Plan Document & Summaries

Understanding your ERS benefits starts with knowing where to find the official details, and this section explains the key documents that govern your plan.

The Plan Document is the foundational document for the ERS. It lays out the terms and conditions related to how the ERS operated and is administered, including the rules around contributions, vesting, service credit, and retirement eligibility for each plan.

In addition to the Plan Document, the ERS maintains a Summary Plan Description (SPD) for each plan. The SPD is a more condensed, easier to digest summary of the ERS’s provisions and benefits. By law, the SPD must be distributed to plan members at least once every five years.

When a change is made to either the Plan Document or an SPD, the ERS documents that change in a Summary of Material Modifications (SMM). An SMM describes what was modified and why, so members can understand how a plan amendment affects their benefits. An SMM is only drafted when a modification occurs, so not every plan will have one at any given time.

Copies of a Summary Plan Description or a Summary of Material Modifications can be requested at any time. Visit the Contact Us page to submit a request.