LAGERS News

 

 

Pension Bill Does Not Alter LAGERS Statutes

 

The pension bill (HB 1) passed by the General Assembly on July 14th does not alter LAGERS statutes.  The changes enacted by the legislation apply only to state of Missouri employees covered by the MOSERS system.

 

Click here to read the pension bill. 

 

 

 

Rule Change:  Worker's Compensation, Military and Educational Leave

 

 

 

LAGERS Board of Trustees has created Administrative Rule 20-2.080 that will change the way members’ service credit is calculated during Workers' Compensation, military, and education leave. This new rule goes into effect July 1, 2010.

 

A member employee who is out of work for one full day or more in a calendar month for any of the above mentioned leave will receive service credit for the entire month.

 

 

No employer or employee contributions will be due for the employee for that month and a zero wage will be reported to LAGERS.  Though the employee will receive service credit, the zero wage(s) will not be included in the employee's final average salary calculation for determining the monthly retirement benefit.

 

 

Employers will no longer be required to complete the LRS-20 form or supply military leave orders, but will be required to document the specific dates of leave on the monthly wage report.

 

 

 

 

LAGERS Family Mourns Loss of Trustee, Jack Pierce

 

Mr. Jack Pierce, Citizen Trustee for LAGERS Board, passed away Saturday, June 5th in his home in Jefferson City.  Jack served on the LAGERS board from 2008 until his death.

 

An accomplished and highly respected figure in the public pension arena, Mr. Pierce was awarded the first Public Pension Achievement Award from the Missouri Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems (MAPERS) in 1998.

 

LAGERS board, staff, and consultants wish to offer our condolences to Mr. Pierce's family as we ourselves mourn the loss of a great friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 20 Employers Join LAGERS in 2009

 

Twenty new employers joined the LAGERS system in 2009, the highest one-year total in 15 years, bringing the total LAGERS employer number to 595.  We believe this large number is partly attributable to the desire for security after a tumultuous 2008.

 

The employers that joined in 2009:

 

Adair County Ambulance District

City of Ellington

City of Henrietta

City of Parkville

City of Republic

City of Strafford

Henry County Health Department

Hermann Area Ambulance District

Howell County 911 E-Service

Jefferson County 911

Lotawana Fire Protection District

Moniteau County SB40 Board

Ozark Fire Protection District

Pike Creek Common Sewer District

Prairie Township Fire Protection District

St. Francois County Ambulance District

Stoddard County PWSD #1

Strafford Fire Protection District

Sullivan County E-911

Village of Oakview

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAGERS Receives Award of Excellence for 2008 Annual Meeting

 

 

The Missouri Society of Association Executives (MSAE) presented its Awards of Excellence in Association Management to member organizations at its annual meeting on September 22.

 

The 2009 Education Award was presented to LAGERS for its 2008 Annual Meeting held October 23-24, 2008 in Springfield, MO.

 

With the economic struggles of 2008 in full force at the time of the meeting, LAGERS staff and board prepared for the challenge of confronting difficult questions from meeting attendees as well as possible declines in attendance.  However, attendance has increased over the last six years and the reviews from attendees continued to exceed our expectations.

 

We believe the best confirmation of a job well done is endorsements from our members. The 2008 annual meeting received rave reviews. Below are a few remarks from the survey we conducted after the meeting:

 


“I always go away feeling grateful I am a LAGERS member.”


“LAGERS staff does an excellent job talking to members and answering any questions.”


“The staff explains benefits in a language we can understand.”


“The meetings are always very informative, very well organized, and very enjoyable.”

 


LAGERS Annual Meeting provides a great opportunity for LAGERS staff and board to interact with members. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAGERS Receives GFOA Certificate of Achievement for Excellence for 31st Straight Year

 

The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting has been awarded to Missouri LAGERS for the 31st straight year by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for LAGERS annual report.

 

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government entity and its management.

 

The LAGERS annual report has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program including demonstrating a constructive spirit of full disclousure to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report.

 

The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association serving approximately 17,500 government finance professionals with offices in Chicago, IL, and Washington, D.C.