Membership:
January 27, 2022
Any individual who is permanently employed twenty (20) or more hours per week by a single member unit of the Bristol County Retirement System (“System”) and who is employed in a position with an annual salary of at least $5,000 as defined in M.G.L. c. 32 § 1 and 840 CMR 15.03 shall become a member of the System.
For the purpose of this regulation, “permanently employed 20 hours per week” shall mean that the employee is guaranteed 20 hours of weekly compensation each and every week.
Any elected official who is elected to a position with an annual salary of at least $5,000 in wages may elect to become a member of the System within ninety days after the date of assuming office.
That if an elected official is not a member of the retirement system before their election by popular vote, they do not have to join the system; but they may join by applying for membership, in writing, within ninety (90) days of assuming their elective office.
December 12, 1984
Part-time employees must become members of the retirement system provided the employee works 20 hours per week.
Creditable Service:
January 27, 2022
Any member in service, whose status is changed so that they are employed less than 20 hours per week, but who continue in a position with an annual salary of at least $5,000 as defined in M.G.L. c. 32, § 1 and 840 CMR 15.03, shall, receive prorated credit based on the full-time equivalency of 150 hours being the equivalent of one (1) month of service. Such proration shall be effective as of the date upon which the member was no longer permanently employed at least 20 hours per week. Any member who returns to being permanently employed at least 20 hours per week shall receive service credit pursuant to the creditable service regulation of the retirement system.
Any member in service who is not employed in a position with an annual salary of at least $5,000 as defined in M.G.L. c. 32, § 1 and 840 CMR 15.03, will not receive any creditable service but the member must still remit contributions to the retirement system in accordance with memorandum #10 of 2010 issued by the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission.
December 19, 2016
Members of the Bristol County Retirement System shall receive creditable service, in whole month increments, consistent with this regulation in the following manner:
• For a member in service who is employed in a full-time capacity, he/she will receive one (1) month of creditable service for each full month for which the employee receives regular compensation and remits the appropriate contributions to the Bristol County Retirement System (“System”), with said service not to exceed one (1) year of creditable service in any calendar year.
• For a member in service who is employed in a part-time capacity throughout his/her entire career, he/she will receive one (1) month of creditable service for each full month for which the employee receives regular compensation and remits the appropriate contributions to the Bristol County Retirement System (“System”), with said service not to exceed one (1) year of creditable service in any calendar year.
• For a member who has rendered membership service in the System in both a full-time and part-time capacity, the member shall receive full credit for all full-time service and prorated credit for part-time service based on the full-time equivalency of 150 hours being the equivalent of one (1) month of service.
• For a member who is employed in a part-time capacity throughout his/her career but who either purchases past refunded service, or has transferred into the System previous service rendered in a full-time capacity, the member’s part-time service shall be prorated based on the full-time equivalency of 150 hours per month.
• For Non-certified School Department employees serving in a non-teaching capacity who are continuously employed full time from on or about September 1st to on or about June 30th, including but not limited to cafeteria workers, clerical and secretarial staff, teacher’s assistant and teaching professionals, such as therapists, said employees shall receive one month of creditable service for each full month the employee is receiving regular compensation, with ten (10) months being the equivalent of one (1) year of creditable service. School Department employees who are employed in a part-time capacity shall have their creditable service prorated in the same manner as all members of the System as set forth in this regulation.
• The Board recognizes that certain School Department employees, including but not limited to custodians and secretaries, are required to work the entire calendar year, and in such a situation, said employee’s creditable service will be calculated based on a twelve (12) month year.
• Creditable service for 10 month employees shall be based on 1,500 hours being the equivalent of 1 year, whereas creditable service for 12 month employees shall be based on 1,800 hours per year.
• Members of the System may only purchase and receive credit for past non-membership service rendered in a member unit of the System consistent with the provisions of M.G.L. c. 32, § 4(2)(c), or service rendered in a member unit of the System as a reserve or permanent-intermittent or [sic] police officer or as a reserve, permanent-intermittent or call firefighter pursuant to Section 4(2)(b), or if the past service was rendered under the jurisdiction of another retirement system, such service may only be purchased if rendered in a temporary, provisional or substitute capacity, provided that the individual was excluded from membership in the other retirement system. All prior non-membership service shall be calculated with 150 hours being the equivalent of one (1) month of creditable service.
March 2, 2010
Upon becoming a member of the Bristol County Retirement System, said member may purchase any past service as a part-time, provisional, temporary, temporary provisional, seasonal or intermittent employee of Bristol County or any of its member units, provided that the member remits to the Board the appropriate amount of contributions that would have been withheld, together with regular interest, had he or she been a member of the Retirement System at the time service was rendered.
It shall be the sole responsibility of the member to obtain, and provide to the Board, verification of this past service rendered, including but not limited to payroll records indicating the amount of compensation received and the amount of hours worked. In the event that any or all of such original documentation is unavailable, the Board may exercise its discretion pursuant to M.G.L. c. 32, sec. 20(5)(c)(1), on a case by case basis, to accept alternative documentation to verify said service.
For members who purchase such past service rendered as a part-time, provisional, temporary, temporary provisional, seasonal or intermittent employee of Bristol County or any of its member units, creditable service shall be prorated and calculated based on 1040 hours of compensated employment in the aggregate being equivalent to one (1) year of creditable service. Members shall be credited with full months and full years of past service rendered and purchased.
December 12, 1984
Creditable service for call fire fighters and reserve police officers prior to March 1, 1964, shall be credited at the rate of one month for every full year of service. Service subsequent to March 1, 1964, shall be credited at the rate of five years maximum for any length of service, provided the recipient was later appointed as a permanent member of the police or fire department.