MNCORA had asked PERA to update their website and let our members know of the changes to our plan especially the Federal change of our status to Public Safety Employee the same as police and fire. They promised to do this in February and have kept their word. Here's the link  https://mnpera.org/news/attention-correctional-members-important-plan-updates/ The changes due to the Secure Act 2.0 begin here: Disability Recipients Some recent changes may apply to your disability benefit: >>The Pension Protection Act of 2006 in conjunction with Secure 2.0 also allows correctional officers receiving disability benefits to reduce their taxable income by up to $3,000 annually in costs paid for qualified insurance premiums, such as health, dental, and long-term care. Contact a tax professional if you have any questions. >>As of January 1, 2025, Correctional disability benefits will no longer be reduced by worker’s compensation. Recipients will receive their 2024 annual earnings for...

Currently there's an MSRS Correctional Plan Eligibility Work Group   looking at who and should and should not be in the MSRS (State) Correctional Plan. The recommendations are due to the LCPR by January 10, 2025.  As always there's a letter citing MAPE and Teamsters desire to add Probation Officers to both the MSRS and PERA Correctional Plans . Because why wouldn't they try this again out of our sight? Last year of course there was the Bill to add Dispatch to our Correctional Plan, and Rep. Wolgamott (the author) stated the issue was not dead. We fully expect another attempt this year. The last line of MAPE's letter says it all: This upcoming session will be challenging with possibly probation and dispatch both making a run at our pension. MNCORA will be watching. We plan to again submit a Bill to add a CO to the PERA Board (Something State CO's have). Last year Representative Niska authored it, but the LCPR declined to give it a hearing. This session Rep. Niska w...

Representatives Dan Wolgamott, Brion Curran and Luke Frederick have authored Bill HF4796 which will add 911 Dispatchers to the PERA Correctional Plan.  Those behind the raid are AFSCME Council 5, LELS and Teamsters Local 320 . They are all ignoring the study the MN Senate paid for in 2022 which did not recommend adding dispatchers to the Correctional plan. To our knowledge none of these Unions have consulted their Correctional Plan members. Adding them could jeopardize the health of the PERA Correctional Plan. Below is the letter MNCORA sent the PERA Board for their hearing on March 14 opposing it. AFSCME, LELS and Teamsters all submitted letters supporting this! Contact Rep. Wolgamott and ask him to withdraw the Bill!   rep.dan.wolgamott@house.mn.gov   ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Mr. Anderson and PERA Trustees: The Minnesota Correctional Officer Retirement Association (MNCORA) opposes the  addition of 911 Dispatch...

  Note, at the meeting I learned that The Omnibus Bill passed the Senate, still waiting on the House. Pretty much something for Police and Fire, State Corrections but not the PERA Correctional Plan!

The LCPR has posted  Information from Stakeholders  on it's work group site. At this point only one Union bothered to respond to the Working Group's inquiry and that is  LELS ! On first glance it looks like support for adding them, but a close read reveals otherwise. The letter is in favor of enhanced benefits for 911 Dispatchers but NEVER mentions adding them to the PERA Correctional Plan. They then do something very curious. They (LELS) attach 7 testimonial letters allegedly from dispatchers and people in the industry, but there are NO NAMES with the letters! Anyone can write anonymously, even the same person. These letters do support adding 911 Dispatchers to the PERA Correctional Plan. There's also a Workers Comp Claims sheet attached to the LCPR Working Group page.  It shows between 2003 and 2020 Dispatchers had 92 claims and Corrections Officers had 2,610 ! It doesn't show what the claims are for but we all know CO's are subject to assault and disease and dis...