Chapter 3309-1 | General Provisions

11.15 PDF: Membership shall begin on the first date of compensated service for which employee contributions have been received by SERS. Last updated October 25, 2023 at 2:14 PM Authorized By: 3309.04 Amplifies: 3309.01, 3309.23, 3309.36, 3309.39 Five Year Review Date: 2/1/2027

11.15 PDF: (A) This rule amplifies and is in addition to the provisions of division (V) of section 3309.01 of the Revised Code.(B) Definitions(1) "Salary" means base salary paid to an employee as set forth in the employee's contract, a collective bargaining agreement, or employer…

11.15 PDF: (A) The school employees retirement board authorizes its administrative staff to make determinations on member and benefit matters in accordance with Chapter 3309. of the Revised Code, this chapter, and policies of the retirement board. This authority includes, but is …

11.15 PDF: (A) The school employees retirement board shall conduct elections in accordance with Chapter 3309. of the Revised Code and this rule.(B) Notifications(1) At a regular meeting of the retirement board but no later than July in the fiscal year in which an election of memb…

11.15 PDF: (A) Pursuant to section 3309.14 of the Revised Code, payment of employee bonuses are subject to the guidelines established by the school employees retirement board as reflected in the investment department incentive plan. The plan shall be reviewed and approved on an a…

11.15 PDF: (A) For purposes of division (A)(4) of section 3309.157 and section 3309.159 of the Revised Code, an investment manager may be designated as an "Ohio-qualified investment manager" if the investment manager and/or any parents, affiliates, or subsidiaries of the investme…

11.15 PDF: (A) For purposes of this rule, "retirant" means a "SERS retirant" or "other system retirant" as defined in section 3309.341 of the Revised Code, or a member who retired under section 3309.343 of the Revised Code.(B) An application for payment of the accumulated contrib…

11.15 PDF: (A) Effective July 1, 1953 all annuities, retirement allowances, and benefits provided by law and payable in monthly installments shall be due and payable in full on the first day of the month.(B) All annuities, retirement allowances, and benefits shall be paid on the …

11.15 PDF: (A) For purposes of this rule;(1) "Applicable age" is defined as the age of the member as provided in Internal Revenue Code (401)(a)(9)(C)(v), as amended.(2) "Benefit" refers to a payment from the accumulated contributions of the member or the employer, or both, under …

11.15 PDF: (A) For purposes of this rule, "direct deposit" means an electronic fund transfer directly to an individual's account at a financial institution.(B) All retirement allowances and benefits payable under Chapter 3309. of the Revised Code shall be paid by direct deposit.(…

11.15 PDF: (A) A request for a determination as to whether an individual or a group of individuals are required to be members of the school employees retirement system may be initiated by an employer, an affected individual, or the retirement system.(1) An employer or individual …

11.15 PDF: (A) Any contribution or contributions received for a particular month, beginning with September 1, 1937 and ending June 30, 1955, for credit to a member's savings account shall receive .125% of a year's service credit for that particular month, provided, that no more t…

11.15 PDF: (A) Optional service credit(1) Except as provided by section 3309.012 of the Revised Code, a member of the school employees retirement system, public employees retirement system, or state teachers retirement system shall be eligible to purchase service credit for schoo…

11.15 PDF: (A) A state retirement system member as defined in section 3309.474 of the Revised Code who while employed in a position covered by the school employees retirement system was out of service due to an unpaid leave of absence granted by the employer pursuant to section 3…

11.15 PDF: The law in effect at the time a deceased member's beneficiary is first eligible for a survivor benefit shall determine the benefits payable to such beneficiary or to any other person who subsequently becomes eligible to receive a survivor benefit by reason of the membe…

11.15 PDF: (A) For purposes of this rule and division (B)(2)(b) of section 3309.45 of the Revised Code:(1) "Qualified child" means a qualified child as defined in division (B)(2)(b) of section 3309.45 of the Revised Code.(2) "School year" means the twelve-month period beginning t…

11.15 PDF: The administrative staff is hereby authorized to pay retirement allowances, disability benefits, and other benefits during the interim period which may occur between the date such allowances and benefits are payable and the date the retirement board can receive and act…

