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March 19, 2024 Clouds | 34°F
The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE PAYMENT OF CERTAIN RETIREMENT AND MEDICAL BENEFITS TO JOHN LYNCH.

Whereas , The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to provide forthwith for the payment of certain retirement and medical benefits to John Lynch, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.


Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:


SECTION 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary and in order to promote the public good, the state board of retirement is hereby authorized and directed to retire John Lynch, a paramedic currently employed by the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, who, as a result of injuries or illness contacted while in the performance of his duties while working for the city of Worcester, is totally and permanently incapacitated from further service as a paramedic. The annual amount rate of pension payable to said John Lynch shall be fixed in an amount equal to 72 per cent of his current regular rate of compensation for service at the grade held by him as a paramedic at said medical center. Such retirement shall become effective as of the date following the last day on which he received regular compensation. Upon such retirement, said retirement board shall forthwith pay to him the amount credited to him as accumulated total deductions in the annuity savings of the state employees' retirement system pursuant to his option selection. The actuary shall compute the appropriate proration of the pension portion of the retirement allowance pursuant to the provisions of subdivision (5) of section 7 of chapter 32 of the General Laws.

SECTION 2. The city of Worcester shall be responsible for all reasonable and necessary hospital, medical and related expenses that have been or may be incurred by John Lynch after the date of his retirement and as a result of the injuries or illness sustained by him while in the performance of his duties. Said indemnification shall be retroactive to the first diagnosis of such injury or illness while in the employment of said city of Worcester and shall be paid pursuant to sections 13 and 30 of chapter 152 of the General Laws.

SECTION 3. Upon the death of John Lynch, resulting from the injuries or illness sustained by him as described in section 1, if his wife survives him, the state board of retirement shall pay to her, so long as she remains unmarried, an annuity in the amount of three-fourths of the amount of the pension payable to him per month at the time of his death. If said wife remarries, said state retirement board shall pay in lieu of the aforesaid annuity, an annuity of $520 per month to her.

SECTION 4. John Lynch shall be entitled to retroactive compensation consistent with the provisions of section 111M of chapter 41 of the General Laws for any periods for which he has not already received compensation.

SECTION 5. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, this act is intended to effectuate a waiver of rights on behalf of John Lynch and any and all existing or future dependents as set forth in section 111M of chapter 41 of the General Laws.

Approved October 23, 1998.