ARCHIVED SAM - Special Bulletin 2005-004

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• | Pension Transfer Service Contact Information
• | Pension Transfer Services Process for Compensation Advisors (revised June 16, 2011)
• | Transfer to the Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP)
  - Roles and Responsibilities Chart (revised June 16, 2011)
• | Transfer from the Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP)
  - Roles and Responsibilities Chart (revised June 16, 2011)

May 2, 2005 (revised June 16, 2011)

SUBJECT: New Pension Transfer Services Process (Pension Transfer Agreements[PTA] /Reciprocal Transfer Agreements [RTA])

1. PURPOSE

1.1. The purpose of this bulletin is to inform compensation advisors of the new Pension Transfer Services PTA/RTA process effective May 30, 2005.

1.2. The pension transfer service contact information, the new pension transfer services process for compensation advisors and the roles and responsibilities chart have been included with this Superannuation Administration Manual (SAM) Special Bulletin.

1.3. In this text, use of the masculine is generic and applies to both men and women.

2. BACKGROUND

2.1. In March 2003, Public Works and Government Services Canada PWGSC) released the findings of a nine-month study on pension services. The study, conducted with the agreement of the Human Resources (HR) Forum, assessed the current delivery of pension services and proposed how they could be delivered in the future. The HR Forum and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have endorsed the proposal and PWGSC's Pension Services Directorate is beginning to implement the new model.

2.2. The Pension Services Delivery Project (PSDP) has been established to develop and progressively implement new pension services and business processes in accordance with the new model. The model will centralize pension administration services to allow for the direct provision of services to employees. As well, it will establish self-service options for employees using several channels for accessing pension expertise. The project is expected to take approximately five years to be completed and will include stakeholder consultations at every stage. The project will bring significant changes in the way pension services are delivered today.

| 2.3. The administration of pension transfer services PTA/RTA is the second activity to be centralized. Over the past six months, subject matter experts from the compensation community and the Public Service Pension Centre (Pension Centre) in Shediac, New Brunswick have been providing feedback to the project team regarding the centralization of pension transfer services. This feedback has been taken into consideration in designing the new process.

3. POLICY

| 3.1. Effective May 30, 2005, the administration of all pension transfer services PTA/RTA activities, including providing advice to employees or potential plan members, will be the responsibility of the Pension Centre.

4. PROCEDURES/INSTRUCTIONS

| 4.1. Under the new procedure, employees or potential plan members interested in pursuing a pension transfer will receive expert advice directly from pension transfer specialists in the Pension Centre.

| 4.2. The compensation advisor (CA) will provide eligible employees or potential plan members with the Pension Centre contact information, even if an agreement is not in place or has not yet been negotiated. The contact information includes the necessary information to reach the Pension Centre, such as the service hours, the toll free telephone number and the Web site address to access a Pension Portability Information Package. For this purpose, the contact information has been included with this SAM Special Bulletin.

| 4.3. A Pension Portability Information Package has been introduced in conjunction with the new pension transfer services PTA/RTA process to provide employees or potential plan members with general information on pension portability options, including service buyback information. The document also includes the eligibility criteria, the performance standards, the associated timelines and the procedures.

4.4. For additional details on the new pension transfer services PTA/RTA process, refer to the pension transfer services process for compensation advisors and the roles and responsibilities chart. These documents have been included with this SAM Special Bulletin.

5. COMMUNICATIONS

5.1. The project team will monitor progress following the implementation and will keep you apprised.

6. INQUIRIES

6.1. Any inquiries on the information contained in this document should be addressed to your PWGSC Compensation Services Office.

Original Signed by
R. Jolicoeur

R. Jolicoeur
Director General
Compensation Sector
Finance, Accounting, Banking and Compensation

Reference(s): CJA 9210-3, 9210-3-1