Oct. 23, 2007 — Government workers who retired in or after 1990 are about to get a lump sum cost-of-living bonus, Gov. John deJongh Jr. announced Tuesday.
"The checks will be out before the Christmas holiday," said Karl Callwood, chief researcher for Sen. Celestino White.
White led the push to get the money for the retirees. The Management and Budget Office has released the $4.5 million in funds to pay the retirees, according to a Government House news release. There are 5,546 people eligible for the bonus, and the Government Employees' Retirement Fund (GERS) will handle the money, Callwood said.
"Now it is up to GERS to rapidly and correctly process the funds and cut checks to retirees," White said, according to a news release from his office. "I remain in close talks with GERS, and maintain that the money should be distributed before the upcoming holiday season.”
The added circulation of money from the retirees bonuses should benefit the economy, White said.
The funding authorization follows the Senate's approval of four amendments that clarified existing appropriations and made the funding available until expended, the governor said.
"There was a need for the clarifying legislation due to differences in the language contained in three different laws which qualified only those who retired from government service before 1990," deJongh explained.
People who retired before 1990 already got cost-of-living bonuses, which arrived in late 2006 and early 2007, Callwood said. The matter is complicated, since the government still owes many retirees retroactive pay. The retroactive pay was separated out from the lump-sum cost-of-living bonuses, but White said he plans to work on legislation to provide that money.
"We're not forgetting about the retroactive, but we have to figure out how many people there are and how much they're owed," he said.
GERS had to get records from many department and agencies to come up with a list of those who retired after 1990 and are still alive, Callwood said.
White also offered thanks to the several hundred retirees who continually called his office to lobby for the appropriation and who kept the pressure on various government officials.
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