• The Director

The Director is responsible for the coordination of the functions of the Division, the development of the Division budget and communication with other branches of State government, local government and the public. The Director serves as the Secretary to the Supplemental Annuity Collective Trust Council, the State Health Benefits Commission and the State House Commission in its capacity as the Board of Trustees for the Judicial Retirement System. The Director is also responsible for legal and legislative matters and Board of Trustees administration. In addition, the Treasurer has delegated the responsibility of maintaining the Federal-State Agreement for Social Security to the Director of the Division of Pensions and Benefits.

The Division of Pensions and Benefits falls under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Department of the Treasury. The Director of the Division of Pensions and Benefits reports directly to the State Treasurer. The Treasurer is an ex-officio member of all State pension boards and commissions.

• The Office of Operations

The work of this office, as overseen by an Assistant Director, is divided among three bureaus: Enrollment and Purchase, Claims and Retirement.

The Enrollment and Purchase Bureau processes all enrollments, transfers and purchases of service credit for all of the State retirement systems. The Claims Bureau processes all death claims, withdrawals and loan requests. In addition, this bureau oversees beneficiary designations filed by active and retired members and issues group life insurance policies, riders and special endorsements. The Retirement Bureau prepares retirement estimates and processes retirement applications for all of the State retirement systems.

• The Office of Health Benefits

This office, as overseen by an Assistant Director, is responsible for developing administrative policy and new program development as well as marketing the State Health Benefits Program. The Health Benefits Bureau processes all enrollments, changes and terminations for active and retired members of the State Health Benefits Program. In addition, this bureau is responsible for the administration of benefits under the federal COBRA law and enrollments, changes and terminations for members of the Prescription Drug Plan and State Employee Dental Program. The Office of Policy and Planning analyzes and makes recommendations concerning current and proposed health benefits programs to provide the highest quality programs at the least possible cost. It manages contract renewals and requests for proposals. Policy and Planning is responsible for health benefit program review and development. This office also provides administrative support to the State Health Benefits Commission.

• The Office of Financial Services

The work of this office, as overseen by an Assistant Director, is divided among eight sections: The Chief Accountant's Office, Audit/Billing, Defined Contribution Plans, Accounting Services, Cash Receipts/Disbursements, Ledgers/Financial Statements, Account Reconciliations and Health Benefits/Financial.

The Office of Financial Services is charged with the custodianship of pension and health benefits assets. These assets are in excess of $80 billion and include approximately 600,000 individual member accounts. These combined systems place the Division of Pensions and Benefits second among the top pensions and benefits administrators in the nation. This office is responsible for the accounting functions necessary for the successful operations of the various pension funds, health benefits and agency funds, as well as the administration of the Pension Adjustment Program, the Supplemental Annuity Collective Trust and Deferred Compensation Plan.

• The Office of Client Services

The Office of Client Services disseminates pension, life insurance and health benefits information to employees, retirees and employers covered by the various New Jersey State-administered retirement systems and related benefit programs. The work of this office, as overseen by an Assistant Director, is divided among three units: Telecommunications, Counseling/Education and Support and Publications.

The Telecommunications Unit counsels employees, retirees and employers via the telephone by providing information about pension, life insurance, health benefits and general procedures. The Counseling, Education and /Support Unit responds to written requests for information and conducts personal interviews with employees and retirees who visit the Division of Pensions and Benefits, and provides seminars, employer group meetings, employer instructions and various presentations concerning pension, life insurance and health benefits to employees, employers and retirees. This unit is also responsible for providing receptionist services for the entire Division. The Publications Unit exercises overall responsibility for creating, editing, updating and printing of written materials disseminated by the Division, including manuals, reports, forms and booklets.

• The Office of Management Information and Support Services

The work of this office, as overseen by an Assistant Director, is responsible for the development and maintenance of all processing and management information systems for the Division as it relates to active and retired benefits. This office also has the responsibility for the training, usage and maintenance of all automated office and voice equipment.

This office consists of five sections: Optical Disk and Records Management, Data Entry, Computer Scheduling and Production Control, Systems Development and Support Services.

The Support Services section has the overall responsibility for the building and equipment, mail room, warehouse operations and forms inventory.

• The Legal, Legislative, Planning and Research Unit

The Legal, Legislative, Planning & Research unit is located within the Director's Office and operates under the direction of an Assistant Director. The Legal section provides legal expertise in development and implementation of new and existing policies, programs, operations, and in updating the New Jersey Administrative Code as it pertains to the benefits administered by the Division. The Legislative section reviews and analyzes legislation impacting the Division.

The Planning and Research section is responsible for providing a structured and consistent planning function for the Division. The focus of the office is the development of a multi-year strategic business plan for the Division that will establish priorities on a short-term and long-term basis, assist in the efficient allocation of resources, and provide benchmarks for measuring and evaluating the Division's performance. In addition, this office conducts research and provides management with recommendations to improve services.

• Boards and Commissions

The boards and commissions have the general responsibility for the proper operation of their respective employee benefits program. The Boards adopt rules in compliance with statute and advice of the Attorney General. The Boards may grant hearings in disputes concerning issues of law or fact. Hearings are held by the Office of Administrative Law.

The Boards maintain a record of all proceedings and hold regular meetings and special meetings when necessary.

• Actuarial Advisor

The actuaries establish actuarial tables for the operation of the retirement systems, determine the annual appropriation required of participating employers and conduct annual examinations of the systems' financial actuarial position.

Contracts for actuarial services for the retirement systems are awarded at specified intervals through the regulations governing the procurement of goods and services for the State of New Jersey and its constituent departments and agencies.

• Legal Advisor

The State Attorney General is the legal advisor for all pension funds and other employee benefit programs.

• Medical Advisors

All pension funds are served by a medical board consisting of three physicians who review claims for disability as submitted by the Disability Review Section of Retirement Bureau for the Division of Pensions and Benefits.