N.J. Admin. Code § 17:4-4.1

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 23, December 2, 2024

Section 17:4-4.1 - Creditable compensation

(a) The compensation of a member subject to pension contributions and creditable for retirement and death benefits in the system shall be limited to base salary, and shall not include extra compensation.

1. "Base salary" means the annual compensation of a member, in accordance with established salary policies of the member's employer for all employees in the same position, or all employees covered by the same collective bargaining agreement, which is paid in regular, periodic installments in accordance with the payroll cycle of the employer.

2. "Extra compensation" means individual salary adjustments which are granted primarily in anticipation of a member's retirement or as additional remuneration for performing temporary duties beyond the regular workday. Forms of compensation that have been identified as extra compensation include, but are not limited to:

i. Overtime;

ii. Pay for extra work, duty or service beyond the normal work day or normal duty assignments;

iii. Bonuses;

iv. Lump-sum payments for longevity, holiday pay, vacation, compensatory time, accumulated sick leave, or any other purpose;

v. Any compensation which the employee or employer has the option of including in base salary;

vi. Sell-backs, trade-ins, waivers, or voluntary returns of accumulated sick leave, holiday pay, vacation, overtime, compensatory time, or any other payment or benefit in return for an increase in base salary;

vii. Individual retroactive salary adjustments where no sufficient justification is provided that the adjustment was granted primarily for a reason other than retirement;

viii. Individual adjustments to place a member at the maximum of his or her salary range in the final year of service where no sufficient justification is provided that the adjustment was granted primarily for a reason other than retirement;

ix. Increments or adjustments granted for retirement credit;

x. Increments or adjustments in recognition of the member's forthcoming retirement;

xi. Any form of compensation which is not included in the base salary of all employees in the same position or covered by the same collective bargaining agreement or employment policy who are members of the retirement system and who receive the compensation;

xii. Retroactive increments or adjustments made at or near the end of a member's service, unless the adjustment was the result of an across-the-board adjustment for all similarly situated personnel; and

xiii. Any form of compensation which is not included in a member's base salary during some of the member's service and is included in the member's base salary upon attainment of a specified number of years of service.

(b) The Board may question the compensation of any member or retiree to determine its credibility where there is evidence that compensation reported as base salary may include extra compensation.

(c) Extra compensation shall not be considered creditable for benefits and all employee contributions made thereon shall be returned without interest.

(d) With respect to all claims for benefits, the Division of Pensions and Benefits shall investigate increases in compensation reported for credit which exceed reasonably anticipated annual compensation increases for members of the retirement system based upon consideration of the Consumer Price Index for the time period of the increases, the table of assumed salary increases recommended by the actuary and adopted by the Board, and the annual percentage increases of salaries as indicated in data from the Public Employment Relations Commission, or through other reliable industry sources of information regarding average annual salary increases. Those cases where a violation of the statute or rules is suspected shall be referred to the Board.

(e) In connection with an investigation of an increase in compensation, the Board:

1. May require that a notarized statement under oath be obtained from the member's employer that the reported compensation was not granted primarily in anticipation of retirement, and conforms with the statutes and rules governing the retirement system;

2. May require an employer to provide any record or information it deems necessary for the investigation, including, but not limited to, collective bargaining agreements, employment contracts, ordinances, resolutions, minutes of public meetings (closed or open), or any other record or information related to the increase in compensation; and

3. May refer any suspected submission of false information in violation of 43:16A-18, these rules, or other laws of the State of New Jersey to the Attorney General for review and initiation of criminal proceedings, if warranted.

(f) Failure to satisfactorily respond to a request by the Board for documents or information related to an increase in compensation may result in the denial of credit for the increase in compensation.

(g) A determination by the Board that a member's compensation for pension purposes includes extra compensation may result in:

1. A denial of credit for the extra compensation;

2. An audit of the retirees and the active employees of the employer to identify any additional cases of such extra compensation;

3. A return of contributions to the active members and retirees on the extra compensation without interest;

4. A recalculation of the retirement benefits of retirees to eliminate benefits based upon the extra compensation; and

5. Repayment to the system by the retiree of any benefits received based upon the extra compensation.

(h) Employer contributions shall not be revised or refunded because of a determination by the Board that a denial of credit for increases in compensation is warranted under this section.

(i) This section shall not be applicable to longevity pay, holiday pay, or education pay which is included in the creditable compensation of a retiree or member on a mandatory basis in accordance with the provisions of a collective negotiations agreement or employment policy of an employer approved and executed on or before January 1, 2000, until the termination date of the collective negotiations agreement or employment policy, or December 31, 2001, whichever occurs first.

N.J. Admin. Code § 17:4-4.1

Repeal and New Rule, R.2000 d.141, effective 4/3/2000.
See: 31 N.J.R. 3930(a), 32 N.J.R. 1246(a).
Section was "Creditable salary".