Joe Golson Continues to be of Service as a State Retiree

The State of Texas has benefitted from the work of many incredible public servants, many of which have reached retirement. Joe Golson is one of 125,000+ state retirees and he serves on the TPEA board.

Joe spent the majority of his career at ERS, the Employees Retirement System of Texas (with a bit of time at the Health and Human Services Commission) and took incredible pride in his work. He was instrumental in modernizing benefit offerings for state employees and retirees, and went above and beyond to ensure that those in the ERS system received the best information on how to access their benefits.

Joe, tell us a little about your background and your work at ERS.

I started as the Assistant Director of the Retirement Division. The name was later changed to the Member Benefits Division. The job entailed overseeing all aspects of employee and retiree benefit processing, from initial contributions through to retirement and death processing.  Additionally, we managed the processing of death claims, including those of peace officers and firefighters who were killed in the line of duty. I was later promoted to the position of Director of Benefit Contracts.  As the name implies, I was responsible for overseeing the administration of all benefit related contracts administered by ERS.  This included solicitation and monitoring contracts related to the Group Benefits Program (GBP), flexible benefits (TexFlex), and defined contribution programs (TexaSaver).   In my final position I served as the Director of Cost and Risk Management.  In that position, I was responsible for establishing and administering the ERS’ dependent eligibility audit program.  I also served as ERS’ initial Health and Wellness Coordinator.

What made you feel the most proud in your career?

Helping state employees and retirees understand the importance of their benefit programs and helping them get the most out of these valuable programs.  Many employees, particularly those at the beginning of their careers, may not fully appreciate the importance of their employee benefits. This is especially true regarding retirement since it is a “long time away”.  Early planning is extremely important and helping employees understand the significance gave me great pride.

What moment or project was the most memorable of your career?

Modernizing the TexaSaver 401K and 457 programs.  Prior to this modernization, these programs offered over one thousand investment options, many of which duplicated others.  Essentially, any vendor was able to offer products in the plan.  There were also investment options that were not appropriate for a retirement program, such as annuities.  Under my direction, we consolidated the programs under a single third-party administrator (TPA) and offered core investments covering all asset classes.  We added a self-directed brokerage account where employees could choose investments not included in the core group.  We also monitored vendor fees and ensured the program was in compliance with all Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules.

Like many state employees and retirees that have been a part of the Essential Texans series, Joe finds that the often repeated stereotype that state employees are lazy or bad at their jobs to be especially irksome. He says, "In my 20+ years of state service, I have learned that state employees are truly dedicated and care greatly about their work.  Many could go to private industry and do the exact same job and earn far more in salary and benefits.  Consider a single day without state employees.  No prison guards, no highway workers, no employees in state parks, no employees caring for the most feeble of our population in state schools and state hospitals, and ALL of the other state agencies.  State employees provide a great service to the people of the state of Texas and many at great sacrifice to themselves and their families.  In many cases they are not adequately compensated or appreciated." Very well said, Joe!

Though he is retired, Joe has returned to work as a real estate agent, and serves buyers, sellers, and renters in Austin and the surrounding areas. In addition to serving on the TPEA board, Joe serves on the ERS Group Benefits Advisory Committee where he will assist in making recommendations regarding the benefits offered by ERS. Retirement hasn't slowed him down; he continues to be of service to state employees and his fellow retirees. 

When asked about his thoughts on the needs of current state retirees, Joe shared, "Over the last 24 years, inflation has resulted in a 40% loss in purchasing power according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  However, the last time state retirees received a benefit increase was 24 years ago in 2001 in the form of a one-time 13th check. I only wish our state leaders would be more cognizant of the plight of state retirees." We couldn't agree more. 

Joe, thank you for all that you do for state employees and retirees. Thank you for your service on the TPEA board and the ERS Group Benefits Advisory Committee. You will always be an Essential Texan!