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SD 231

An Act allowing Wayne Estes, a retired member of the Massachusetts DDS, an accidental disability retirement option

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Peter Durant

The bill would grant Wayne Estes an accidental disability retirement option with a presumption his PTSD-related impairment arose from work, and require the Retirement Board to pay

House concurred
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Bill Summary · SD 231

Comprehensive Summary: Senate Bill SD 231

Overview

  • Bill Number: SD 231 (Senate Docket No. 231)
  • Title: An Act allowing Wayne Estes, a retired member of the Massachusetts DDS, an accidental disability retirement option
  • Sponsor: Senator Peter J. Durant
  • Status: House concurred
  • Introduced: February 27, 2025
  • Filed: January 9, 2025
  • Session: 2025-2026 (One-hundred ninety-fourth General Court)
  • Related Matter: Similar matter previously filed as Senate No. 1685 (2023-2024)

Purpose and Intent

The bill creates a targeted provision to permit Wayne Estes, a retired employee of the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS), to elect an accidental disability retirement option. It establishes a presumption that his health impairment, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from severe physical and psychological harm, occurred in the course of his employment. The act directing benefit payments would apply only to Estes for the remainder of his retirement.

Key Provisions

  • Section 1: Accidental disability retirement option
    • The Massachusetts Retirement System may allow Wayne Estes to receive accidental disability retirement benefits for health impairment caused by severe physical and psychological harm, including PTSD.
    • The impairment must be a total or partial disability and be presumed to have occurred in the course of Estes’s employment.
    • The Retirement Board is required to pay Estes accidental disability retirement benefits starting from the act’s effective date for the remainder of his retirement.
    • Estes must elect (notify the Retirement Board) within 90 days of the act’s effective date.
    • This provision acts “notwithstanding” (i.e., overrides) Chapter 32 and other laws governing the retirement systems, for the purpose of Estes’s eligibility and benefits under this act.
  • Section 2: Effective date
    • The act takes effect upon passage.

Who Is Affected

  • Directly Affected: Wayne Estes, a retired Massachusetts DDS employee.
  • Indirect/Broader Implications: The bill creates a targeted, one-person exception to existing retirement law, potentially highlighting how accidental disability retirement options are applied or interpreted for individual retirees.

Procedural and Timeline Details

  • Referred to the Joint Committee on Public Service on February 27, 2025.
  • The House has concurred with the Senate version, indicating final chamber acceptance prior to final enactment.
  • The act states that it takes effect upon passage.
  • The text notes the existence of a similar measure in an earlier session (Senate No. 1685 of 2023-2024), suggesting an ongoing interest in providing an accidental disability option to Estes or similar circumstances.

Fiscal and Administrative Considerations

  • The bill directs the Retirement Board to pay the accidental disability retirement benefits to Estes for the remainder of his retirement, starting at the act’s effective date.
  • No general funding appropriation is specified; any fiscal impact would be borne by the state retirement system for Estes’s benefits, due to the override of standard retirement provisions for this individual case.

Summary

SD 231 proposes a one-off, targeted change to Massachusetts retirement law to grant Wayne Estes an accidental disability retirement option, with a presumption that his disability originated in the course of employment due to severe harm and PTSD. If enacted, the Retirement Board would begin paying these benefits from the act’s effective date for the remainder of Estes’s retirement, contingent on Estes’s election within 90 days of enactment. The bill is effective upon passage and has moved through the standard legislative approval process, with House concurrence already achieved.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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