired
State Employees and Educators 

The Georgia State Retirees Association (GSRA) is an organization focused on keeping retirees and prospective retirees from all parts of Georgia Government informed about any impacts to promised retiree and health insurance benefits.                       

2018 GSRA ANNUAL MEETING

ANDERSON CONFERENCE CENTER, MACON - OCTOBER 15-16 

Join Us for the 2018 Annual Meeting!

Don’t miss this important election year meeting in Macon, at the Anderson Conference Center! The gubernatorial candidates of each party, Democratic, Republican and Libertarian, have been invited to be our featured speakers, providing us with their perspective on matters of importance to us as retirees and citizens. In addition, agency leadership from both DCH/SHBP and ERS will provide us with the most current information regarding our retirement health insurance and pension benefits, and the head of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget will provide us with timely information regarding the state budget and revenues. Members will also have the opportunity to attend interesting concurrent sessions of their choice and, as always, we’ll provide time for fun and fellowship at the Monday evening welcome reception, including light fare, cash bar and entertainment. Lunch will be provided during the general session Tuesday. Rounding out the two day meeting, members can visit with our vendors and partners in the Vendor area before and after sessions and during breaks, as well as view the great door prizes and cast their tickets for a chance on winning one or more by meeting’s end.

READ THE 2018 ANNUAL MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT

REGISTER ONLINE FOR THE 2018 ANNUAL MEETING

Proposed Amended By-Laws

At the Annual Meeting, GSRA is proposing a by-laws change to allow those members unable to attend the Annual Meeting to vote beforehand on association officers and other business.  The by-laws changes highlighted in blue are included at the above link so members can review and be prepared to vote on it at this year’s Annual Meeting in October. 

Read the September Newsletter 

The September Newsletter contains everything you need to know about the upcoming Open Enrollment for SHBP.

Social Security Administration announces 2.8% benefits increase effective January, 2019  

The Social Security Administration announced that social security benefits will be increased at the rate of 2.8% effective with January 2019 benefit payments.  The rate increase reflects the increased cost of living between the 3^rd quarter of 2017 and the 3^rd quarter of 2018.  Along with this announced increase in benefits, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a small increase of $1.50  in Part B premium increases for January 2019.

ERS Board of Trustees approves FY19 Post-Retirement Benefit Adjustment 

Thanks to the 50 or so GSRA members who attended the Employee's Retirement System (ERS) meeting in Atlanta on 4/19/18 and those who contacted the Board or took other actions in support of a benefit adjustment for ERS retirees. Following a review of the ERS actuarial report with a representative of the consulting firm and a brief overview by ERS Executive Director Jim Potvin, ERS Board member (DOAS Commissioner) Shawn Ryan made a motion for the Board to approve two non-compounding bonus payments of 2% each, payable in July 2018 and January 2019, subject to essentially similar restrictions that the one time bonus payments paid over the last 2 years carried. After some brief discussion, the Board unanimously voted in favor of the bonus payments. The following text was posted to the ERS website: "During the Annual Board meetings on April 19, 2018, the Boards of Trustees for the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS), the Legislative Retirement System (LRS), the Judicial Retirement System (JRS), and the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS) considered whether to grant post-retirement benefit adjustments to retirees and beneficiaries.  Actions taken by the Boards are below.

ERS, LRS, & JRS – To eligible reitrees and beneficiaries:

• a one-time, 2%, non-compounded payment (maximum $600) effective July 1, 2018
• a one-time, 2%, non-compounded payment (maximum $600) effective January 1, 2019"

Please look for your next issue of the GSRA Newsletter next for more details.

Steve Herndon, President, GSRA 

ERS Board meets, hears “Funding Considerations” Presentation from Executive Director, and Approves Special Meeting Mar. 15, 2018 To Consider Changes in Funding Policies

ERS Executive Director Jim Potvin presented a series of “funding considerations” at the ERS board’s Feb. 15 meeting.  These included analyzing the impacts of downturns in ERS investment values, of various amortization periods reaching 100% funding of the retirement pension fund, of alternative assumed investment rates of return, and of alternative COLA and bonus payments. At Mr. Potvin’s suggestion, the board decided to hold a special meeting this coming March 15 to consider changes to current funding policies. This meeting will follow the next regularly scheduled Investment Committee meeting. The special meeting is needed to decide on what, if any, changes should be made to the amortization period and to the assumed investment rate in order for the ERS’s actuary to be able to project before the regular April meeting the impacts of various COLAs or other post-retirement adjustments the board may consider at that meeting. To view Mr. Potvin’s presentation, click on this link: Funding Considerations.