A recent decision from the Massachusetts Division of Administrative Law Appeals offers an important reminder for public employees: just because compensation is called a “stipend” does not automatically mean it is excluded from retirement calculations. In Deborah Hood v. Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System, Administrative Magistrate Kenneth Bresler ruled that the full $10,000 paid to a Cambridge assistant principal for extended-day work counted as “regular compensation”

Not every serious workplace injury shows up clearly on a scan, and that reality can make disability retirement claims especially difficult to prove. A recent Massachusetts decision involving a municipal employee illustrates how these cases are evaluated when the primary symptoms, such as headaches, light sensitivity, and fatigue, are real but not easily measured through objective testing. The employee, a wastewater operator for the City of Haverhill, was struck by a car while

Public employees in Massachusetts often assume that their retirement classification is locked in by their final job duties. A recent decision from the Contributory Retirement Appeal Board (CRAB) shows that’s not always the case and that earlier years of service can still carry real weight. In Burnes v. State Board of Retirement , CRAB addressed whether a long-time nurse at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital could qualify for Group 2 retirement classification even though her final year

In Matthew Combra v. Contributory Retirement Appeal Board , the Massachusetts Superior Court held that the family of a deceased state employee was entitled to accidental death benefits because the employee was performing work duties at the time of a fatal car accident. The case arose after Deborah Combra, a procurement specialist for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, attended a work meeting in Westborough with colleagues from the agency. After the meeting conclud