Prospective Employer Eligibility & Process

Eligibility to Join the System

An employer may be eligible to join the LAGERS system if they are a political subdivision.  A Missouri ‘Political Subdivision’ is defined by RSMo 70.600 (19) as any governmental subdivision of the state of Missouri having the power to tax (except public school districts) and governed by an independent board.

Process to Join

1. Request an Actuarial Valuation To request this cost study, contact a LAGERS representative.  You will be asked to complete a personnel data form. This form will ask for information about your employees, such as hire date and salary, and also about any current retirement plan / investment program you may already have in place.  There is a fee to perform the study.

2. LAGERS reviews any current retirement plans/investment programs. This review will help LAGERS determine how prior service credit will be handled in LAGERS.  State law prohibits employees from receiving credit in LAGERS for the same period of time they received credit in another plan ‘similar in purpose’ to LAGERS.  If the plan is found to be similar in purpose, the employer may still choose to pursue membership, but the prior service coverage options may be limited.

3. LAGERS actuaries prepare your Valuation (cost study), generally within 3-4 weeks. A LAGERS representative would be happy to meet with your Staff, Administration, or Governing body at any point during the membership process to present the program, review Valuation results, and/or answer questions. Contact the LAGERS office to schedule this meeting.

4. Your initial valuation must be made public information for 45 calendars days. Many employers note in their meeting minutes that cost information for LAGERS was discussed and is available for viewing for 45 days. This will satisfy your public notice requirement.

5. Contact the Office of Administration to Verify Proper Social Security Coverage. Prior to joining LAGERS, an employer should contact the Office of Administration to let them know they are considering commencing LAGERS coverage.  The State Social Security Administrator can explain the legal requirements necessary for proper coverage before commencing with a retirement plan.  Some employers may need to establish a Section 218 Agreement, which is a voluntary agreement allowing an employer to participate in both Social Security and LAGERS.  While many employers already have 218 Agreements in place, if your employer needs to establish an agreement to continue participating in Social Security, the State Administrator’s office can provide assistance.

To verify the status of your employer’s Section 218 agreement, contact the State Social Security Administrator by phone or email: 573-751-1987 or 218agreements@oa.mo.gov.

6. Adopt an ordinance/resolution electing your benefits and effective date. Effective date can be the 1st day of any month after the 45 day public information period.

7. Be sure LAGERS receives a copy of the signed resolution within 10 days of adoption and before the effective date.