New Retirement Plan for Probation Officers and 911 Telecommunicators

July 16, 2026

Starting January 1, 2027, PERA will administer the Local Government Probation & Telecommunicator Plan for local government probation officers and public safety telecommunicators. PERA will transfer eligible employees to the new plan.

Employers are responsible for certifying employee eligibility based on the definitions below. PERA will not review position descriptions (PDs). Employers will complete certifications through ERIS, similar to the current Correctional Plan process. Additional information will be provided this fall.

A Social Security referendum will take place in 2027. PERA will share detailed information in the coming months.

  • Social Security eligibility carries over for employees who move from the Coordinated Plan to the new plan.
  • Employees hired after January 1, 2027, will be eligible to vote in this referendum.

Members eligible for Rule of 90 are excluded from this new plan.  

Eligibility Definitions

Probation Officer

A probation officer is an individual who:

  1. is employed as a probation officer by a county, community corrections agency, or state probation agency and provides community supervision services with direct offender contact, or
  2. directly supervises one or more individuals described in clause one (1).

Public Safety Telecommunicator

  1. A public safety telecommunicator is an individual who:
  2. serves as a first responder by receiving, assessing, or processing requests for assistance from the public or other public safety partners and coordinating the appropriate public safety response,
  3. is assigned less than 50% of their work time to duties other than those described in clause one (1), or 
  4. directly supervises one or more individuals described in clause one (1) or two (2).

Plan Highlights

  • Full retirement age: 60
  • Early retirement age: 55
  • Vesting: Members are vested after three years of service. Service earned under any Minnesota public pension plan is used toward vesting.
  • Employee contributions: 8.0% through August 31, 2028, and 8.82% beginning September 1, 2028.
  • Employer contributions: 7.5% 

Topics

Plan Updates