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Workers'
Compensation Judges Part
of the Public Employees' Retirement System
Retirements
In accordance with Chapter 92, P.L. 2007, the Workers' Compensation Judges (WCJ) Part of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) was closed to new membership, effective June 8, 2007. Members who were enrolled in the WCJ Part of the PERS (those employed by the Division of Workers' Compensation
of the Department of Labor as Workers' Compensation Judges, see titles listed ) prior to June 8, 2007 will continue to be offered the special retirement benefits outlined below.
The titles that were eligible for membership in the Workers' Compensation Judges
Part of the PERS prior to June 8, 2007 include:
- Chief Judge
- Administrative Supervisory
Judge
- Supervisory Judge
- Judge of Compensation.
Members holding any of the above titles
at Division of Workers' Compensation of the Department
of Labor prior to June 8, 2007 will remain in the WCJ Part of the PERS; they retain many PERS benefits, including those in the
areas of retirement options, disability retirement qualifications
and benefits, and contributory life insurance coverage; however, other benefits
are similar to those of the Judicial Retirement
System. Members of the Workers' Compensation Judges Part of the
PERS must retire on the first of the calendar month after
reaching the age of 70 (with one exception, see below), while other
members of the PERS do not have a mandatory retirement age.
View
the retirement types and group life insurance benefits that members
of the Workers' Compensation Judges Part of the Public Employees'
Retirement System are eligible to receive, if enrolled prior to June 8, 2007, through the links below.
The table below lists the
eligibility requirements and benefits for each of the retirement
types offered to members of the Workers' Compensation Judges Part
of the PERS.
Service
Retirements
|
Eligibility
|
Benefit
Calculation
|
|
Age 70 with 10 or more years
of service as a Workers' Compensation Judge
|
75% of member's
Final Salary |
| Age 65 with
15 or more years of service as a Workers' Compensation Judge |
75% of member's
Final Salary |
| Age 60 with 20
or more years of service as a Workers' Compensation Judge |
75% of member's
Final Salary |
| Age 65 with 5
or more years of consecutive service as a Workers' Compensation
Judge, with aggregate of 15 years or more of public
service |
50% of member's
Final Salary |
| Age 60 with 5
or more years of consecutive service as a Workers' Compensation
Judge, with aggregate of 20 years or more of public service |
50% of member's
Final Salary |
| Age
60 with 5 or more years of consecutive service as a Workers'
Compensation Judge, with aggregate of 15 years or more of
public service |
2% X Final
Salary X Years of Service up to 25 years,
plus
1% X Final Salary for each year of creditable service
over 25 years.
|
| Age 60 |
2% X Final Salary
X Years of Service as a Workers' Compensation Judge up to
25 years, plus
1% per year for each year of creditable service over 25
years. |
Member Responsibilities
- Submit proof
of age for beneficiary, if Options A, B, C, D, 2,
3, or 4 selected.
Earliest
retirement date is one full month after application is submitted
to the Division of Pensions and Benefits. |
| Notes
Depending upon eligibility,
a member may select the higher of either a PERS retirement
benefit or a Workers' Compensation Judges Part retirement
benefit.
Mandatory age of retirement
is 70. The exception to this is a member beginning service
as a Workers' Compensation Judge at the age of 60 or older.
Such members may continue service over the age of 70 until
ten years of service credit have been earned in the Workers'
Compensation Judges Part of the PERS. |
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Early
Retirement
|
| Eligibility |
Benefit Calculation |
| Under age 60
with 5 or more successive years as a Workers' Compensation
Judge, with aggregate of 25 or more years of public service. |
2% X Final Salary X Years
of Service up to 25 years,
plus
1% X Final Salary X Number of Years of Service over 25,
with actuarial reduction according to age. Member
should write to Division of Pensions and Benefits for retirement
estimate to determine reduction. |
Member
Responsibilities:
- Submit proof
of age for beneficiary, if Options A, B, C, D, 2,
3, or 4 selected.
Earliest
retirement date is one full month after application is submitted
to the Division of Pensions and Benefits. |
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Deferred
Retirement |
|
Eligibility
|
Benefit
Calculation
|
|
Under age 60, with 5 or more
consecutive years of service as a Workers' Compensation
Judge, with aggregate service credit of 10 years or more.
|
|
|
Member Responsibilities
-
Submit proof
of age for beneficiary, if Options A, B, C, D,
2, 3, or 4 selected.
Earliest
retirement date is one full month after application is
submitted to the Division of Pensions and Benefits.
|
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Ordinary
Disability Retirement
(Same as for "Regular" PERS Members)
|
| Eligibility |
Member must be Totally
and Permanently disabled from performing normal job
duties. Application must be made within 2 years of termination
date.Member must have a minimum of 10 years of New
Jersey service credit (out-of-state, military, and federal
government purchases are not considered New Jersey
service credit).
|
| Process |
Must be processed through Disability
Review procedure.
|
| Benefit |
1.64% X Final Salary X Years
of Service
OR
43.6% of Final Salary, whichever
is higher.
|
Member
Responsibilities
- Access Instructions
on completing the Application for Disability Retirement
Allowance.
