Retirees punished for helping? New Nebraska bill targets surprise retirement repayments
Whether it’s serving as a substitute or a paraprofessional, retired teachers play a vital role in education.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) — Whether it’s serving as a substitute or a paraprofessional, retired teachers play a vital role in education.
But new legislation aims to fix a problem in Nebraska: retirees who help too much, too soon might be required to repay some of their retirement benefits.
Currently, retired teachers must wait 180 days before volunteering regularly, with an exception of eight days a month during that period.
Sen. Dan Lonowski of Hastings introduced the bill, which changes the waiting period to 120 days with no volunteer exceptions.
The bill has the support of the Nebraska State Education Association, or NSEA.
“We’ve heard stories from retirees that were forced to pay back tens of thousands of dollars because they didn’t even realize they had helped out too much during that 180 days,” NSEA President Tim Royers said. “So this is a nice, clean, hard break. You’ve just got to sit out on the bench for a few months, but by November, you’re able to get back and help and support your community.”
Beyond filling in the classroom, retired teachers serve another very important purpose, Royers said.
They’re coaches to newer teachers, bringing a wealth of knowledge as veteran mentors to a profession that historically experiences high rates of burnout.