Ohio Public Employees Retirement System(OPERS)

What Ohio Public Employees Retirement System(OPERS) does

Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) is a public pension system established by Ohio state law (circa 1933) and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. OPERS administers defined benefit retirement, health care, disability, and survivor benefits for eligible Ohio public employees serving state agencies, counties, municipalities, townships, park districts, sanitary districts, health districts, metropolitan housing authorities, and public libraries. The system offers three retirement plans — the Traditional Pension Plan (defined benefit), the Member-Directed Plan (defined contribution with member-controlled investments), and the Combined Plan (hybrid) — and also provides health care coverage, Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) accounts, vision and dental plans, and disability benefits.

OPERS's technology and operational platform centers on web-based self-service: the OPERS Online Account portal for members (member.opers.org) and the Employer Contribution System (ECS) for payroll reporting, with ECS used by 99% of reporting members. Member-facing financial wellness and retirement projection tools are delivered through Voya's myOrangeMoney and Financial Wellness Experience, integrated into online member accounts, and BlackRock LifePath target-date funds serve as investment options in the Member-Directed and Combined plans. The system uses 128-bit SSL encryption and HIPAA-compliant processes for medical information handling.

OPERS is a constitutionally and statutorily protected government entity under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 145, not a commercial enterprise. It is funded through mandatory employee and employer contributions (10% employee, 14% employer as of the source data) and investment returns on its portfolio. In 2018, OPERS received approximately $3.5 billion in contributions and distributed over $7 billion in pension and health care payments. Disability administration is outsourced to MMRO, and Medicare-eligible retiree health plan selection is facilitated through Via Benefits. Governance is provided by a Board of Trustees with elected seats.

Name

Ohio Public Employees Retirement System(OPERS)

Legal name

Ohio Public Employees Retirement System

Website

https://opers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

OPERS is a statutorily-mandated Ohio government pension system administering defined benefit, defined contribution, and hybrid retirement plans, plus health care and disability benefits, for Ohio's statewide public employees. It is funded by mandatory member and employer contributions and managed institutional investment portfolio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Pension Administration

NAICS

Pension Funds (52511), Health and Welfare Funds (525120)

SIC

Hospital & Medical Service Plans (6324)

akta.pro primary industry

Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAA)

Keywords

• Public pension administration
• Defined benefit plans
• Government retirement fund
• Health reimbursement arrangements
• Public employer payroll reporting

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OPERS administers defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans for eligible Ohio public employees, including the Traditional Pension Plan, Member-Directed Plan, and Combined Plan, along with retiree health care coverage, disability benefits, and survivor benefits. The system is funded through mandatory employee and employer contributions, manages a large investment portfolio to pay benefits, and distributes pension and health care payments to retirees throughout Ohio.

Product overview

OPERS is a public pension retirement system administering three distinct retirement plans: the Traditional Pension Plan (defined benefit with guaranteed lifetime monthly benefits), the Member-Directed Plan (defined contribution with member-controlled investments), and the Combined Plan (hybrid approach). Supporting the core retirement products, OPERS offers health care coverage including Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) accounts, disability benefits with rehabilitative services, and comprehensive education through seminars, webinars, online tools (Voya myOrangeMoney, Financial Wellness Experience), and the PERSpective blog. Administrative services include the Employer Contribution System (ECS) for payroll reporting and an online member portal at member.opers.org.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Traditional Pension Plan

Quantifiable outcome

• Funded by approximately $3.5 billion in annual contributions while distributing over $7 billion in annual benefits, demonstrating the scale of service delivery
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Via BenefitscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVia Benefits serves as the OPERS-selected vendor for Medicare-eligible retirees to assist in finding and enrolling in medical plans. Retirees can contact Via Benefits at 1-844-287-9945 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. (EST) for health care coverage guidance.
• Voya FinancialcoreTechnology or IntegrationVoya provides the myOrangeMoney retirement calculator and Financial Wellness Experience tool integrated into OPERS member accounts. These tools help members estimate retirement benefits, visualize retirement income, and assess financial wellness across protection, savings, debt management, and other financial areas.
• BlackRockcoreTechnology or IntegrationBlackRock provides LifePath target-date funds as investment options within the Member-Directed Plan and Combined Plan. OPERS offers BlackRock LifePath brochures and FAQ documents to help members understand these investment options.
• MMRO (Medical Management and Rehabilitation Organization)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMMRO serves as the third-party administrator for OPERS disability benefits program. They conduct initial contact with disability applicants within 5 business days, schedule independent medical examinations, and prepare recommendations for OPERS Board review.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• New York State Common Retirement Fund: One of the largest U.S. public pension funds, offering defined benefit pensions to state and local public employees in New York — directly parallel in mandate and delivery to OPERS.
• Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System (PSERS): PSERS administers defined benefit pensions for Pennsylvania public school employees, sharing OPERS' regulatory mandate, hybrid options, and large-scale benefit administration.
• CalSTRS (California State Teachers' Retirement System): CalSTRS is a California public-sector defined benefit pension system offering similar Traditional Pension and Member-Directed style plans, comparable to OPERS in product mix and governance approach.
• Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (DRS): Washington DRS administers multiple public sector defined benefit plans with similar plan-options architecture to OPERS and is comparable in scale and member services philosophy.
• CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System): CalPERS is the largest U.S. public pension fund, administering defined benefit pensions for California state and local public employees — directly comparable to OPERS' mandate, plan structure, and member services model.
• Texas Teachers Retirement System (TRS): TRS administers defined benefit pensions for Texas public educators at scale; its hybrid plan options and large institutional asset base are analogous to OPERS' product portfolio.
• STRS Ohio (State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio): Ohio's sister pension system for public educators, sharing the same statutory framework and Ohio geographic focus, but serving teachers rather than general public employees — a structural peer.
• North Carolina Retirement Systems Division: North Carolina's public pension administrator offering defined benefit plans for state and local public employees, parallel in mandate, multi-employer structure, and benefit delivery to OPERS.
• Florida Retirement System (FRS): FRS provides both defined benefit (Pension Plan) and defined contribution (Investment Plan) options to Florida public employees, mirroring OPERS' multi-plan structure and member choice approach.

Regional players

• Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund (OP&F): Ohio's separate public pension system for police and firefighters — operates within the same state statutory framework as OPERS but serves a narrower safety service membership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ohiopers
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyycenF1z44M36rSw6CYo7A
• Facebookfacebook.com/ohiopers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opers

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ohio Public Employees Retirement System(OPERS)