Stay Safe
Though efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 have restricted our travel for on-site meetings, TESRS staff are available to support our members, departments, and Local Boards. Call TESRS at 800-919-3372 if you need assistance.
Local Board News
TESRS Annual Reports were due no Later than February 29, 2020.
Be sure TESRS has received the following required reports from your local board:
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
Local Board Membership and Terms of 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 standardized Local Board members’ terms to begin on March 1. This change simplifies administration by establishing Local Board member terms for all departments and reduces the need for additional Local Board meetings to appoint members. (See below, Form 602A.)
Local Board Policies for Awarding Qualified Service
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.
Form 602A
The Form 602A is a required report. 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.