- Submit proof
of age for beneficiary, if Options A, B, C, D, 2, 3,
or 4 selected.
- View Instructions
on completing the Medical Examination by Personal or Treating
Physician.
- Find Instructions
on completing the "Authorization for Release of Medical
Records".
Earliest retirement
date is one full month after application is submitted to the
Division of Pensions and Benefits.
Please note: Once the
PERS Board of Trustees grants approval for a disability retirement,
the member may only cancel the retirement by submitting a
letter requesting to do so to the Board of Trustees, with
a written statement from his/her physician expressing that
the member can return to work. The Disability Review Section
would then send the member for an IME, and all medical information
would be again submitted to the Medical Review Board. Once
all of the above information is received, the Board of Trustees
would make a determination of whether member is able to return
to work or not.
|
Employer
Responsibilities:
- Access Instructions
on completing the Employer Certification for Disability
Retirement.
- Include a copy of Job Description
- PERS members only, including
Workers' Compensation Judges Part and Prosecutors Part members.
- If you answered "Yes"
to Question #6 on the Employer Certification for Disability
Retirement, please include copies of indictments, convictions
and/or preliminary and final notices of disciplinary action.
- If an Involuntary Disability
Retirement:
Enclose a letter addressed to the Division of Pensions and
Benefits stating that, in the employing authority's opinion,
the member is "totally and permanently disabled"
from fulfilling his or her job duties. A
sample employer letter requesting an involuntary disability
retirement for a member is provided. When
an employer submits a PERS/TPAF Application for Disability
Retirement Allowance for a member's Involuntary Disability
Retirement, the member may not change the date of retirement
indicated by the employer.
|
|
Notes
Maximum monthly benefit is Annual
Maximum divided by 12.
|
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Accidental
Disability Retirement
|
| Eligibility |
Member must be determined to
be Totally and Permanently disabled as a Direct
Result of a Traumatic Event while performing normal
job duties.Must be a member on or before accident date.
|
| Process |
Must be processed through Disability
Review procedure.Application must normally be made within
5 years of accident date.
|
| Benefit |
Benefit: 72.7 % X Salary at time
of Accident = Annual Maximum.
|
Member
Responsibilities
- Find Instructions
on completing the Application for Disability Retirement
Allowance.
- Submit proof
of age for beneficiary, if Options A, B, C, D, 2, 3,
or 4 selected.
- Find Instructions
on completing the Authorization for Release of Medical
Records.
Earliest retirement
date is one full month after application is submitted to the
Division of Pensions and Benefits.
Please note: Once the
PERS Board of Trustees grants approval for a disability retirement,
the member may only cancel the retirement by submitting a
letter requesting to do so to the Board of Trustees, with
a written statement from his/her physician expressing that
the member can return to work. The Disability Review Section
would then send the member for an IME, and all medical information
would be again submitted to the Medical Review Board. Once
all of the above information is received, the Board of Trustees
would make a determination of whether member is able to return
to work or not.
|
Employer
Responsibilities
- Find Instructions
on completing the Employer Certification for Disability
Retirement.
- Include a copy of Job Description—PERS
members only, including Workers' Compensation Judges Part
and Prosecutors Part members.
- If you answered "Yes"
to Question #6 on the Employer Certification for Disability
Retirement, please include copies of indictments, convictions
and/or preliminary and final notices of disciplinary action.
- Include copies of accident
reports, incident reports, witness statements, medical records
pertaining to the incident, and other related documents.
- Include copies of Workers'
Compensation awards.
|
|
Notes
Maximum monthly benefit is Annual
Maximum Option Allowance divided by 12.
|
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Group Life
Insurance Coverage
|
Noncontributory Group Life
Insurance
Retired Noncontributory Group
Life Insurance, if death occurs before the age of 60:
- Disability Retirement: 1
1/2 times salary
- Early Retirement: 1/4 times
salary
- Deferred Retirement: None
- Service Retirement: Not
applicable, since Service Retirement cannot be taken until
a member reaches age 60.
Retired Noncontributory Group
Life Insurance, if death occurs at age 60 or thereafter:
- Disability Retirement: 1/4
times salary
- Early Retirement: 1/4 times
salary
- Deferred Retirement: 1/4
times salary
- Service Retirement: 1/4
times salary
(Active Noncontributory Group
Life Insurance benefit amount is 1 1/2 times Final Salary)
No medical
examination is required to establish Noncontributory Group
Life Insurance coverage. Members who exercise the option to
convert their life insurance upon leaving pensionable service,
and then return to covered employment, must cancel their private
contract upon reenrollment or prove insurability upon their
return.
|
Contributory Group Life
Insurance Insurance
Active Contributory
Group Life Insurance benefit amount is 1 1/2 times Final
Salary, if coverage is elected. (Member must have Contributory
Group Life Insurance Coverage during first year of employment.)
No Retired Contributory Group Life Insurance benefit
is offered. For information about conversion of a member's
active Contibutory Group Life Insurance benefit, see Fact
Sheet #13, Conversion of Group Life Insurance.
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