11.15 PDF: (A) For purposes of this rule:(1) "Employer" has the same meaning as in section 3309.01 of the Revised Code.(2) "Contribution report" means payroll data for each pay date that has been cleared of any errors or warnings.(3) "Surcharge" means the employer minimum compens…

11.15 PDF: The statement required under section 3309.28 of the Revised Code shall be submitted through the retirement system's electronic employer reporting system. Last updated April 3, 2024 at 1:24 PM Authorized By: 3309.04 Amplifies: 3309.28 Five Year Review Date: 2/1/2029 Pri…

11.15 PDF: (A) For purposes of this rule, "age and service retirant" and "disability benefit recipient" have the same meaning as defined in rule 3309-1-35 of the Administrative Code, and "retirant" has the same meaning as defined in division (G) of section 3309.01 of the Revised …

11.15 PDF: (A) For purposes of this rule:(1) "Final retirement allowance" means a monthly retirement allowance paid pursuant to section 3309.35, 3309.36 or 3309.46 of the Revised Code that the retirement system calculates after the employer certifies the final contributions and s…

11.15 PDF: For purposes of section 3309.40 of the Revised Code, a member who files an application for disability retirement prior to the member's sixtieth birthday and whose last date of contributing service is prior to the member's sixtieth birthday "has not attained age sixty."…

11.15 PDF: (A) The following standards shall apply for the determination of contributing status in the school employees retirement system.(B) Contributing status shall be required for any employee of an employer as defined in divisions (A) and (B) of section 3309.01 of the Revise…

11.15 PDF: Service credit that is purchased or obtained under section 3309.022, 3309.474, 3309.73, 3309.731, or 3309.75 of the Revised Code, shall be used in determining eligibility for a retirement allowance or a benefit as provided in Chapter 3309. of the Revised Code, includin…

11.15 PDF: (A) Any person may determine the time and place of all regularly scheduled meetings and the time, place, and purpose of all special meetings by:(1) Writing to the following address -"School Employees Retirement System300 East Broad Street, Suite 100Columbus, Ohio 43215…

11.15 PDF: (A) This rule amplifies divisions (B), (C) and (D) of section 3309.44, section 3309.45, and section 3309.50 of the Revised Code.(B) An individual who does not survive a member or retiree by one hundred twenty hours will be deemed to have predeceased the member or retir…

11.15 PDF: (A) This rule amplifies section 3309.35 of the Revised Code and applies to members who retire with an effective date of retirement on or after February 1, 2013.(B) For the purpose of this rule:(1) "State retirement system" and "retention percentage" have the same meani…

11.15 PDF: (A) Compound interest at a rate to be set by the board shall be applied from the date of the member's first service covered by the school employees retirement system, public employees retirement system or state teachers retirement system following the termination of mi…

11.15 PDF: (A) All service in public or private schools, colleges and universities or public service with another state or the United States government which is to be purchased shall be subject to the following requirements, governing eligibility and cost:(1) To be eligible to pu…

11.15 PDF: (A) For purposes of division (A) of section 3309.34 of the Revised Code and this rule:(1) "Total service credit" means all service credit earned in the public employees retirement system, state teachers retirement system, or school employees retirement system, except c…

11.15 PDF: (A) This rule applies only to members who retire under division (A)(2)(a) of section 3309.34 of the Revised Code.(B) For each quinquennial actuarial review conducted under division (B) of section 3309.21 of the Revised Code, the school employees retirement board shall …

11.15 PDF: (A) For purposes of this rule:(1) "Base allowance" means the benefit amount due a benefit recipient on the later of July 1, 1979 or the effective date of such benefit, as adjusted pursuant to this rule. A base allowance excludes subsequent allowances for cost-of-living…

11.15 PDF: (A) For purposes of this rule, "retirement allowance" refers to a monthly retirement allowance, including an "estimated retirement allowance" as defined in paragraph (A) of rule 3309-1-21 of the Administrative Code, as well as a lump sum payment made under a plan descr…

