The Internal Revenue Service has announced 2019 contribution limits for retirement plans such as TRS' TDA Program. The general contribution limit will increase from $18,500 in 2018 to $19,000 in 2019.

The limits on "catch-up" contributions in 2019 remain unchanged:

• Members age 50 and older may make additional contributions up to $6,000.
• Certain members with at least 15 years of City employment may be eligible to make additional contributions up to $3,000.

Based on these rules, each year TRS determines the maximum allowable TDA contribution amount for each member. We also calculate the contribution rate (percentage of pay) that would result in the maximum contribution. That rate is known as the "Full-Year, Full-Contribution Rate."

You can now see—or elect—your 2019 Full-Year, Full-Contribution Rate after logging in to the secure section of our website. Rates elected by December 16 should take effect with the first payroll of the new year.

The next regular Board Meeting will be held on Thursday, December 20, 2018. The next Investment Meeting of the Teachers' Retirement Board will be held on Thursday, January 3, 2019.  Meetings are streamed live on TRS' website and are normally available for on-demand viewing within two business days. Meeting summaries are also available.

Monthly Account Statements as of October 31, 2018 are now available through the secure section of our website.

In-service members can access their account balances, loan information, and investment elections. Members with TDA Deferral status can access their TDA account balances, investment elections, and loan and RMD information.

The Fall 2018 issues of our member newsletters are now available online. The mailing of Benefits Report to retirees and In-Service News to non-retired members will occur next week. On the Newsletters page, you can view the most recent issues or choose an issue from our archives dating back to 2013.

Account statements for the period ending September 30, 2018 are now available for online viewing in the secure section of our website.

The Quarterly Account Statement (QAS), for in-service members and certain members on leave, summarizes account information for members' Qualified Pension Plan and, if applicable, Tax-Deferred Annuity Program accounts.

The TDA Quarterly Statement, for members with TDA Deferral status, summarizes TDA account information for members who are maintaining a TDA account after retirement (or, in some cases, resignation).

Printed statements have been mailed to members' home addresses. If you currently receive your quarterly statements in the mail, consider opting out of the mailing and viewing the statement online instead. To change your mailing preference, select My Profile after logging in to the secure section of our website. To ensure that you receive emails from TRS, please add noreply@trs.nyc.ny.us to your address book.

Early in 2019, TRS will introduce a new online feature for death benefit claims, which will provide convenient, secure filing and faster benefit processing for many claimants. This November, we are beginning the transition to our new system. As a result, beneficiaries may experience a delay in receiving a benefits claim letter, which TRS sends after receiving needed documentation and calculating benefits payable.

Processing death benefit claims can normally take several weeks (or months for in-service members), and we apologize for any delay during this transitional period.

To report the death of a member, please contact TRS’ Member Services Center at 1 (888) 8-NYC-TRS. For additional information about death benefits, please see our brochure for beneficiaries of retirees, or for beneficiaries of non-retired, members.

Annual Benefits Statements for 2018 are now available for members who are in active service or on leave. Members can view their statements in the secure area of our website, and a new video shows how to access the statement online.

We have posted the 2018 edition of our Fund Profiles booklet. It provides information such as strategy, risk, expenses, and performance for each of TRS' Passport Funds.

Starting in February 2013, the Teachers' Retirement Board divested from gun manufacturers (companies receiving material revenue from the manufacture of civilian firearms and ammunition). The Board modified its policy in December 2017, when it resolved to further divest from companies that receive at least 5% of their revenues from the manufacture of civilian firearms and ammunition. This divestment is now complete.

Each year, TRS publishes a listing of investment holdings in our Investment Portfolios publication. The latest version shows holdings as of June 30, 2017, so it does not reflect the most recent divestment actions.

Qualifying members who worked in the World Trade Center Rescue, Recovery, or Cleanup Operations between September 11, 2001 and September 12, 2002 may file a Notice of Participation (code DI40) with TRS. Beneficiaries of qualifying members who died without having filed this form may file the beneficiary version of the Notice of Participation (code DI40b). TRS must now receive the Notice of Participation and, if applicable, an Authorization for Release of Health-Related Information (code DI47) by September 11, 2018.

Please see the World Trade Center Presumptive Disability and Death Benefit Laws information sheet for a list of qualifying conditions or impairments of health and other important information.