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March
8, 2006
At the January 2006 meeting of the Public Employee Retirement
Board, the board adopted an order which sets the method
for collection of what it claims were overpayments to
retirees. The board voted in January to send a notice
to all retirees who are impacted by their decision and
at the February Board meeting the Board approved the
drafts of the letter and notice, as well as the draft
text of a second letter that retirees will receive once
PERS has computed what it believes is the amount the
individual retiree owes to the system.
The first letter with the order will be mailed to 37,000
retirees in early March. The second letter will be sent
to retirees individually over the next three years.
If you retired between April 1, 2000 and April 1, 2004,
you will be receiving this first letter in the next
several weeks. It will say that your benefits may be
reduced, but you will not get any specific information
about how much PERS wants to reduce your benefits or
when they plan to do it. The letter will also tell you
that you have 60 days from the date of the letter to
appeal this decision in the Marion County Circuit Court
or in the circuit court in the county in which the retiree
resides.
Remember that a lawsuit has been filed on your behalf
in the Multnomah County Circuit Court. The court will
be asked to certify a class action and rule that this
attempt to take money out of the pockets of retirees
is inconsistent with their rights under law. If your
retirement falls into the dates above, it is not necessary
for you to appeal the notice from PERS in order to preserve
your rights as a member of the class in the lawsuit.
If, however, you believe you have other unique rights
or interests that need to be protected, you should consult
with an attorney of your choosing.
When you receive this letter and notice, we would encourage
you to lodge your protest with the PERS Board and PERS
staff loudly and repeatedly. It is important to remember
that this action is solely the result of decisions made
by the PERS board and staff. There is nothing in any
court ruling that requires the board to reduce the benefits
of retirees. Listed below are relevant phone numbers
and email addresses.
PERS CONTACTS BOARD MEMBERS:
DALTON, James James.Dalton@state.or.us
GRIMSLEY,
Tom Tom.Grimsley@state.or.us
KRIPALANI,
Eva Eva.Kripalani@state.or.us
PITTMAN,
Mike Mike.Pittmam@state.or.us
ROCKLIN,
Brenda Brenda.Rocklin@state.or.us
CLEARY,
Paul (Executive Director)
Strunk-Eugene.Comments@state.or.us
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