Year-End Support

November 7, 2016

Hi Everyone.

It's been a busy year for everyone so far as we've all been through intense training and the introduction of a new Employer Portal. As we round the corner to the last phase in this transition. we wanted to share with you our support plan for year-end.

As with Go Live, our support system will be robust: we will be here for you every step of the way. Please see our detailed plan below:

How will APS be available to support you through the year-end processes?

As we approach the year-end, we will be offering the same beefed up version of support for employers that you received during Go Live.

When an issue arises while working on your year-end, there are three ways to access support:

STEP ONE: Visit Pension e-guide

STEP TWO: Contact your Employer Services Representative

We want to hear from you!

We have increased the number of employer services representatives who will be available on the phone to answer your questions. We are happy to walk you through any of the processes over the phone.

When you speak with your employer services representative. they will have the ability to see what you are seeing on your screen. to help trouble shoot any issues you may be having.

APS' STEP THREE: Field Representatives

You may have met a few of the friendly faces that were traveling the province this summer to guide you through the Go Live transition. Once again, we will be sending out folks throughout the province. They will be available to assist you in person if a major issue arises. Our field representatives are working together with the employer services team to maximize support.

APS' Internal Support Team

Our support team is made up of subject matter experts from throughout APS as well as a team from our vendor. Morneau Shepell. who will be on the call to help you.

We look forward to working with you on the next phase of this transition!

TRAINING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Important note: When submitting year-end details along with additional transactions [to the 18-4) in the same data collection for a member and you encounter a validation. the best practice is to look at your validation messages on a member basis. This will allow you to determine which transaction needs to be looked at.

Ex: You submit both a year-end (18-4) transaction and leave details for one member and you get a salary unreasonable validation - you have to look at both transactions (together) to determine which one may be causing the message. This is different than how EOS operated. where you would encounter a TAD which was directly tied to a single transaction.

Why do we have to provide a 'salary rate' when reporting year-end details?

Reporting the salary rate at year-end allows pension estimators on mypensionplan to use the latest salary information that is reasonably estimated to continue into the future. Also. by providing this information at registration, it allows the member to immediately use the estimators rather than waiting until their first year-end is reported.

What are we using EDS for? What is being provided here and for how long?

APS is providing additional query-based reporting to employers as we have recognized the need to offer interim or augmented reporting outside of the standard reporting available in the Employer Portal. They are intended to assist employers in their reporting requirements and processes. APS will continue to evaluate offering these reports and queries based on employer feedback and operational needs.

What about the items currently stuck in the Portal?

APS is addressing stuck data collections and remittances via scripts. These scripts are designed to address each individual case because not all stuck cases can be reversed in the same way. The software upgrades that were deployed in August and September addressed some root causes and should prevent these from happening as frequently. That being said. they are still occurring. Please contact your employer services representative to report a stuck case. We will in turn contact you once it is ready to be worked on again. Thanks for your patience as we work through this situation with our vendor.

Sincerely, TROY DIAKOW Executive Director. Client Services