State of Connecticut Office of the State Comptroller

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State of Connecticut Office of the State Comptroller MERS Kickoff Meeting March 1, 2017

State of Connecticut Office of the State Comptroller MERS Kickoff Meeting March 1, 2017

Welcome: Today’s Objectives Ø Provide an overview of the CT Pension Project Ø Discuss

Welcome: Today’s Objectives Ø Provide an overview of the CT Pension Project Ø Discuss the goals and benefits of the new MERS administration system Ø Review the methods of reporting data to RSD • Electronic Data Interface • Employer Reporting – Online Data Entry • Turnaround Document Ø Review the timeline and key activities Ø Break-Out Session 2

CT Pension Project Overview • RSD will be transitioning all MERS plan administration to

CT Pension Project Overview • RSD will be transitioning all MERS plan administration to Core-CT in April, 2017 • Core-CT is the system used by the State for HR, Payroll and Finance; the software has a pension module which has just been implemented for SERS and is now being implemented for MERS • The pension module includes an automated benefit calculator that processes retirement benefits for both normal and disability retirements • A new Customer Service Center has been created to service active members and retirees; a dedicated MERS phone line will be established 3

Other Key Information • As of February 2017, MERS retirees are now receiving checks

Other Key Information • As of February 2017, MERS retirees are now receiving checks and pay advices generated from Core-CT. • • Updated Federal tax withholding amounts New checks and pay advices • New Employee ID numbers have been generated for all MERS members (active and retiree). • • To protect personal information, Employee IDs will replace Social Security Numbers on checks and advices. Retirees have been notified of their new Employee ID via an insert with their February pay advice. Active members will be notified later this Spring. Municipalities and Towns will be provided the Employee ID data for their employees (active and retiree). 4

Goals of the New MERS System Goals: • • Reduce the need to collect

Goals of the New MERS System Goals: • • Reduce the need to collect historical member data at the time of retirement by proactively collecting more/better data each month Transition all Municipalities and Towns to an electronic submission or online entry of Payroll, Demographic, and Employment information Ensure timely and complete submission of employee and employer data Effectively monitor open accounts receivable/payable for outstanding contributions Benefits: • • Increase the speed that data from Municipalities and Towns is processed into the pension system Increase the speed with which retirement benefits are calculated Improve the service delivered to MERS active members, retirees and Town HR/Payroll personnel Improve communication between RSD and MERS Employers 5

Questions 6

Questions 6

Why New Reporting Requirements? • Currently the Retirement Services Division (RSD) is collecting each

Why New Reporting Requirements? • Currently the Retirement Services Division (RSD) is collecting each month the bare minimum of data: pay, contributions and hours. • For new hires: Towns submit a CO-931 • As a result, when an employee retires, RSD will often have to ask a Town about periods in the past when the employee … • • • Did not work Worked part time Was out on leave • When RSD asks employers for historical information the towns’ payroll systems often do not have it. As a result, is difficult to re-create members’ historical detail at their time of retirement without this data. • Consequently, RSD needs to collect and store more information every month, and RSD needs to make it easier for Municipalities and Towns to report this data. 7

What Data is Needed? • In order for RSD to do its job (e.

What Data is Needed? • In order for RSD to do its job (e. g. administer the MERS plan, calculate benefits) there are 3 categories of data needed for active employees: Current Ease Future • • • Person / Demographic Data Employment Data Pay, Contribution & Hours Data Y G G R R Y G G G • Pay, contribution & hours data is transactional data generated from one or several payrolls and reported to RSD monthly. • Demographic data is personal data about an employee like name, marital status and address. Generally it is reported on the CO-931 and changes infrequently. • Employment data is more diverse and changes more frequently. It includes the employee’s employer, effective dates, employment status, leave status, part time percentage and compensation rate. 8

Interesting Points About This Data Demographic Employment Payroll • Primary: needed immediately or all

