Membership:
November 17, 2023:
Any individual who is permanently employed twenty (20) or more hours per week by the Town of Webster or any of its departments, or any member unit of the Webster Retirement System (“System”), or by the Webster Retirement Board (“Board”), and who has been hired at an annual rate of $5,000 or greater in regular compensation as that term is so defined in M.G.L. c. 32, § 1 and 840 CMR 15.03, shall become a member of the Webster Retirement System (“System”). In addition to the foregoing, any elected official whose annual regular compensation rate is at least $5,000 per year may elect to join the System within ninety (90) days of assuming office. The Board considers anyone permanently employed at least 30 hours per week to be a full-time employee. Reserve or permanent-intermittent police officers or a reserve, permanent-intermittent or call fire fighters are not, for this regulation’s purpose, considered permanent employees and thus individuals working in these capacities, regardless of how many hours worked, shall not be eligible for System membership.
January 19, 1999:
Membership is required for all full time permanent Town of Webster employees, excluding School Department employees, who are scheduled to work a minimum of 31 1/2 hours per week. A full time permanent town position shall be considered any position scheduled for continuous employment for a period of 52 calendar weeks during a year uninterrupted except for required military service, authorized paid vacation, sick, personal leave or other authorized leave of absence.
Town of Webster employees, excluding School Department employees, who are scheduled to work a minimum of 20 hours but less than 31 1/2 hours per week are considered permanent part time employees. Such employees shall become members of the Webster Contributory Retirement System upon the completion of six months of calendar service. A permanent part time position shall be considered any position scheduled for continuous employment for a period of 52 calendar weeks during a year uninterrupted except for required military service, authorized paid vacation, sick, personal leave or other authorized leave of absence.
All part time, provisional, temporary, temporary provisional, seasonal or intermittent employees who are scheduled to work less than 20 hours per week and/or less than 52 calendar weeks of uninterrupted employment unless for required military service, authorized paid vacation, sick, personal leave or other authorized leave of absence are not eligible for membership into the Webster Retirement System.
June 14, 1996:
New Police Academy recruits are not eligible to become members of the Webster Contributory Retirement System until successful completion of the Police Academy.
Creditable Service:
November 17, 2023
Members of the Webster 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 member receives regular compensation and remits the appropriate contributions to the Webster 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 System, with said service not to exceed one (1) year of creditable service in a 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 120 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 in the System but who either purchases past refunded service or has transferred into the System previous service rendered in a full-time capacity while a member of another retirement system, the member’s part-time service in the System shall not be prorated.
- In the case of School Department employees whose full-time employment requires them to work 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 paraprofessionals, and non-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 considers a School Department employee who works at least 30 hours per week to be full-time.
- The Board recognizes that certain School Department employees, including but not limited to custodians and secretaries, may be 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 1,170 hours being the equivalent of 1 year, whereas creditable service for 12 month employees shall be based on 1,440 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 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 120 hours being the equivalent of one (1) month of creditable service.
- Members of the System who are eligible to receive credit for pre-membership service rendered in a reserve or permanent-intermittent police officer or a reserve, permanent-intermittent or call fire fighter beyond the initial five (5) year period shall be calculated based on 16 hours per month equaling 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 was employed in a position for which the rate of annual compensation was fixed at least at $5,000.
- Military service purchases pursuant to Section 4(1)(h) shall be made in one lump-sum or in two (2) equal installments within a twelve (12) month period following the Notice of Potential Veterans’ Benefits form’s issuance.
February 9, 2009:
In the event that any call firefighter should take a full time position in any other department, whether it be in Webster, or in any other Town in the Commonwealth having a Retirement System regulated by PERAC, at retirement he or she will not be entitled to the one full year of creditable service for each year served as a call firefighter, but creditable service will be adjusted in accordance with General Laws, Chapter 32, Section 4(2) (b).
September 2, 2004:
An active police officer [who is a member of the retirement system] may buy back his or her permanent intermittent time, provisional full-time, or provisional part-time employment. If he or she wishes to pay back into the system for previous time worked, the calculation of creditable service will be based on actual hours worked. Overtime or extra paid details are not calculated in the buyback. Auxiliary and/or reserve status is not applicable to buy back.
January 13, 2004:
To allow call firefighters to receive one (1) year of creditable service for each full year of service in the Webster Fire Department, provided they are permanent call fire fighters with a stated weekly, monthly, or semi-annual rate of compensation. Call fire fighters of the Town of Webster not previously allowed into the Retirement System may request membership, and may buy back the time they were employed as a call firefighter and not eligible for membership, provided said member pays back into the system an amount equal to that which would have been deducted from wages, plus interest. Base salary only shall be considered regular compensation for deduction purposes and in the calculation of retirement benefits. The buy backs may be made in regular weekly or monthly payments, through payroll deduction, or other regular payments convenient for the member, but must be paid in full before retirement.
August 20, 2001:
In all cases involving part-time, provisional, temporary, temporary provisional, per diem, seasonal, or intermittent employment or service of any employee in any governmental unit prior to membership, said member shall be entitled to buy back said service, provided that said member subsequently became a member of the town of Webster Contributory Retirement System and said member pays back into the system an amount equal to that which would have been deducted from wages plus interest. Creditable service shall be computed to credit the member for that proportion of a normal year which the number of hours actually worked during that year bears to the normal working hours from the department under which the employee worked.
August 2, 1999:
Any member eligible to purchase military service under the provisions of Chapter 71 of the Acts of 1996 must render payment for the cost of such military service buyback in a lump sum payment or two installments, either of which must be made within a 12 month period commencing with the date of acceptance of the application by the Board.