September 27, 2004
Dear PERS Members,
I started PERS Help nearly three years ago as a resource for people like my
dad. My dad is a PERS participant and retired a few years ago as a
Deputy Fire Marshall. My dad’s a great guy, smart and capable, but
sorting through the confusion at PERS wasn’t at the top of his list.
PERS is overwhelming to most people. Even smart and capable people like my
dad didn’t always know what questions to ask, but he felt that the
questions he was asking weren’t being answered clearly or completely
in a language he could understand and benefit from. In addition, the
responses to his questions from PERS were different each time
depending on when he called and whom he spoke to.
With over a decade of helping people in PERS with their retirement concerns
I felt I could make a difference. I wanted to provide a resource
that was accurate, unbiased and independent from the State of
Oregon’s Public Employee Retirement System.
As concerns about Oregon’s Public Employee Retirement System continues to
surface both locally and nationally, the rush to retire or exit the
plan has reached record levels. Based on the thousands of people we
continue to help, the decision-making process isn’t always based on
fact and individual specific needs, but rather on the confusion,
financial and legal problems at PERS. Add abrupt rule changes and
media hype, and the problems are overwhelming for PERS participants
and their families.
Our goal at PERS Help is to provide intelligence not just information. Our
mission is to continue to provide the
highest degree of unbiased, comprehensive
education and information regarding the
Oregon Public Employees Retirement System,
focusing on how it applies to you and your
specific circumstances.
I hope we can be of assistance in helping you realize the full benefits of
your PERS account.
Sincerely,
Jesse Villarreal, Jr.
Founder, PERS Help
