Skip to main content

Confusion at today's PERA meeting

 I attended the PERA Board meeting remotely today (3/13/25). As all of you know there's lots of pieces at play in the PERA pension plans. There have been in the recent past attempts by 911 Dispatchers and Probation to be merged into the PERA Correctional Plan which MNCORA has vehemently opposed.

The positive note from todays meeting is that the current discussion is centered around improved pensions (earlier retirement) for probation and dispatch without talk of adding them to the Correctional Plan. 

The sad part is the apparent confusion among PERA Board members as to the difference between Essential Employees and Public Safety Employees. Some were using the terms interchangeably which could lead to future problems. 

While Police, Fire, Corrections, Probation and 911 Dispatch are all essential employees https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/179A.03.

Only Police, Fire and Correctional Officers are Public Safety! The Secure Act 2.0 spells out changes to the definition of Public Safety Offer effective July 1, 2025. 

"any employee of a State or political subdivision of a State who provides police protection, firefighting services, emergency medical services, or services as a corrections officer or as a forensic security employee providing for the care, custody, and control of forensic patients for any area within the jurisdiction of such State or political subdivision,"

See also the notice on the PERA website:

"The Secure 2.0 Act of 2022 now includes correctional officers in the federal definition of public safety employees. Review your employee benefits for other impacts with this law change."

Essential Employee means you do not have the right to strike, but are entitled to binding arbitration.

Public Safety is just that, Public Safety with a whole range of Federal tax, retirement and disability benefits not afforded to other job classes. To mix essential with Public Safety in one plan would mean disparate retirement time lines, tax deductions and disability benefits.  

Some of the PERA Board need a refresher in definitions.

Popular posts from this blog

Correctional Officers Federally Recognized as Public Safety Employees

As of January 1, 2025,  Correctional Officers are Federally Recognized as Public Safety Employees   the same as Police and Fire.  This has implications for disability, taxes and retirement. As we face new challenges to our pension in 2025 this will further the distinction between PERA General Plan members like 911 Dispatch and Probation and CO's in the PERA Correctional Plan. It's part  of the Secure Act 2.0. 26 USC § 72(t)()(10)  definition of Public Safety Employee - qualified public safety employee (10) Distributions to qualified public safety employees and private sector firefighters (A) In general In the case of a distribution to a qualified public safety employee from a governmental plan (within the meaning of section 414(d) ) or a distribution from a plan described in clause (iii), (iv), or (vi) of section 402(c)(8)(B) to an employee who provides firefighting services, paragraph (2)(A)(v) shall be applied by substituting “age 50 or 25 years of service u...
Read more

Notes from the August MNCORA Executive Board meeting

 We hope you're all enjoying your summer. The MNCORA Executive Board met August 3rd. Here's what's happening. There's a proposal from an Anoka County Detention Deputy, not a MNCORA member, who has met with PERA's Doug Anderson about raising the retirement payout from 1.9% to 2.2%. We met with him prior. MNCORA supports a higher payout but would want to see an actuarial of what affect it will have on our plan. Neither the Actuarial or a Bill to raise it would happen this year as it's a short session and last year was the budget year. It would not affect current retirees, but those still working. It would most likely require a larger contribution from both the employer and employee, that's why we want an actuarial. The Minnesota Duty Disability Association,  MNDDA  is raising money for a Lawsuit suing the State over HF 1234 and all the potential damage to those out on Duty Disability. They asked for our support. The Executive Board voted and supports this. We ...
Read more