March 16, 2020
As concern over the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) rapidly increases locally and across the nation, MPERS is carefully considering how to proceed regarding operations within this “new normal” that is unfolding every day. We have made the decision to suspend all outside travel and in-person meetings until further notice. We do this keeping in mind what is in the best interest of our members, staff and our families, which is largely made up of individuals identified as most at risk by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Under the circumstances, it is appropriate and necessary to modify upcoming pre-retirement seminars. While normally our seminars are in-person, on March 15, Governor Parson reinforced the CDC recommendation to cancel or suspend public gatherings of 50 or more, and that is how we will proceed.
As of March 16, scheduled pre-retirement seminars through April 30 will not be offered in-person; however, they will be offered via live webinar on the same date and time. While we know that live webinars are not a replacement for in-person education opportunities, they are an excellent substitute for the time being. If you are not comfortable with webinars, you can contact MPERS to schedule a one-on-one consultation via telephone.
For those of you who are registered for upcoming seminars through April 30, you will receive an email from MPERS’ Communication Specialist Julie West, with a GoToWebinar registration link for the live webinar substitute. If you have difficulty registering for the webinar, please contact our office.
Effective immediately, MPERS is restricting in-person visits to the office from our members, as well as the general public, given the CDC’s recommendation to practice “social distancing.” Again, we are doing this in order to protect the health of our members, the staff and our families. If you need assistance, you can contact our office by phone at 800-270-1271 or by email at mpers@mpers.org. Additionally, our website www.mpers.org has an abundance of member education materials and resources that are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Although this may seem like an inconvenience, the safety of our members and MPERS staff is a top priority. As you may have heard in the news, this is the new normal, at least for now. Taking these steps now will ensure we are available throughout this experience to assist the needs of our members and to ensure no disruption to benefit payments and the processing of retirement applications in a timely fashion.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. We will keep you informed as we continue to monitor new developments.