Public hearing opened on proposed changes to Sheriff's Office disability retirement benefits

The St. Mary's County Board of County Commissioners opened a public hearing May 20 on proposed amendments to the Sheriff's Office Retirement Plan regarding disability retirement benefits (Amendment 8).

Sue Sabo, plan staff, summarized the trustees’ recommended changes. The proposed revisions increase the non‑catastrophic line‑of‑duty disability benefit from one‑third (33 1/3 percent) of compensation to 50 percent. The trustees also proposed clarifying the definition and handling of catastrophic line‑of‑duty disability benefits: under the draft language a participant deemed catastrophically disabled would be required to apply for Social Security disability benefits within three months of retirement with any award applied retroactively for up to one year; catastrophic line‑of‑duty benefits would remain at two‑thirds (66 2/3 percent).

Sabo said plan housekeeping and attorney‑recommended clarifications would also be incorporated. She noted the proposed changes were advertised in the local newspaper on May 9 and May 16; she also said plan staff posted notices on sheriff's office bulletin boards, on the county web page, and emailed plan participants. The county will keep the public hearing record open for 10 days for written comment; Sabo said staff will review comments and return to the board on June 10 for possible final approval. The June 10 package will include a proposed pension accrual rate increase (from 2 percent to 2.5 percent) included in the recommended budget and the disability changes together.