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COVID-19 INFORMATION CENTRAL: TRSL’s NEW online resource for the latest info
This year has been one like no other. We have all made unimaginable changes in our personal and professional lives, and there's still a degree of uncertainty about what lies ahead.
TRSL has received questions from employers and members about how COVID-19 is impacting retirement, benefits, and investments, as well as how the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act impacts retirement accounts, including whether hardship loans are allowed.
On our website, we’ve added a dedicated COVID-19 webpage with answers to those questions. From the homepage, just click the COVID-19 link on the drop-down menu. We will keep this page updated as circumstances change and/or new information becomes available.
Finally, please keep in mind that while the TRSL building is closed to the public, we still continue to provide service and assistance to our members and employers online or by phone. If you have questions about reporting processes or requirements, please contact your TRSL Liaison.
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Guide to your monthly exceptions report
Take a look at your monthly exceptions report. It will identify reporting and enrollment errors as well as members who have not been terminated. The report is available for a specific month or a series of months.
How to retrieve the Contributions Exception Report online:
- Log in to the Employer/Membership Information Site (EMIS).
- Under “Employers,” select “Employer Contribution Charges.”
- Enter the appropriate system (2, 3, or 4) and the fiscal year in “Query Record.”
- Click on “Error” next to the last month reported to retrieve the report.
Common errors you’ll see on the report:
- Enrolled not reported: Indicates that a member was enrolled, but no earnings and contributions were submitted on the monthly salary contributions report.
- Reported not enrolled: Indicates that a member was reported on the monthly salary contributions report but was not enrolled.
- Contribution type invalid: Indicates that the contributions reported were the wrong type (sheltered-30 or unsheltered-10).
- Contributions unreasonable: Indicates that the contributions reported were not based on the appropriate contribution rate for that retirement plan.
- Actual earnings > full-time earnings: Indicates that the actual earnings reported are greater that the full-time earnings reported.
- Contribution amount must be zero: Indicates that a member has reached 100% accrual and should not make any more contributions to TRSL.
As errors are cleared, they are removed each time a new report is generated. You can check the date and time stamp in the upper-left hand corner to make sure you have the latest exception report.
Because Monthly Salary Contributions Reports are due to TRSL within 15 calendar days after the month covered by the report, it's a good practice to review and clear contribution exceptions on a monthly basis.
Need assistance clearing your exceptions? Contact one of your assigned TRSL liaisons.
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RTW HOT TOPIC: Determining if a retiree should be enrolled as a substitute preK-12 classroom teacher
Sometimes there's confusion about substitute teaching and the return-to-work law. Here's some guidance that should clear that up!
For purposes of enrolling TRSL retirees who return-to-work, the term “substitute classroom teacher” is defined as any classroom teacher employed in a temporary capacity to fill the position of another classroom teacher who is unavailable to teach for any reason. Thus, it is imperative that the TRSL retiree be a classroom teacher replacing another classroom teacher.
Unfortunately, we have seen TRSL retirees enrolled incorrectly as “substitute preK-12 classroom teachers” who were actually substituting as lunchroom workers or administrative personnel. In these instances, the reporting employer is responsible for any overpaid retirement benefits.
In short, you should not enroll a TRSL retiree as a “substitute classroom teacher” if they are substituting for any position other than a classroom teacher. Make sure to enroll TRSL retirees as “substitute classroom teachers” only if they are employed to replace another classroom teacher.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact our return-to-work specialist, Jessica Trosclair at jessica.trosclair@trsl.org or (225) 925-3663.
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Be prepared this hurricane season...
Digitize your TRSL reporting records
As we enter a new hurricane season, many agencies will be evaluating their internal business continuity plans and looking for ways to convert hard copy records into electronic or digital formats.
We encourage all of our reporting agencies to certify/correct/update questionable years and sick leave data as soon as possible, especially for any fiscal years that pre-date your current software or electronic records. Agencies that rely on paper files, microfiche/microfilm, or any other hard copy sources are especially vulnerable to data loss from natural disasters or inclement weather. Security breaches, in any season, are a threat, too.
As a reminder, TRSL provides on-site assistance with research and data gathering for questionable years and sick leave information. Our Employer Services Department offers this assistance free of charge to TRSL-reporting agencies.
If your agency has any questionable years and/or sick leave data not currently stored in an electronic format and you would like assistance* with converting those files, please contact one of Employer Services Training Specialists listed below:
*At this time, our specialists are available to offer assistance remotely. On-site assistance will resume when it is safe to do so.
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Changes in staff? Submit a Form 1!
We know folks come and go in the workplace. So be sure to update the TRSL authorized contacts on your staff with our Authorized Contacts (Form 1).
This form gives you the ability to individualize your staff’s access to TRSL’s employer reporting system (EMIS), and adds them to our email list to receive important employer news and information.
IMPORTANT: Update your authorized contacts—adding, replacing, modifying, or deleting—in a timely manner to ensure your agency's access rights remain current and valid.
When submitting Form 1, keep these tips in mind:
- Get signatures for new staff members who will be “authorized signers.” (To grant access, proper signatures on the form are required.)
- If replacing/deleting an authorized contact, include the previous contact’s name in the designated field.
- Newly submitted Form 1 paperwork supersedes all previously submitted forms, so be sure to include all desired access rights when adding/updating rights for new and existing staff.
- When adding/updating your authorized contacts list, you are not required to list existing contacts that have not changed.
- Please complete the companion form, Employer Directory Contacts (Form 1EDC), when adding/updating your authorized contacts.
For more information, please see the Employer Procedures Manual: Index 1.0.
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Identifying employees who are coming out of DROP
Employers often ask us which reports identify employees who are nearing the end of DROP participation. There are two EMIS reports under the Reports menu that can help employers find employees who will be exiting DROP:
- Ending DROP Participation report: Lists your employees whose DROP participation period ends in the month/year selected by the user.
- Members Eligible to Retire report: Lists your employees who will be eligible to retire based on the projected fiscal year selected by the user. Also lists employees who are currently in DROP and working after DROP. Employees who are currently in DROP will appear with the “DROP Member” status and the report will display the DROP ending date.
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2020 Annual Employer Training... We had a blast!
Those who attended got the latest tips and information on TRSL processes and employer reporting, and had the opportunity to meet our entire Employer Services staff.
Here's some of the feedback we received:
- "Really appreciate the training conference, there is always something new to learn!"
– Vickie Blades, Tangipahoa Parish School System - "Presenters were very informative, kept the audience interested, presented information clearly and answered questions fully." – Sonja Lambert, Beauregard Parish School Board
- "I appreciate that you offer this meeting each year. I have access to great people at TRSL by phone, but it's nice to work hands on with you too." – Laura Williams, D’Arbonne Woods Charter School
- "I loved the one-on-one training using the computer to run reports during the afternoon. I'm glad I attended. I am looking forward to future trainings." – Latrice Bracken, LDWF
"Our annual training is a great way for all agency contacts—new and seasoned—to get the information they need to report and/or certify retirement data, which makes for a smoother retirement experience for TRSL members," said Ed Branagan, Director of the Employer Services Department. "Thanks to everyone who was able to attend."
Next year’s Annual Employer Training will be held in March 2021. Details and exact dates will be announced by December 2020, and registration will open in January 2021. We hope to see you at the 2021 Annual Employer Training!
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