The state will refund money to about 75,000 state retirees who’ve been paying a portion of their pensions for health insurance over the last year and a half after Friday’s court ruling.
Judge Steven Nardulli scheduled a Dec. 18 hearing to establish how to distribute more than $60 million to the retirees. Attorneys estimate the money will be returned by spring. Retirees began paying a percentage of their annuity under a 2012 law.
A state Supreme Court ruling this summer found the law unconstitutional because promised benefits cannot be altered. The state ultimately decided not to fight the retirees’ motion to return the money.