news

The ASRS has been awarded the Public Pension Standards Award for 2015 from the Public Pension Coordinating Council. The award recognizes the ASRS for “meeting professional standards for plan funding and administration.”

The standards as set forth by the PPCC cover such areas as benefits, funded status, plan valuation, investment policies and member communications. It is the 11th consecutive year the ASRS has received this prestigious award.

An ASRS Funding Policy, a formal document outlining the strategies and goals for assuring the long-term sustainability of the ASRS plans, is now available for review under the ASRS Policies page on our website.

The six-page document outlines the formal methodology for financing the pension, health insurance and long-term disability plan obligations. Each plan is sustainable with current assets, plus future contributions from employees and employers, plus investment earnings.

The state Office of the Auditor General recently conducted a Performance Audit and Sunset Review of the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS), a review that takes place every 10 years for state agencies. These audits are designed to determine whether an agency is achieving the objectives established by the Legislature and whether it is managing its resources in an effective, economical, and efficient manner. The report states although the ASRS plan is not fully funded, steps have been taken to improve its long-term sustainability.The report also noted that the ASRS serves an important function in Arizona. The full report, a summary report and the ASRS response are all available for public review on the Office of the Auditor General’s website – www.azauditor.gov

The ASRS conducts educational meetings for its members which are facilitated by ASRS staff. Be advised that private companies and/or financial planners may also publicize their own meetings about retirement preparation, the ASRS and/or Social Security. The ASRS is NOT affiliated with any such meetings and is not responsible for these private solicitations. The ASRS does not make its members' personal information available to private organizations and we strongly caution all members and retirees against providing personal information to persons or organizations unknown to you.

To help members navigate the process of retiring from the ASRS, a new dashboard has been released, called "Retirement Central". Retirement Central puts everything a member needs to know about retiring from the ASRS in one place. Find it on the top navigation bar.

As of October 17, 2014, Arizona has legally recognized same sex marriage. As a result, the ASRS has updated its policies and procedures to reflect this change, with the same application of retirement policies and procedures for married individuals regardless of sex or gender. A marriage certificate is the required document for determining if a person is a “spouse.”