Membership:
April 30, 2020:
October 30, 2019:
1.01. General Eligibility – all provisions pertain to membership in the Norfolk County Retirement System.
(1) Any employee who is "permanently employed," and works at least on a half-time basis or more in a regular workweek shall become a member of the retirement system.
(a) A "permanently employed" employee is defined as any employee who is hired to work at least twenty (20) hours per week throughout the calendar year, or if employed in more than one position, such that when the hours of employment are added together those hours shall equal at least 20 hours per week in a calendar year.
(b) Any additional time worked on a temporary or employee elected basis, such as additional shifts, filling in for vacation or sick time, do not count towards the 20 hour minimum requirement for membership.
(c) In the event a member in service accepts a position that requires less than the 20 hour minimum requirement, or works less than the 20 hour minimum for whatever reason, he/she nonetheless retains full membership rights.
(2) In addition to the hour requirements set forth in Section 1.01(1) above employees must be employed in a position with an annual salary of at least $5,000 per year for initial membership in the retirement system. Any person who is employed in a position with an annual salary of less than $5,000 per year is not eligible for membership.
(3) All eligible employees shall be enrolled in the system at the inception of their employment, which also serves to set the membership date.
(4) In those cases where a member was “erroneously excluded” membership, membership date shall reflect the first date worked, for which the retirement system should have first received a contribution. Membership date will not be adjusted until the retirement system receives the appropriate contributions.
(5) People employed as temporary, emergency, "student interns" or "interns" are not eligible for membership in the retirement system.
November 25, 1985:
Employees compensated on a per diem basis shall not be eligible for membership or creditable service.
Call fire fighters and special police shall be excluded from membership as of May 29, 1957. Reserve or special police officers, employed prior to May 27, 1957 shall be granted in proportion to the minimum salary paid for a regular permanent fire fighter or a regular permanent police officer in the town affected. ($4,000 earnings for 1 year service to be used as basis)
Creditable Service:
May 8, 2018
Buybacks/Service Credit
A member in service of the Norfolk County Retirement System shall be allowed to buy back time which he or she earned during his or her status as a less than half time employee for a member governmental unit of the Norfolk County Retirement System, provided that:
1. The governmental unit for which the less than half time service was rendered was a member unit of the Norfolk County Retirement System during the period of time to be bought back;
2. The period of service to be bought back totals at least one (1) month (30 days) of service time;
3. The member was ineligible for membership in the Norfolk County Retirement System during the period of time to be bought back; and
4. The creditable service shall be granted based on actual service rendered for the member governmental unit.
Such a service buyback may be paid in one lump sum or through a payment plan acceptable to the Norfolk County Retirement Board.
September 28, 2008:
Any permanent part-time employee or permanent full-time employee who is a member of the Norfolk County Retirement System and who has his or her hours of employment reduced to less than twenty hours per week, regularly scheduled, shall become an inactive member of the Norfolk County Retirement System. The employer of such member shall notify the Norfolk County Retirement System on the appropriate form of the effective date that the member’s hours of employment are so reduced, shall report the number of hours the member will be scheduled to work and the rate of pay, and as of the reported effective date shall discontinue the withholding of retirement deductions. As of the reported effective date, the member shall cease earning creditable service. When a member is returned to a permanent position that is regularly scheduled twenty (20) or more hours per week, the employer shall file a New Member Enrollment Form, or such other document as may be prescribed by the Norfolk County Retirement System, reporting the effective date that the member is regularly scheduled twenty (20) or more hours per week, the title of the position, and the rate of pay; and, as of the reported effective date the employer shall begin again the withholding of retirement deductions, whereupon the member shall become an active member of the Norfolk County Retirement System. If the member wishes to buyback creditable service for the period when the member was inactive due to working less than twenty hours per week, regularly scheduled, then such creditable service shall be based on actual service rendered pro-rated against 1,950 hours per year (i.e. day = 7 1/2hours, week 37 1/2 hours), except in the case of employees of school departments or school districts, who shall be granted creditable service based on actual service rendered pro-rated against 1,080 hours per year (i.e. day = 6 hours, school year = 180 days).
August 23, 2005:
The Norfolk County Retirement Board has determined that is necessary and in the best interests of its active and retired members, beneficiaries and survivors to grant access to the name, address, telephone numbers and/or social security numbers of these individuals for the sole and limited purpose of assisting in the proper administration of M.G.L. c. 32 and M.G.L. c. 32B and the issuance of monthly benefits allowance. The Board recognizes the need to protect the privacy of its active and retired members, beneficiaries and survivors and to that end will only allow access to personal information to the treasurers, directors, human resources departments, data processing/information technology departments, and benefit coordinators of the member units of the Norfolk County Retirement System.
All other requests for the addresses or other personal information on the active and retired members, beneficiaries and survivors will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and this supplemental regulation may be amended, from time to time, subject to PERAC’s approval, to address the needs of members, beneficiaries and survivors of the Norfolk County Retirement System.
November 25, 1985:
One year credit is to be granted for every five years of creditable service for call fire fighters up to a maximum of 5 years of creditable service PROVIDED, that such service as call fire fighters shall only be credited if such call fire fighters were later appointed as a permanent member of the fire department.
Regular Compensation:
Miscellaneous:
June 2, 1987:
Retirement Board Seal - Board authorized to use a retirement board seal on all official documents.