State auditors report modified opinion on PERA employer data; PERA auditors to follow up

Deputy State Auditor Marissa Edwards presented a summary of the 2025 annual audit work related to census data submitted to the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA), and said auditors issued a modified opinion after identifying data errors at one employer.

Edwards said auditors tested selected employee records at seven employers to verify information including names, identification numbers, salary, contribution amounts, and employment dates. She reported a modified opinion due to inaccurate termination dates for two employees submitted by one PERA‑affiliated employer.

“As part of this year's audit, we perform test work at seven employers within the state to test the validity of selected employee data transmitted to PERA,” Edwards said. She added that PERA’s auditors will use the report’s findings to perform additional work as part of PERA's financial audit that is already underway.

The deputy state auditor did not name the employer or the affected employees in the public session; she also said PERA’s auditors, not the Office of the State Auditor, will take the next steps to reconcile the issues in the ongoing PERA financial audit.

What happens next: PERA’s auditors will take the Office of the State Auditor’s results and perform follow‑up procedures as part of PERA’s financial audit in progress; any further public action was not specified in the committee session.