aaronc's blog

There are a number of other benefits included with your membership in the ASRS!

Pensions are not as common as they used to be, which can lead to not fully understanding what you’re a part of, how it benefits you, and how to best take advantage of the benefits available to you. To further that understanding, let’s take a look at what the Arizona State Retirement System is, and what it isn’t.

Here at your ASRS we generally agree with the adage that “What gets measured gets managed.” As a result, we measure and analyze an array of activities that fall into the following general categories: investment performance, member satisfaction, service standards & cost structure, and staff engagement, to ensure top tier performance. When there is not top tier performance – we take positive and supportive action.

The Arizona State Retirement System is governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the state Senate.

The Board acts as a fiduciary of the ASRS trust fund with powers and duties outlined in state statute.

In addition to your pension, long-term disability and retiree health insurance benefits, the ASRS offers another program many of our active members find to be of value – the ASRS Supplemental Savings Deferral Plan – or SSDP for short.

The 54th Legislature, First Regular Session adjourned sine die on May 28, 2019 and the general effective date for legislation that was passed and signed by the Governor is August 27, 2019.  The legislature passed two bills that have a relatively minor impact on members and retirees. Below is a brief summary. You can also find more detailed information about these bills and other retirement-related bills in the 2019 Legislative Summary book at AzASRS.gov, on the Legislation page under the About Us tab.

Diabetes is a disease where your body’s ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin is impaired. Insulin is produced in the pancreas and regulates the amount of glucose in the blood allowing it to be turned into energy and used, or stored. This impairment results in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates causing elevated glucose levels in the blood.

It’s that time of year – winter is fading into spring and the Arizona Legislature is in session!  The ASRS has identified a number of bills that have been introduced in the current session which, if passed into law, will enact legislative changes that affect the ASRS, members, and employers.  This information is subject to change as the session progresses, so we recommend visiting the ASRS Bill Tracker and Legislation page for more details and the most current information. 

You may have recently received a secure message about Membership Eligibility Inconsistencies from Employer Relations.  This message and the accompanying report are part of a new, ongoing function of the Employer Relations team that should be a great benefit for our employers.