Reclassifying regular members as protection occupation members

     Four groups of employees will move from IPERS’ regular membership class to the protection occupation membership class:

• County jailers and detention officers working as jailers.
• Emergency medical service providers.
• County attorney investigators.
• National Guard installation security officers.

      IPERS service already earned will continue to count as regular service when calculating retirement benefits. Service earned after July 1, 2008, will count as protection occupation service.
     The protection occupation class is one of two groups of Special Service members. Special Service membership is reserved for employees working in jobs that call for earlier retirements. These members earn benefits faster than members in the regular class and become eligible for retirement benefits at a younger age. They also have higher disability and death benefits. Since benefits are higher, contribution rates are also higher than those for members in the regular class. 
      The current protection occupation class includes correctional officers, police and firefighters in Iowa’s towns and smaller cities, airport firefighters, airport safety and security officers, conservation peace officers, Department of Transportation peace officers, and fire inspectors. The second group of Special Service members consists only of county sheriffs and deputy sheriffs.
      Adding people to the group can affect contribution rates for those already in the group. This is because, similar to an insurance pool, everyone in the pool shares the costs. Characteristics of the members in the pool affect the cost of benefits. For example, as life spans increase, retirement benefit costs increase because people will receive benefits longer. Likewise, people who join the pool at an older age have a cost impact because they have fewer years to contribute before drawing retirement benefits than younger people just starting their careers.

Effective July 1, 2008
Iowa Code Section Amended: 97B.49B(1)

Protection occupation members work to protect people and property, and their jobs are hazardous and physically demanding. Because it takes strength, speed, stamina, and agility to do these jobs, retirement is necessary at an earlier age and with less service than it is for regular members.