Bill
S 1828
Allows a one-time buyback for veterans who missed 180-day deadline to purchase military service credit, with a 1-year application window and 90-day notice by retirement systems.
Note on inconsistencies in source documents
- The header information supplied with the request (a title about elder abuse, committee referral to Aging, and a sponsor list that looks federal) does not match the bill text provided. The bill text and Senate docket describe a Massachusetts state-law measure filed by Senator William J. Driscoll, Jr. concerning veterans’ retirement buyback. This summary follows the bill text/docket (veterans’ buyback) because it contains the substantive provisions.
Purpose
- To give certain public retirement system members who are veterans a one‑time opportunity to purchase (buyback) military service credit for retirement when they previously failed to make that purchase within the statutory 180‑day time limit. The bill also requires retirement boards to provide written notice to members about eligibility and makes minor statutory amendments to related retirement provisions.
Key provisions
- Amendments to chapter 32, section 4:
- Insert requirement that retirement boards provide written notice upon a member’s entry into service (text inserts: “provided written notice by the retirement board upon entry into service that they are…”).
- Add language permitting the purchase to be made “prior to or within 1 year of vesting pursuant to this chapter.”
- Strike the second paragraph of section 3 of chapter 71 of the Acts of 1996 (textually removes an existing provision of that 1996 act; the bill does not specify the practical effect beyond deletion).
- One‑time remedial buyback opportunity:
- Any member in service who is a veteran and who failed to make the purchase authorized by paragraph (h) of subdivision (1) of section 4 of chapter 32 within the required 180 days (per chapter 71 of the Acts of 1996, as amended) shall have a one-time opportunity to apply to their retirement system to make that purchase.
- The application window for eligible members is within 1 year from the act’s effective date.
- Each retirement system must provide written notice to all members in service of their potential eligibility within 90 days after the act’s effective date.
Who is affected
- Active members of Massachusetts public retirement systems who are veterans and who missed the statutory 180‑day deadline to purchase military service credit.
- Retirement boards/systems (municipal and state systems) — required to send notices and to process any purchase requests.
- Potential downstream impact on pension liabilities (see fiscal considerations).
Timing and procedural notes
- Bill docket/file dates in the text: filed Jan 17, 2025; presented by William J. Driscoll, Jr.; introduced/acted on during 2025 General Court session.
- Application window: eligible members have 1 year from the effective date of this act to apply.
- Notice requirement: retirement systems must notify members within 90 days of the act’s effective date.
Potential impacts and considerations
- Fiscal: Allowing retroactive buybacks will typically increase service credit and future pension benefits for successful applicants, increasing actuarial liabilities for affected retirement systems. The bill does not identify a funding source or employer/employee contribution adjustments to offset those costs.
- Administrative: Systems must identify eligible members, send notices, and process additional purchase transactions; legal/actuarial work may be needed to price buybacks and adjust accounts.
- Legal/clarifying edits: The bill modifies statutory language to require notice and slightly extend the window tied to vesting, and deletes a paragraph from a prior act—practical effects should be reviewed by counsel/retirement administrators.
Current status (from supplied actions)
- Filed/introduced in 2025; referred to committee(s) and subject to hearings per the docket entries provided. (Source documents list multiple committee referrals and dates; consult official legislative records for current status.)
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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