In addition to the regular schedule, other workshops may be scheduled by employing agencies or individual schools. Call Judi Allen at 225-925-6583 or Heather Landry at 225-925-7093. A brochure describing the various services provided by the Retirement Education Department is also available.

• All-day workshops are five hours long. Members within five years of retirement or DROP eligibility are invited, but all are welcome. Speakers address topics including TRSL provisions, common sense financial planning, and Social Security issues.

• Mid-career workshops are three hours long and are for members 45 years old or younger. Topics are limited to long-term financial planning and TRSL benefits.

• DROP participants' workshops are two hours long. The workshops are open to members who have already joined DROP, or who are working after completing DROP. Topics include retiring after DROP, continuing to work after DROP, and withdrawing from the DROP account after retirement.

• TRSL & SSA sessions are two-and-one-half hours long and are for all members. A representative from the Social Security Administration discusses Social Security issues, and a TRSL representative discusses general TRSL topics.

• Retirement 101 is a workshop that covers the final steps needed to retire or enter DROP, such as filling out applications and other forms, documents needed to finalize your retirement or DROP, things that may delay retirement or DROP processing, and other information needed to prepare you for retirement.

• Group counseling sessions are two hours long for members within three years of retirement. For those registered, an estimate of benefits is prepared in advance and distributed at the session. An overview of TRSL benefits is covered, followed by a detailed explanation of the estimate of benefits. There will be time for both group and individual questions and answers.

• Individual counseling is offered by telephone on certain Saturdays for members within two years of retirement. Sessions are limited to 30 minutes per person, and only a limited number of appointments are available on each date. A TRSL counselor will call the member at home on the appointed date to answer the member's retirement questions. Current DROP participants are not eligible for these sessions. These sessions must be scheduled by speaking directly to the contact person indicated in advance of the appointment date. Appointments are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. E-mail requests for appointments will not be accepted.

• Post-retirement workshops are three hours long and cover topics of special interest to retired TRSL members.

• Employer Procedures Update is open to staff members of employers who report contributions to TRSL and who want further instruction in any aspect of their dealings with TRSL. Registration forms can be found in the February and August issues of the online employer newsletter, The Key. To view a tentative agenda for the upcoming workshop, click here.

You may use the workshop registration form to register for a workshop. You can fill out the form online, print it, and then mail or fax it. You may also send an e-mail message to the appropriate contact person and include the information that is requested on the registration form.