Who We Are
For the retirees who spent their careers serving the people of Ohio, Public Employee Retirees, Inc. (PERI) exists to make sure the pension and benefits they earned are protected for life. As the only association dedicated exclusively to OPERS members, PERI has one purpose at its core: to be the independent, organized voice of Ohio’s public retirees.
Our Mission
PERI’s mission is to protect and preserve OPERS pension and benefits programs and advocate for changes that are in the best interest of PERI members while providing value through communication and education across our districts, local chapters, and external partnerships.
Everything PERI does flows from that mission.We monitor every bill introduced in the Ohio General Assembly that could affect public pensions or health care benefits, establish a position on the issues that matter to members, and lobby the appropriate boards, agencies, and legislators to defend the retirement Ohio’s public employees were promised. As a nonprofit membership association committed to sound governance, fiscal accountability, and transparency, we answer to one group above all: our members.
Our Story
PERI was founded over 70 years ago to give Ohio’s public retirees a unified voice before OPERS and the state legislature.
From the beginning, PERI’s strength has come from its members. Our members are retired public employees and advocates who understand that a pension is a promise, and that promises are best protected together. Over the past 70+ years, PERI has grown into a statewide network organized across 11 districts and 75 local chapters, connecting members in their own communities while speaking with one voice at the statehouse.
Advocacy That Delivers
PERI’s approach has never been about noise. It’s about persistence.
For years, PERI worked alongside members and partners on two provisions that unfairly reduced Social Security benefits for public retirees: the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset. That long effort paid off in January 2025, when the Social Security Fairness Act was signed into law. It was a landmark win for public servants that reflects exactly what organized, sustained advocacy can accomplish.
That victory is one chapter in an ongoing story. PERI continues to monitor pension-related legislation in Ohio, work directly with OPERS administrators and state legislators, and prepare its members for whatever reforms lie ahead because protecting your retirement is not a one-time fight, but everyday work.
