Correct me if I am wrong but any surplus in the state of Rhode Island budget was suppose to fully fund the pension plan. If that's correct why has this not fully funded the pension plan? How many years of surplus budgets have been sent to the pension plan? Whom is the responsible party to monitor that the excess in budget has been accurately been send to the pension plan. Currently retired personal are not receiving colas that match actual cost of living according to SSA.

Submitted via online webform

I have been working in the school system for 20 years, and as I approach retirement age I am concerned about the lack of benefits I am going to receive. The first 10 years of my career I was promised a much greater percentage, and earlier retirement. I based the first half of my career on this benefit. I have tried to make changes and contribute more to my 403B and other investments, however, with rising inflation and cost of living it has been difficult to make the appropriate changes necessary to sustain a livable wage both now and in retirement.

Dear General Treasurer, Members of the Investment Commission, and Governor of Rhode Island,

As a 35-veteran of teaching in an inner-city elementary school and then an inner-city middle school in Woonsocket, RI, I think I did an exceptional job educating the youth of Rhode Island from which you now benefit. I’m sure many of “my kids” went on to fulfill themselves by garnering outstanding jobs and helping the tax base of Rhode Island.

My name is Mark Sullivan I did not work the state of R.I. I worked for the City of East Providence for thirty years. At that time I was told by the pension board what I was going to be getting along with a three percent cola not compounded Now I understand she gets money from our pension system how does that happen when there was no money for colas for the employees that worked for it and payed into the system.

Submitted via online webform

I am single. I depend on my pension to survive. I have less money to enjoy my retirement my insurance is astronomical. My standard of living has been reduced drastically I am fearful of what my future holds. Please 🙏 I need some financial relief.

Submitted via online webform

I will not be able to attend the meeting to express my personal concerns to the Pension Advisory Working Group as I’m home sick with COVID.  I have already called and expressed my sentiments many years ago and it continues to bother me to this day.

Good afternoon. I am a Charlestown Police Officer and have been employed by the Town of Charlestown since July 1st, 1999. The new pension laws added 7 years to my minimum retirement obligations because of my age when I was hired. I was hired at 23 years of age and because of that I will not be 50 years old when I reach 25 years of service. The current pension laws require me to do an additional 2 years of service over the minimum of a Police Officer hired the same day, because I was 23 years old when hired and that other Police Officer was 28 years old.

The rule of 95 should be changed to 90 as well as any other changes that could be made to offset the pension reform of 2011. The decision to keep thousands of teachers working for an extra 9 years will put RI in a negative economic situation with rising health care costs and salary expectations.

Submitted via online webform

Greetings. I am approaching the end of my first year of retirement from state service. Prior to retiring, I understood that I would be receiving a pension, and assumed it would be in the form of fixed income. While I understood there would be no COLA, at least initially, I expected that the retirement income I received would not be reduced. But pursuant to a notice I received in October of this year from the Department of Administration, my "fixed income" defined-benefit pension will shrink in 2024.

Suggest that the state of RI should not be taxing our Pensions!  We have already paid taxes on our money!

Submitted via email