Interesting Points About This Data Demographic Employment Payroll • Primary: needed immediately or all else fails • Need to compare/match with existing persons to ensure each person is in the system just once • Personal data must be protected and held secure • Changes must be kept historically by date • Multiple jobs and dual concurrent employment are special situations that must be handled • This data is one key input to determining service • Employers summarize multiple payrolls and report monthly. Would reporting by pay period be easier? • Hours vs. Standard Hours or Pay vs. Standard Pay (Comp. Rate is the means by which service is determined • The effective date of retroactive pay adjustments is needed to determine service 9

Reporting Methods – Current and Future Current Future RSD Turnaround Report or Town/Muni Report

Reporting Methods – Current and Future Current Future RSD Turnaround Report or Town/Muni Report 2/3 RSD Data 1 File Interface Town Turnaround Report 3 Core CT 2 Data 1 File Interface Town 1. Data file interface 2. Turnaround report 2. Online data entry into Core. CT 3. Town/Muni report 3. Turnaround report (being phased out) 10

Reporting Methods RSD will support 3 methods of reporting from Municipalities and Towns but

Reporting Methods RSD will support 3 methods of reporting from Municipalities and Towns but will eventually phase out the Turnaround Report 1. Electronic Data Interface Employers will create an electronic fixed length data file based on technical specifications provided by RSD. The file will be submitted using a secure FTP process and automatically uploaded into Core-CT. 2. Employer Reporting - Online Data Entry Employers will be given access to specific screens in Core-CT to manually enter data online. “Copy Forward” will pre-populate this month from last month. 3. Turnaround Report For a limited time, RSD will continue to produce a Turnaround Report for employers to mark-up and return. RSD Staff will use the Employer Reporting Online Data Entry screens to enter the data from the turnaround report into Core-CT. Regardless of the reporting method, RSD will validate, balance, and post the reported data to the pension module of Core-CT. 11

Core-CT Access Overview Computer • PC or Mac with 1 mg of Memory •

Core-CT Access Overview Computer • PC or Mac with 1 mg of Memory • Internet access • Internet Browser: IE, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari • Core CT Menu https: //correct. gov/psp/PEPRD/? cmd=login&language. CD=ENG& • User name and password • Accounts will be given to HR/Payroll staff for each Town or Municipality • • • Home page Employee Search (restricted to your Town’s EEs) HR / Workforce Screens Pension Screens Employer Reporting Screens 12

Online Data Entry Overview Employer Reporting Home Page Payroll Actions Upload Report Copy Forward

Online Data Entry Overview Employer Reporting Home Page Payroll Actions Upload Report Copy Forward New Hire Edit Report History Current Report Past Reports Report Schedule Report Details Summary Empl ID 36354 57621 Employee Details Pay Status Submitted Error HR/Job Status Valid Add Employee Data Pay Details HR/Job Data Personal Data Summary Personal Data Job Data Employee Pay Details Job Data 13

Employer Reporting Home Page 14

Employer Reporting Home Page 14

Report Details 15

Report Details 15

Employee Data 16

Employee Data 16

Pay Details 17

Pay Details 17

HR/Job Data 18

HR/Job Data 18

Timeline & Activities Go-Live Key Dates and Activities: • • File Development and Testing

Timeline & Activities Go-Live Key Dates and Activities: • • File Development and Testing Checkpoint ₋ Tuesday, March 14 th ₋ Tuesday, March 28 th ₋ Tuesday, April 11 th MERS System Demonstration ₋ Wednesday, March 29 th • Job aids and supporting materials will be made available prior to go-live • Production support staff will be available to assist users with questions or issues 19

Next Steps • Get the right people involved in your municipality/town • Identify the

Next Steps • Get the right people involved in your municipality/town • Identify the appropriate points of contact for your municipality/town • Get your third party payroll service/software provider involved • Select a reporting method All employers are asked to notify RSD of their points of contact and desired reporting method no later than Friday, March 10 th. Please email us at osc. muniinfocmers@ct. gov. 19

Break-Out Session Employers selecting or interested in pursuing the Electronic Data Interface method of

Break-Out Session Employers selecting or interested in pursuing the Electronic Data Interface method of reporting are encouraged to stay for a detailed review of the technical reporting details and file layout. 20