Membership:
January 26 2017:
Any individual who is permanently employed twenty (20) or more hours per week by the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District, or by the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District Employees Retirement Board and who earns at least $5,000 per year in regular compensation as that term is defined in M.G.L. c. 32, § 1 and 840 CMR 15.03 shall become a member of the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District Employees Retirement System (“System”).
Creditable Service:
Any prior supplemental regulation or policy for Creditable Service will be rescinded upon PERAC's approval of the new Greater Lawrence Sanitary District Employees Retirement Board's Supplemental Creditable Service Regulation, which provides as follows:
November 21, 2017
Members of the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District Employees Retirement System shall receive creditable service, in whole month increments (creditable service is not granted for partial months), 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 Greater Lawrence Sanitary District Employees Retirement 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 Greater Lawrence Sanitary District Employees Retirement 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 Greater Lawrence Sanitary District Employees Retirement 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 a 40 hours per week with 173.33 hours being the equivalent of one (1) month of service (2080 hours per year).
For a member who is employed in a part-time capacity throughout his/her career but who purchases past refunded service rendered in the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District, the member's part-time service shall be prorated based on the full-time equivalency of a 40 hours per week with 173.33 hours being the equivalent of one (1) month of service (2080 hours per year).
Members of the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District Employees Retirement System may only purchase and receive credit for past non-membership service rendered in the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District consistent with the provisions of M.G.L. c. 32, § 4(2)(c), or if the past service was rendered under the jurisdiction of another retirement system, such service may only be purchased pursuant to Section 3(5) 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 173.33 hours being the equivalent of one (1) month of creditable service.
Past non-membership service may be purchased consistent with this supplemental regulation. In addition, for all service rendered on or after July 1, 2009, no creditable service will be granted unless the individual received at least $5,000 in wages during the calendar year.
Any member of the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District Employees Retirement System who has purchased and received creditable service prior to the effective date of this regulation will not be affected by this regulation.
Regular Compensation:
Miscellaneous:
August 4, 2023
Electronic Signature Policy
The Board of the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District Employees Retirement System will allow electronic signatures in compliance with PERAC regulation 840 CMR 28.00 and as specified for each form or documents listed below.
Electronic Signatures will be solicited and accepted via one of the following programs: Docusign or Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Security measures appropriate to each specified form or document will be described individually and utilized as per description.
The following forms and documents are allowed to be completed with electronic signatures:
Expenditure warrants and payment vouchers – either by electronic signature or by wet signature, as defined by PERAC regulation 840 CMR 28.00, but signatures will not be allowed to be submitted via faxed documents or via scanned document. Only signatures of board members present for the vote approving the expenditures will be allowed. Documents to be signed will be sent to the signers’ email addresses on record and signers will be provided with a verification code to ensure receipt by the signer. The signer will be provided with instructions to opt-out of signing electronically and how to sign manually. Signers can opt to receive copies of the fully signed documents. Electronic copies of fully signed documents will be stored and maintained in accordance with prescribed retention rules published by the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Board meeting minutes – either by electronic signature or by wet signature, as defined by PERAC regulation 840 CMR 28.00, but signatures will not be allowed to be submitted via faxed documents or via scanned document. Only signatures of board members present for the meeting for which the minutes were approved by vote of a majority of the board will be allowed. Documents to be signed will be sent to the signers’ email addresses on record and signers will be provided with a verification code to ensure receipt by the signer. The signer will be provided with instructions to opt-out of signing electronically and how to sign manually. Signers can opt to receive copies of the fully signed documents. Electronic copies of fully signed documents will be stored and maintained in accordance with prescribed retention rules published by the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
January 18, 2017:
Payment of Interest – Correction of Errors Under M.G.L. c.32 § 20(5)(c)(2)
In all cases of correction of an underpayment or non-payment of a pension or benefit to a member or beneficiary of the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District Employees Retirement System which results in a onetime retroactive payment of benefits, such payment shall include interest for such period of underpayment or non-payment at the rate annually determined for such period by the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission pursuant to M.G.L. c. 32 § 22(6)(b).
In all cases of correction of an overpayment of a pension or benefit to a member or beneficiary of the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District Employees Retirement System, the amount of the overpayment shall be due from the member or beneficiary, along with interest for said period of overpayment at the rate annually determined by the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission pursuant to M.G.L. c.32 § 22(6)(b).
Pursuant to the judgment of the Supreme Judicial Court in Herrick v. Essex Regional Retirement Board, 465 Mass. 801 (2013) and PERAC Memorandum #32/2013, said interest shall be deemed the actuarial equivalent of the adjustment to the pension or benefit as required by M.G.L. c 32 § 20(5)(c).
The Board will prospectively correct all such errors so that the member or beneficiary receives the corrected monthly benefit. Additionally, in a circumstance in which the Board is owed funds by a member or beneficiary to correct an error, the Board shall in its sole discretion withhold an amount it deems appropriate from the member's or beneficiary's monthly benefit until such time as the debt plus applicable interest is fully recovered. In a circumstance in which the Board is owed funds by a member or beneficiary to correct an error, and the member or beneficiary is no longer entitled to receive a monthly benefit, the Board will seek to recover any amount owed in the most prudent and practical manner possible, and reserves all remedies including but not limited to the right to maintain an action in contract, to recover any amount due from the member, beneficiary or the member's or beneficiary's estate.
The Greater Lawrence Sanitary District Employees Retirement Board's Supplemental Interest Rate Regulation shall be effective on the date of PERAC's approval.
July 25, 2012:
Adopted the provisions for remote participation in future retirement board meetings for proper cause.