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Retired state employees urge lawmakers to protect pension benefits and insurance
Summary
Representatives of the Vermont Retired State Employees Association told the Government Operations & Military Affairs committee that retirees worry about insurance changes and cost pressures, and asked legislators to monitor bills affecting taxation and benefits.
Shelley Martin, of the Vermont Retired State Employees Association, told the Government Operations & Military Affairs committee on Jan. 17 that the group is watching legislation that could affect retirees’ benefits and asked lawmakers to keep retirees’ needs in mind.
The association, Martin said, represents people who worked for the state and now receive a pension or health insurance. “We love our insurance. We consider it the Cadillac insurance of all insurances, and we don't want it to go away,” Martin said. She said the organization had “over 2,300 members, dues paying members” last year and that its mailing list reaches more than 8,000 retirees and beneficiaries when the group sends a newsletter.
The association’s concerns focused on two looming policy areas: whether Social Security income or veterans’ pensions might be taxed and broader insurance changes that could affect retirees’ coverage and out-of-pocket costs. Martin said many members are on fixed incomes and some are raising grandchildren, which she said is adding financial strain.
Martin described the association’s outreach and support work: weekly legislative monitoring by lobbyists, a quarterly newsletter with a phone contact for members, and one-on-one assistance for retirees who need help navigating benefits or claims. She said the association’s board is “very small” and that volunteers handle data entry and member communications.
Committee members acknowledged the testimony and said they are familiar with related legislation in other committees; one member noted that tax and grant matters often reside outside Government Operations & Military Affairs’ direct jurisdiction. The committee did not take any formal action during the remarks.
The association asked lawmakers simply to “keep an eye on things that are happening in the legislature,” Martin said, and emphasized that retirees want to keep the benefits they were promised from their years of public service.
The committee moved on to its next scheduled presentation after Martin’s remarks.
