COVID-19 Information

Statement on LAGERS Response to the Coronavirus

LAGERS has been monitoring the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in an effort to ensure we are proactively protecting the health and safety of our members and staff, and to ensure that our normal business operations and services to our members and retirees continue uninterrupted.

LAGERS has assembled a response team to ensure we are taking all necessary and responsible steps in ensuring the continued effective operation of your retirement system and remains committed to keeping our stakeholders informed of any forthcoming developments.

It is times like these when we are especially reminded of the importance of the work our members do. Missouri LAGERS represents nearly 70,000 working and retired local government employees including local health department workers, other public health and long-term care providers, emergency responders, as well as countless other local government workers from public administrators all the way down to local sanitation workers– these are the men and women on the front lines, working to ensure that every community in our state is a safe, healthy, and desirable place to live.

As our members continue their important work in serving their communities, LAGERS remains resolved in ensuring that the COVID-19 virus causes little to no disruption in our services, and our members and retirees should feel confident that their LAGERS retirement system remains strong and secure.

Robert L. Wilson, CEBS | Executive Director

LAGERS Update Hotline:
1-800-447-4334 Ext. 6261
For up-to-date Coronavirus (COVID-19) information

Updated 5/25/2020

As this is a rapidly evolving situation, our response team is evaluating any necessary actions daily, so please check this web page and LAGERS’ social media for updates. At this time here are some important points of interest for our stakeholders:

LAGERS has been monitoring the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in an effort to ensure we are proactively protecting the health and safety of our members and staff, and to ensure that our normal business operations and services to our members and retirees continue uninterrupted.

LAGERS has assembled a response team to ensure we are taking all necessary and responsible steps in ensuring the continued effective operation of your retirement system and remains committed to keeping our stakeholders informed of any forthcoming developments.

It is times like these when we are especially reminded of the importance of the work our members do. Missouri LAGERS represents nearly 70,000 working and retired local government employees including local health department workers, other public health and long-term care providers, emergency responders, as well as countless other local government workers from public administrators all the way down to local sanitation workers– these are the men and women on the front lines, working to ensure that every community in our state is a safe, healthy, and desirable place to live.

As our members continue their important work in serving their communities, LAGERS remains resolved in ensuring that the COVID-19 virus causes little to no disruption in our services, and our members and retirees should feel confident that their LAGERS retirement system remains strong and secure.

Robert L. Wilson, CEBS | Executive Director

Updated 5/25/2020

As this is a rapidly evolving situation, our response team is evaluating any necessary actions daily, so please check this web page and LAGERS’ social media for updates. At this time here are some important points of interest for our stakeholders:

  • LAGERS has plans in place to ensure continuation of services during events like this.
  • No interruptions are anticipated to member benefit payments, collection of contributions, or any other business functions.
  • LAGERS’ Investment Team has maintained ongoing communication with our asset managers to ensure the security and long-term focus of the LAGERS’ portfolio, and our team remains diligent in process and in allocation. LAGERS’ investment team has built a diversified portfolio that is like a strong house, able to withstand all types of weather. LAGERS remains a long-term investor and will continue to monitor both positive and negative impacts to LAGERS’ portfolio.
  • In-person events have been canceled through May 31st.
  • To ensure we are limiting the disruption in services to our members, LAGERS is offering alternative virtual events for all scheduled Pre-Retirement Seminars.  Please click here for more information on all of LAGERS’ upcoming virtual events.
  • Anyone may call our office to schedule an on-line or phone conference meetings in lieu of an in-person meeting.

COVID-19 Resources

As the COVD-19 crisis continues to unfold, LAGERS wants to make sure our members and retirees are getting their information from reliable sources and guard against scams and hoaxes. Below are a number of resources you may find helpful.

CARES Act

The CARES Act was recently passed by Congress to provide financial relief to working and retired Americans.  While LAGERS does not expect any direct impact from this Act to your LAGERS benefits, there are several provisions that may impact you. The CARES Act relaxes certain rules regarding withdrawals from retirement plans. The following FAQ from the Senate Finance Committee highlights the major changes to retirement account withdrawal and taxation rules.

The CARES Act will also be providing a relief payment to many working and retired Americans.  We encourage members to be aware of what needs to be done to qualify for a rebate. Check the IRS website for more details.

Social Security and Fraud Protection

At this time, the Social Security Administration does not anticipate any impact to Social Security benefits. Our members and retirees should be aware of scams attempting to trick people into giving out personal information. The Social Security Administration asks: “If you receive calls, emails, or other communications claiming to be from the U.S. Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration, or another government agency offering COVID-19 related grants or economic impact payments in exchange for personal financial information, or an advance fee, or charge of any kind, including the purchase of gift cards, please do not respond.” These are scams.

For more information, please visit the Social Security Administration website.

Health and Safety

Your health and safety are important to us. For the most up to date statistics on the outbreak as well as information about the symptoms of COVID-19, prevention tips, and what to do if you think you have contracted the Virus, we encourage you to utilize one of the following resources:

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services website

United States Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Direct Deposit

While at this time, there have been no disruptions to USPS services, it is possible that at some point, as the COVID-19 outbreak continues, there may be disruptions to the postal service beyond LAGERS’ control that could impact the timeliness of your benefit for retirees and beneficiaries receiving their LAGERS benefits in the form of a paper check.

To avoid any potential delay to your benefit, LAGERS is encouraging all retirees and beneficiaries to sign up for a direct deposit of their benefit.

To sign up for direct deposit, download the form.

**Please note, your financial institution will need to sign this form. You should be able to do this through the drive-through window of your bank. You do NOT need to physically go inside!

For questions about completing this form, please call: 1-800-447-4334 Ext 6368.