Archive for year: 2017

The Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System (LASERS) has been presented the 2016 Public Pension Standards Award for plan funding and administration excellence for the thirteenth consecutive year. Awarded by the Public Pension Coordinating Council (PPCC), an alliance of the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems, and the National Council on Teacher Retirement, public employee retirement system recipients are recognized for high professional standards in the areas of plan design and administration, benefits, actuarial valuations, financial reporting, investments, and membership communications.

LASERS was also recognized in a recent report from the Pew Charitable Trusts, which examined public pension plans’ accounting assumptions and payment schedules to see if they were holding up over time. This analysis determined whether or not established contribution policies that are sufficient to pay down pension debt, were actually being followed. The report concluded that the top five plans in the best shape are West Virginia, New York, Indiana, South Dakota, and Louisiana. As noted in Governing magazine, “The Takeaway: This metric gets at the true health of a pension plan better than the annual funding status because it tells us in which direction a pension plan is going.”

LASERS Executive Director Cindy Rougeou said, “We are proud that our System has once again been recognized by the PPCC for outstanding management among our peers and that the Pew report acknowledged our longevity for generations to come. Both positives on the national level convey to our members and state that LASERS Benefits Louisiana.”