Membership:
Creditable Service:
August 8, 2006
Members of the Haverhill Retirement System shall receive creditable service for service rendered consistent with this regulation in the following manner:
For a member in service who is employed in a full-time capacity while an employee in the City of Haverhill, or in any member unit of the Haverhill Retirement System, he/she will receive one year of creditable service for each full calendar year in which the employee is receiving regular compensation for said service.
For a member in service who is employed in a permanent part-time capacity (20 hours per week or greater) throughout his/her entire career while an employee in the City of Haverhill, or in any member unit of the Haverhill Retirement System, he/she will receive one year of creditable service for each full calendar in which the employee is receiving regular compensation for said, service.
For a member in service who has been employed in both a full-time and part-time capacity (part-time consisting of less than 20 hours per week) while an employee in the City of Haverhill, or in any member unit of the Haverhill Retirement System, he/she will receive full- time credit for full-time service, and prorated credit for part-time service based on the permanent part-time equivalency of 20 hours for the position, with 87 hours in any calendar year equaling to one month of creditable service for that year.
For a member who is employed in a part-time capacity (less than 20 hours per week) throughout his/her entire career while an employee in the City of Haverhill, or in any member unit of the Haverhill Retirement System, he/she shall not be allowed membership with the Haverhill Retirement System. If he/she becomes eligible for membership with the Haverhill Retirement System prior to retirement, this past service shall be prorated based on the permanent part-time equivalency of 20 hours for the position, with 87 hours in any calendar year equaling to one month of creditable service for that year.
In the case of School Department or City employees whose full-time employment requires them to work from on or about September 1 to on or about June 30, said employees shall receive one month of creditable service for each full month the employee is receiving regular compensation, with 10 months being the equivalent of one year of creditable service. Exception being made for the first year of membership that unless said member has been employed as of January of said year, no creditable service will be given for the months of July and August of that year.
Any member who purchases past part-time service rendered shall have said service prorated based on 20 hours being considered a full week of service for permanent part-time employees with 87 hours in any calendar year equaling to one month of creditable service for that year.
Any member of the Haverhill Retirement System who has purchased and received creditable service prior to the effective date of this regulation will not be, affected by this regulation.
April 24, 2002
Any current member of the Haverhill Retirement System who contacted the Board and attempted to make application for the purchase of creditable service pursuant to the terms and conditions of chapter 71 of the acts of 1996, as amended by chapter 188 of the acts of 1996, and who otherwise failed to go forward in such application process because the Board was only considering a lump-sum payment within 180 days of the effective date of the legislation or notice of eligibility, may pay into the annuity savings fund of the Haverhill Retirement System the appropriate make-up payment. Such payment may be in installments at an interest rate to be determined by the Board provided that such installments are completed before the member's effective date of retirement. Interest will commence 180 days after the effective date of the legislation or notice of eligibility. In support thereof, the member must submit an affidavit attesting to reason or reasons why the member failed to complete the process. The Board reserves the right to reject the application after a hearing to which the applicant shall receive notice to attend.
July 2, 2001
Veteran’s Buyback:
All members entitled to the Veteran's Buy Back, must make application within the one hundred-eighty (180) days as required under Chapter 71 of the Acts of 1996. They shall then have the option of paying for this creditable service at any time, up to their date of retirement, in one lump sum payment.
Regular Compensation:
Miscellaneous:
March 1, 2016
In all cases in which a benefit calculation error occurs that results in an underpayment or non-payment of a pension or a benefit to a member or a beneficiary, or in the event of any overpayment as the result of an error to a member or beneficiary, the Board shall, consistent with the provisions of M.G.L. c. 32, § 20(5)(c) pay to or collect from the member or beneficiary, as the case may be, the actuarial equivalent of the benefit paid or received in error. Pursuant to the Supreme Judicial Court’s decision in Herrick v. Essex Regional Retirement Board, 465 Mass. 801 (2013) and PERAC Memorandum #32, 2013, the Board has determined that the actuarial equivalent requires that regular interest, as that term is defined in M.G.L. c. 32, § 1, shall be included in any amount owed to or recouped from a member or beneficiary.
July 5, 2005
The Haverhill Retirement Board has determined that it is necessary and in the best interest of its active and retired members, beneficiaries and survivors, to grant access to the name, address, telephone numbers and/or social security numbers of those individuals for the sole and limited purposes of assisting in the proper administration of G.L. c. 32 and 32B, and the issuance of monthly benefit checks. The Board recognizes the need to protect the privacy of its active and retirement members, beneficiaries and survivors, and to that end will only allow access to personal information to the City of Haverhill’s Treasurer’s Department, Human Resources Department, Data Processing Department, Benefits Coordinator and School Department.
The Board will also grant access [for the purpose of mailings but will not allow the release of] the names and addresses of its active and retired members to candidates who are seeking an elected seat on the Board. The following procedure must be undertaken for access to be granted:
1. All information must be in sealed pre-stamped envelopes or on pre-paid Postcards;
2. Information must be supplied to the Staff one week prior to mailing; and
3. Address labels will be generated and affixed by the Retirement Staff with a cost to the candidate for the labels and one hour of office time at the lowest office rate. All information will be mailed by the Haverhill Retirement Office Staff. All other requests for the addresses or other personal information of the active and retired member, beneficiaries and survivors will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis [consistent with applicable law], and this supplemental regulation may be amended from time to time, subject to PERAC’s approval, to address the needs of the members, beneficiaries and survivors and the City of Haverhill.