March 31, 2020
Dear PSERS Members:
I hope you and your families are doing well. These past few weeks of COVID-19 mitigation efforts have been difficult for us all. Everyone has worked hard to adjust and follow the recommended health guidelines. And, I know none of this has been easy.
Rest assured that PSERS Board of Trustees and staff continue to work on your behalf even though PSERS office locations are closed. Their service and commitment to PSERS members is inspiring.
As part of PSERS Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), a Senior Planning Team began to conduct meetings in early March to review contingency plans in all areas of PSERS' operations. One of the Planning Team's major goals was to increase the Agency's work-from-home capability from its normal capacity of about 100 laptops. To date, PSERS has achieved this goal by deploying over 130 additional laptops, with another 60 to be distributed later this week. This will allow nearly all of PSERS staff to work remotely from their homes and continue to respond to your emails, invest PSERS assets, and process initial retirement benefits and death benefits.
PSERS is following its COOP plan and essential functions are operating successfully. Today, I am pleased to report that our emergency preparedness allowed us to successfully process PSERS' March pension benefits as scheduled. PSERS Finance and IT departments accomplished this mission-critical task by working closely with the PA Treasury. PSERS is especially thankful for the assistance of the PA Treasurer and his staff for their strong support of our mission to provide retirement benefits to our members. By working together, we are succeeding during these difficult times.
This is the first monthly benefit payroll remotely processed and distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic. That means over $510 million of pension and healthcare benefits were distributed to over 234,000 PSERS' recipients. In this time of crisis, rest assured that PSERS pension benefits will continue to be paid consistently and reliably just as they have been for the past 100 years.
In closing, remember that PSERS member service call center is closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. But our Member Service Representatives are responding to your emails and answering your letters remotely from their homes.
Email PSERS Member Service Center at ContactPSERS@PA.GOV if you have a question about your PSERS account or require assistance.
Please continue to monitor PSERS website for further updates at PSERS.PA.GOV
Stay healthy and take care.
Glen R. Grell
PSERS Executive Director