New Data Reporting System expected to be deployed this fall following two-month parallel processing period

In 2019, the New Hampshire Retirement System began the process of upgrading to a newer version of our pension administration software, going from the current PensionGold Version 2 (PGV2) to PensionGold Version 3 (PGV3).

At the current time, we expect to begin the transition to the new system this fall.

Because the employer Data Reporting System (DRS) is a component of PensionGold, we have been sending periodic emails to our participating employers for the past three years to inform them about this upgrade and how it will impact the employer reporting process. We also set up a section on our website dedicated to project information: https://www.nhrs.org/employers/employer-resources/drs-upgrade-project

Now, as we head into the closing stretch of this project, expect to receive more frequent and more detailed communications from NHRS.

We will be scheduling training sessions for employers on the new system beginning in late June and running through September. Beginning in October, we expect to begin running PGV2 and PGV3 in tandem, which is referred to as parallel processing.

Parallel processing will be conducted in October and November.

During parallel processing, NHRS will be requiring employers to continue submitting their monthly active member reporting files using the current DRS, and to begin submitting their monthly active member information using the PGV3 version of the DRS, which has a different file layout. If you haven’t submitted a test file yet, please see: https://www.nhrs.org/employers/employer-resources/drs-upgrade-project/drs-upgrade-blog/drs-upgrade-operation-granite-wave/2023/02/15/reminder-request-for-test-files

We fully realize this means extra work for our participating employers and we are committed to providing the training and support you need to successfully transition to the new DRS.

Parallel processing is the only way to ensure that V3 is doing what it’s supposed to be doing and generating the same data and calculations as V2. If the retirement system didn’t have a parallel processing period, and a programming error was identified a few weeks after the switchover, all of your data would have to be resubmitted and the timely delivery of benefits, refunds, etc. could be jeopardized.

Additional details on the specifics of parallel processing will be provided to employers over the summer.