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Read. Follow. Verify.Massachusetts House Bill 21 modifies public retiree disability allowances and excess earnings rules
Last action · December 15, 2025: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means
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What This Bill Would Do
Massachusetts House Bill 21 updates retirement allowance rules for public employees by revising standards for modifications and removing specific references to medical or vocational rehabilitation programs. The bill establishes new procedures for pension modifications, appeals, and health insurance continuity for disability retirees.
Public disability retirees who engage in gainful employment with for three or more consecutive years face pension adjustments, while gaining explicit rights to a hearing before the commission and an appeal process through the .
- The Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission oversees the public contributory retirement systems for Massachusetts state, county, and municipal employees. context
- Chapter 32 of the Massachusetts General Laws governs retirement systems for public employees in the Commonwealth. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Public employee disability retirees
Retirees face new prospective pension modification standards based on excess earnings and gain structured hearing and appeal rights.
Retirement Boards
Boards receive notifications regarding allowance modifications and are authorized to pay health insurance carriers directly from retiree allowances.
Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission
The Commission is tasked with making modification determinations, conducting hearings, and promulgating new regulations for outside income adjustments.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggers a prospective modification of a retirement allowance under this bill?
Can a retiree appeal a modification determination made by the Commission?
Will a retiree lose health insurance coverage if their allowance is modified?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
4 actions- Dec 15, 2025HouseCommitteeBill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means
- Apr 9, 2025JointHearing scheduled for 04/14/2025 from 01:00 PM-04:00 PM in A-1
- Feb 27, 2025SenateSenate concurred
- Feb 27, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to the committee on Public Service
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Connected Entities
Sources
malegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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