Changes to ECS Form A submission process

Who should read this notice

Fiscal Officers, HR contacts and any OPERS employer contact working with elected officials or those appointed to an elective office.

Situation overview

The Personal History Record/Elected Official Membership Form (Form A) is required for individuals who wish to elect OPERS membership for their elective service.

As stated in the April 2017 Employer Notice, personal history records for elected officials should be submitted on paper Form A for any elected official opting for OPERS membership. ECS has been updated to support this change. Effective immediately, ECS no longer accepts Form A if the elected official has not previously elected OPERS membership as an elected official.

Additionally, the OPERS website was recently redesigned. To locate the ECS log in screen, select ECS Login from the Employers drop down menu on the opers.org homepage.

What employers need to do

If the Personal History Record/Elected Official Membership Form A is not accepted on ECS, a paper Form A must be submitted within the appropriate time frame. Please use the attached Form A as previous versions will not be accepted.

Form A should be submitted within 30 days of the member’s start date.

• The following dates should match on Form A for an elected official: salary begin date, member’s signature date, and pay period begin date of the first report.
• Contributions for periods prior to the member’s signature date will be refunded back to the employer.

Why this is important

OPERS is committed to working toward improvements that streamline business practices and improve administrative efficiency, while providing common-sense improvements for its members.

Whom to contact for more information

After you review this Employer Notice, contact your Employer Outreach representative with questions or comments at (888) 400-0965, or by email at employeroutreach@opers.org.

For a current listing of OPERS Board members, please visit www.opers.org.

It is your responsibility to be certain that OPERS has your current physical and e-mail address on file. If OPERS is not made aware of address changes, we cannot guarantee that you will receive important information pertaining to OPERS public employers. This Employer Notice is written in plain language for use by public employers who are subject to coverage under the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. It is not intended as a substitute for the federal or state law, namely the Ohio Revised Code, the Ohio Administrative Code, or the Internal Revenue Code, nor will its interpretation prevail should a conflict arise between it and the Ohio Revised Code, Ohio Administrative Code, or Internal Revenue Code. Rules governing the retirement system are subject to change periodically either by statute of the Ohio General Assembly, regulation of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement Board, or regulation of the Internal Revenue Code. If you have questions about this material, please contact our office or seek legal advice from your attorney.