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Lawmakers hear plan to extend and simplify veterans' buyback window for state retirement
Summary
Representative Adam Scanlon asked the committee to advance a bill to ease barriers for veterans seeking to buy back military service toward Massachusetts state retirement, highlighting a 180-day deadline that many miss due to transition hurdles.
Representative Adam Scanlon urged the Joint Committee on Public Service to consider legislation (House Bill 2957) that would make it easier for veterans to buy back military service for credit in the Massachusetts retirement system.
“Due to inconsistent communication, administrative hurdles, and just the flood of decisions veterans face upon transitioning to civilian life, many veterans unknowingly miss this narrow window and miss out on a benefit they have rightly earned,” Scanlon told the committee, describing the existing 180‑day deadline from the start of public service to purchase retirement credit for prior military service.
Scanlon said the bill is a refile and that the change would help veterans who transition to civilian public service and later learn they could not meet the deadline because of competing obligations. He asked the committee to move the legislation forward to ensure the Commonwealth honors previously promised credit for veterans who later work in public service.
Committee members did not take formal action during the hearing. The hearing record did not include a fiscal note or amended statutory language on the record; the testimony focused on practical barriers veterans face during transition and the need for administrative fixes and clearer communication.
Ending: Advocates asked lawmakers to report the bill favorably so veterans would have a more reliable path to purchase military service credits; no committee vote occurred in the hearing record.
