TESRS News
TESRS Annual Report Instructions
TESRS will assess administrative penalties of $500 for late reports. Local Boards must have six members and must approve the Annual Reports in a public meeting attended by at least four members of the Local Board.
Local Boards must submit the following required reports by February 29, 2020:
a) Form 602A, Annual Report of Local Board Membership and Authorized Users
b) On-line submittal of the 2019 TESRS Annual Report of Qualified Service
State law requires participating departments to establish and maintain a six-member Local Board to administer the retirement program (3 firefighters, 1 from the governmental entity, 2 from the community).
Trustees of a Local Board must serve staggered two-year terms. A vacancy on a local board is filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by the same procedure by which the position was originally filled.
Effective March 1, 2020, TESRS will standardize Local Board members’ terms to begin on March 1. This will simplify administration by standardizing Local Board member terms for all departments and to reduce the need for additional Local Board meetings to appoint members. (See Item 6 below, Form 602A.)
Local Boards representing departments with excessive call volumes should develop policies for its participating department relating to the requirements for percentage of attendance of emergencies, or the percentage of providing support services for emergencies in connection with the determination of whether a person is performing or has performed qualified service for purposes of the retirement system.
"Qualified service" is defined by Government Code Sec. 861.001 to mean service performed:
(A) for a participating department that conducts at least 48 hours of training in a calendar year; and
(B) by a member in good standing in the department who:
(i) attends at least 20 hours of annual training and at least 25 percent of the department's emergencies in a calendar year;
(ii) attends at least 20 hours of annual training and provides support services for at least 25 percent of the department's emergencies in a calendar year; or
(iii) does not attend because the member is absent because of military duty.
(A) for a participating department that conducts at least 48 hours of training in a calendar year; and
(B) by a member in good standing in the department who:
(i) attends at least 20 hours of annual training and at least 25 percent of the department's emergencies in a calendar year;
(ii) attends at least 20 hours of annual training and provides support services for at least 25 percent of the department's emergencies in a calendar year; or
(iii) does not attend because the member is absent because of military duty.
4. Review the Accuracy of the TESRS Participant Roster
Clean up your enrollment roster in TESRS On-Line (TOL) before you begin the on-line 2019 Annual Report process. Terminate inactive members and ensure all active members are enrolled into the retirement system. Confirm that TESRS has processed these transactions before the Local Board reviews and approves the 2019 TESRS Annual Report of Qualified Service .
5. Conduct a Public Meeting of the Local Board After 72 hours of Public Notice
TESRS recommends that each Local Board meet during February 2020 and accomplish the following:
a) Fill Local Board member vacancies (if needed);
b) Nominate and elect Local Board officers for terms beginning March 1, 2020;
c) Establish staggered Local Board member terms for terms beginning March 1, 2020;
d) Review TESRS 2020 System Security Policy (available on the TESRS website at
https://www.tesrs.org/forms-publications) and appoint at least 2 authorized users of TOL;
https://www.tesrs.org/forms-publications) and appoint at least 2 authorized users of TOL;
e) Complete, sign, and submit the Form 602A (see Item 6 below);
f) Review and approve the 2019 Annual Report of TESRS Qualified Service (see Item 7 below);
g) Review the accuracy of proposed contribution charges as detailed in the on-line TESRS Membership
Reconciliation Report (MRR).
Reconciliation Report (MRR).
6. Submit the Completed and Signed Form 602A
The Form 602A is a required report and must be completed and submitted to TESRS no later than February 29, 2020. This form reflects the Local Board officers, membership terms, and the approved on-line users of TOL beginning March 1, 2020. Form 602A is available on the TESRS website at https://www.tesrs.org/formspublications. Instructions are included with the form.
The User Confidentiality Agreement process has changed and signatures will be obtained electronically using DocuSign®. Ensure that you provide the name and accurate email address for each approved on-line user of TOL.
7. Update TOL and Submit the On-Line 2019 TESRS Annual Report of Qualified Service
Following the review and approval by the Local Board of 2019 qualified service, an authorized user of TOL shall complete the on-line 2019 TESRS Annual Report of Qualified Service. For each member, the authorized user indicates by checkmark the award of qualified service for attendance at training and emergencies for each member and submits the on-line report. The 2019 TESRS Annual Report of Qualified Service is a required report and must be completed and submitted to TESRS no later than February 29, 2020.