State & Municipal Retirement Law

State and Municipal Retirement Law are Massachusetts statutes that cover the compensation of State and Municipal workers such as correction officers, government workers, town clerks, teachers, police officers, and any employee who works directly for the State, city, town, or municipality.

PUBLIC EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INFORMATION

In reality there is not a single public retirement system. Massachusetts has over one hundred individual systems. Each system has considerable responsibilities and powers. A five-member board comprised of appointed and elected members runs each system. These board members are fiduciaries of the system and are responsible for making determinations on member’s eligibility for benefits. This multi system retirement plan is unique to Massachusetts. The individual systems are overseen by a state agency, the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC). Employees aggrieved by unfavorable decisions can appeal to the Contributory Retirement Appeals Board (CRAB).

The public employee retirement law covers all full time and many part time Massachusetts government employees. The public retirement plan is an especially important benefit for government workers. Since Massachusetts government employees do not contribute to Social Security, the retirement plan represents a major asset in retirement.

Unlike many private retirement plans, it is not neatly spelled out in a small plan document. The body of retirement law is comprised of hundreds of pages of statute, hundreds of regulations and literally thousands of administrative and judicial decisions. It is therefore important to retain a lawyer who is experienced in this complex area of law. Attorney Benoit is well versed in Massachusetts public employee retirement law. She often assists public employees who are seeking disability retirements.