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HB 216

relative to workers' compensation and creditable service towards retirement.

2026 Regular Session

HB 216 would determine whether and how time on workers’ compensation counts as creditable service toward retirement in New Hampshire's retirement system.

Inexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 01/07/2026 HJ 1 P. 72
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 216

Summary of HB 216 (2026, New Hampshire) — Relative to Workers’ Compensation and Creditable Service Towards Retirement

Note: The following summary reflects the bill’s stated purposes, provisions, and the legislative actions recorded in the available official action history. It does not reflect any subsequent amendments or final enactment status beyond the listed actions.

1) Purpose and Intent

  • The bill is titled “relative to workers' compensation and creditable service towards retirement.” This indicates two primary aims:

    • Clarify or modify the interaction between workers’ compensation benefits and eligibility or creditable service for retirement purposes.
    • Potentially align how workers’ compensation claims affect service credit, retirement benefits, or eligibility criteria for retirement-related programs.

  • The name suggests the bill seeks to ensure workers’ compensation benefits are treated consistently with retirement system creditable service rules, reducing ambiguity for workers who are injured on the job and evaluating their post-injury retirement status or benefits.

2) Key Provisions (as implied by the title and related actions)

  • Workers’ Compensation Creditable Service:

    • Establish or adjust rules for how time on workers’ compensation is treated toward creditable service in a state retirement system.
    • Determine whether periods of wage-replacement benefits, job restrictions, or disability payments count toward service credit.
    • Specify calculations or caps if creditable service is partially credited, or require medical or employment status verification.

  • Retirement Creditable Service:

    • Define eligibility criteria for creditable service when an employee is receiving workers’ compensation.
    • Clarify how temporary or permanent disability status interacts with retirement accrual, vesting, or benefit calculation.
    • Align with existing retirement system statutes to avoid double-dipping or gaps in benefits.

  • Administrative and Procedural Rules:

    • Outline reporting, verification, and record-keeping requirements for employers, the workers’ compensation program, and the retirement system.
    • Establish any deadlines, forms, or audits related to creditable service determination.

3) Affected Parties

-Employees and workers receiving or who have received workers’ compensation.
-State or municipal employees participating in the state retirement system or local pension plans.
-Employers who administer workers’ compensation or who report employee status to the retirement system.
-Retirement system administrators who adjudicate creditable service and benefit computations.

4) Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Chronology of Key Actions:
    • January 7, 2026: Referred as “Inexpedient to Legislate” (a committee action suggesting the bill did not advance at that time in the session or was deemed not ripe for passage in the version reviewed).
    • November 5, 2025: Committee Report indicates “Inexpedient to Legislate” with a committee vote of 25-0 (House Committee on Finance or equivalent) — implying the bill did not move forward after committee consideration.
    • Throughout 2025: The bill underwent multiple stages including work sessions, executive sessions, and a prior introduction (January 2025) with referrals to Executive Departments and Administration, and subsequent committee deliberations, re-referals to Finance, and further executive sessions.
  • Outcome to Date:
    • The final action listed shows the bill being deemed inexpedient to legislate at the committee level (HC/CC votes) in November 2025 and January 2026. This indicates that, in the observed record, the bill did not advance to a floor vote or become law in the 2026 session.

5) Practical Implications if Enacted (Conceptual)

  • If enacted, employees on workers’ compensation could potentially receive creditable service for retirement purposes in a manner specified by the statute.
  • Could affect retirement benefit calculations, vesting timelines, and eligibility for disability retirement options.
  • May create new administrative processes for tracking and verifying creditable service tied to workers’ compensation periods.

If you would like, I can compare HB 216 to existing NH statutes on workers’ compensation and creditable service to highlight deviations or alignments, or provide a more detailed, line-item hypothetical summary based on the final text if it becomes available.

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

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