HEADS UP: The following changes are effective July 1, 2017

New EMIS password requirements

TRSL is committed to the security of member and employer account information. To comply with industry standards and best practices for password security, TRSL is implementing enhanced password requirements for all authorized contacts using the Employer/Membership Information Site (EMIS).

Starting July 1, all employer user accounts will have a password expiration date. When your password expires, you will receive a prompt to change your existing password after you log in to EMIS. From that point forward, your password will expire every 90 days. 

Each new password will have to meet the following criteria:

• Must be at least 8 characters
• Must contain at least one upper and one lower alpha character
• Must contain at least one number
• Must contain at least one of following special characters: # or % or $ or @ or * or &
• Should not be the same as previous two passwords

Please contact TRSL’s Help Desk at (225) 925-6460 if you experience any issues with changing your password. For other questions regarding authorized contacts, please contact Paula Rhodes at (225) 925-6446, ext. 7863, or toll-free at 1-877-275-8775, ext. 7863.

Processing Change: Exception Reports

We’re always looking for ways to help make your job easier. That’s why we’re changing how return-to-work (RTW) retirees appear on the Exception Reports. This processing change will give you additional tools to help you report earnings and process terminations for enrolled RTW retirees in a timely manner. 

Starting July 1, all RTW retiree statuses that require employee and employer contributions and have an open enrollment with no monthly reporting will appear on your exception report as “RTW enrolled not reported.” This includes RTW retirees who are subject to earnings limits provisions; are employed in an eligible critical shortage position; and who are in the RTW-ACT 1173 grandfathered group. It does not apply to the RTW-921 SUSPEND because this provision doesn’t require contributions to be made to the system. Please note that these changes could significantly increase the number of employees listed on your exception report.

Employers that keep open enrollments for retirees will need to do one of the following:

• Report zeros on the monthly salary file
• Report the same as a member on Leave Without Pay (LWOP) on the monthly salary file
• Process online contribution corrections (CCRs) every month to post zeros
• Terminate the open enrollment

For questions regarding this process change, please contact Karla Henderson at (225) 925-6446, ext. 6462, or toll-free at 1-877-275-8775, ext. 6462.

The FY 2017-2018 employer contribution rates go into effect July 1, for members enrolled in the defined benefit plans and ORP participants.  For questions regarding contribution rates, contact Ed Branagan at (225) 925-6446, ext. 4846, or toll-free at 1-877-275-8775, ext. 4846.

REMINDER: Full-time Only Corrections

With the end of FY 2017 approaching, time is running out to submit Full-time Only Corrections and Prior Year Corrections for FY 2014 at no actuarial cost. State law requires employers to pay the actuarial cost for any correction of earnings or salary that result in either an increase of service credit or the member’s salary when those corrections are made more than three years after the monthly contribution report was due. The grace period for corrections to FY 2014 ends on June 30, 2017.

Questions? If you have any questions about these annual corrections or how to certify/correct questionable years, please contact your agency’s assigned Retirement Analyst Liaison.

Need staff training? If your agency is interested in customized, on-site training and tips for reducing potential actuarial costs, please contact staff in our Employer Services Department at (225) 925-6446 or toll-free at 1-877-275-8775:

• Sharon Lachney (ext. 4097)

• Heather Landry (ext. 7093)

2017 Legislative Session

The 2017 Regular Legislative Session began April 10. The following bills may be of interest to TRSL employers:

• SB 11 (Sen. Peacock) would transfer governance of the Louisiana School Employees’ Retirement System (LSERS) to the board of trustees of TRSL.
  
  
• HB 4 (Rep. Miguez)  would add school nurses to the list of retirees who can return to work and continue to receive a benefit check, subject to the 25% earnings limitation.
  
  
• HB 31 (Rep. Hoffmann) would add school psychologists to the list of critical shortage positions in which a retiree can return to work without a reduction of benefits. 
  
  
• SB 8 (Sen. Peacock) would provide for the correction of membership and enrollment errors in the public retirement systems.
  
  
• HB 546 (Rep. Havard) would provide relative to exemptions from laws, rules, and regulations applicable to public school boards and the schools and employees under the jurisdiction of each with certain exceptions.
  
  
• SB 87 (Sen. Morrish) would require the allocation of certain amounts of minimum foundation program formula funds to TRSL’s unfunded accrued liability (UAL).
  

For a complete list of bills impacting TRSL, along with the TRSL Board of Trustees' position on them, visit the Legislation page of the TRSL website.