Joint retirement committee adopts seven teacher-retirement bills affecting survivor, disability and distribution rules

The Joint Public Retirement & Social Security Programs Committee on Monday approved seven bills affecting the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, adopting measures that system officials said would have only small actuarial costs and that change eligibility or administrative rules for survivors, disability retirees and members returning to the classroom.

House Bill 1154, presented as the teacher-retirement omnibus bill, makes technical corrections, removes references to repealed laws and redundant language, and standardizes application timelines across the code. Representative Les Warren, District 84, presented the measure and moved for passage; the committee voiced approval and adopted the bill.

House Bill 1155 would allow the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System to accept a 100% service-connected disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as creating a rebuttable presumption of qualification for disability retirement benefits, mirroring current law that treats 100% Social Security Administration findings the same way. Mark White…