The passage of HB1068 established the buy-in program and required all Deputies and Detention Officers to participate in the Hazardous Duty Plan. All counties covered under OPERS were to supply the list of employees hired on or before November 2020. OPERS has started posting a FAQ page on its site and will begin the live webinars. Below is a timeline provided by OPERS.
Webinar dates have been set. Our communications team created the attached flyer and sample email below that can be easily forwarded to these members. These items will also be sent to the county retirement coordinators. We appreciate your help in forwarding this message.
· FAQ Web Page (Mid-June) – FAQ webpage will be published by mid-June. Staff will continue updating this page with more information as it becomes available. There will be a subscribe button on the bottom of the page where members can subscribe to the updates through GovDelivery.
o Deputy Sheriffs and County Jailers as Hazardous Duty FAQ – OPERS (ok.gov)
· Summer Newsletter (July) – The summer newsletter will include a legislative update and will include a brief overview of HB1068. A message was added to say a letter with more information will be sent to those impacted.
o Retiring Right – Summer 2021 – Active Members Edition (ok.gov)
· Calculator (November)– Our actuary is developing a calculator members can use to estimate the cost of purchasing this service. The calculator is expected to launch in November.
· Letter to Impacted Members (November) – Letters will be sent to eligible members with instructions on how to request a purchase calculation. These letters will direct members to the FAQ page where they can estimate the cost using the online calculator.
Attend this one-hour webinar presented by OPERS to get more information.
Why you should attend:
- Contribution Changes: Understand how your contribution amount will change.
- Retirement Eligibility: Learn about your new retirement eligibility criteria.
- Benefit Calculation: Discover how your retirement benefit will be calculated.
- Prior Service Purchase: Find out more about the limited-time option to convert your previous service as a county deputy sheriff or jailer to Hazardous Duty service.
- Get Answers to Your Questions.
Upcoming Webinars:
Thursday, October 3 at 2 p.m.
Tuesday, October 8 at 10 a.m.
Thursday, October 17 at 2 p.m.
View the schedule and register: opers.ok.gov/HB1068