11.15 PDF: (A) This rule amplifies section 3309.35 of the Revised Code.(B) As used in this rule:"Last date of service" means last day of compensated service, either for a day worked or used paid leave, under the school employees retirement system, public employees retirement syst…

11.15 PDF: (A) DefinitionsAs used in this rule:(1) "Benefit recipient" means an age and service retirant, disability benefit recipient, or a beneficiary as defined in section 3309.01 of the Revised Code, who is receiving monthly benefits due to the death of a member, age and serv…

11.15 PDF: (A) For purposes of section 3309.26 of the Revised Code and this rule:(1) "Contributing service credit" means contributing service credit in this system, the public employees retirement system, the state teachers retirement system, the Ohio police and fire pension fund…

11.15 PDF: (A) For purposes of section 3309.451 of the Revised Code and this rule, "dependent" means a "qualified child" or "qualified parent" as those terms are defined in division (B)(2) of section 3309.45 of the Revised Code.(B) (1) A spouse or dependent of a deceased member w…

11.15 PDF: Except as otherwise provided in Chapter 3309. of the Revised Code or SERS rules, the rate of compound interest for the purchase or restoration of service credit under Chapter 3309. of the Revised Code or SERS rules shall be the rate guaranteed by the retirement board a…

11.15 PDF: (A) A member may purchase all or a portion of service credit for Ohio police and fire service and Ohio highway patrol service as provided in section 3309.73 or 3309.731 of the Revised Code.(B) A member is not eligible to purchase or obtain credit if being paid, or elig…

11.15 PDF: (A) For purposes of sections 3309.39, 3309.40, 3309.401 and 3309.41 of the Revised Code and SERS rules:(1) "Disability" or "disabled" means that the member meets the following applicable standard of disability:(a) At the time of application: A disabling condition, eith…

11.15 PDF: (A) The following procedures will govern in cases of a member's appeal of a denial of disability benefits including an automatic denial under paragraph (H) of rule 3309-1-40 of the Administrative Code or a disability benefit recipient's appeal of a termination of disab…

11.15 PDF: (A) (1) Upon the death of a spouse or a designated beneficiary, the lesser retirement allowance calculated as plan A, C, or D under division (B)(1)(a), (B)(3)(b), (B)(3)(c) or (B)(4) of section 3309.46 of the Revised Code or as option 1 or 2 under division (A) or (B) o…

11.15 PDF: (A) Upon adoption of a "Retirement Incentive Plan" in accordance with section 3309.33 of the Revised Code, the employer shall notify the school employees retirement system on an official form approved by the school employees retirement board and attached as an appendix…

11.15 PDF: A member who resigned due to pregnancy or adoption of a child may purchase service credit for such period(s) of resignation during which no contributions were made to the system and no service credit granted under any other section of the Revised Code in accordance wit…

11.15 PDF: Names, addresses and other information contained in records maintained by the school employees retirement system shall be released to members of the public in accordance with this rule.(A) Except as otherwise provided in section 3309.22 of the Revised Code, no part of …

11.15 PDF: (A) If an applicant is married at the time of filing an application for retirement, the applicant shall receive a retirement allowance designated as "Plan A" under division (B)(1) of section 3309.46 of the Revised Code, unless:(1) The spouse consents on a form provided…

11.15 PDF: (A) This rule amplifies section 3309.311 of the Revised Code.(B) (1) A member of the school employees retirement system may purchase credit for service as a school board member by filing a written request which shall include a certification of service signed by the emp…

11.15 PDF: If a member has filed a proper and complete application for a retirement allowance and dies subsequent to the established effective date of the retirement, whatever benefits may be due the member's beneficiaries will be determined by the plan of payment selected by the…

11.15 PDF: (A) A member may purchase in portions all or part of the exempt service credit that the member is eligible to purchase. Payment for any portion purchased shall be made in full at the time of purchase. A member may make subsequent purchases of any remaining exempt servi…

11.15 PDF: This rule implements section 3309.341 of the Revised Code and applies to Ohio public service after retirement in circumstances other than those subject to section 3309.343 of the Revised Code and rule 3309-1-58 of the Administrative Code.(A) For the purpose of this rul…