Bill
S 1865
Provides Kristen Arakelian a lifetime monthly survivor allowance based on Brandon Arakelian’s PTSD accidental-disability retirement, retroactive to June 4, 2021.
Status & Procedural History
- Bill number: S.1865 (Print 1865A) — introduced May 22, 2025.
- Referred to Committee on Finance (read twice and referred 2025-05-22); later amended and recommitted to Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business (print 1865A). Reported favorably by committee and referred to Senate Ways & Means (2025-10-02). Hearing held/scheduled May 7, 2025. The act takes effect upon passage.
- Note: The bill text supplied is a private/personal relief measure concerning Brandon Arakelian; some accompanying metadata in the source appears inconsistent (different title/sponsors). This summary follows the bill text itself.
Purpose and Intent
- To provide a lifetime, monthly survivor allowance to Kristen Arakelian, the surviving beneficiary of former State Police Sergeant Brandon Arakelian, by treating him (for retirement-benefit purposes) as having been awarded an accidental disability retirement based on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) effective June 4, 2021.
Key Provisions
- Waiver of statutory limitations: “Notwithstanding section 9 of chapter 32 of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary,” the State Board of Retirement is directed to provide the specified allowance to Kristen Arakelian.
- Benefit calculation and effective date: The survivor’s lifetime monthly allowance must equal the amount she would have received if Brandon Arakelian had been granted an accidental disability retirement under section 7 of chapter 32, based on PTSD, effective June 4, 2021.
- Retroactive/payable date: The allowance is payable as of Brandon Arakelian’s retirement date, June 4, 2021.
- Offset: Any amounts already paid under his superannuation (regular) pension will be deducted from the allowance.
Who Is Affected
- Primary beneficiary: Kristen Arakelian (surviving spouse/beneficiary named in the bill).
- State Board of Retirement and the Massachusetts State Retirement System: required to calculate and pay the allowance and to apply statutory offsets.
- Commonwealth fiscal impact: The Commonwealth (state retirement fund / taxpayers) would incur additional ongoing benefit obligations to the extent the awarded survivor allowance exceeds prior payments; the bill does not specify dollar amounts.
Additional Notes
- The bill is a targeted, private relief measure (not a general amendment to pension law).
- It relies on recognizing PTSD as the basis for an accidental disability retirement and ties eligibility to the date of retirement and the decedent’s death certificate (which, per the text, lists suicide as cause of death and PTSD as his condition).
- Fiscal effects (annual cost) are not specified in the text and would depend on the statutory formula under chapter 32 for accidental disability retirements and survivor allowances, less any amounts previously paid.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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