WE OWE HER NOTHING! A Massachusetts State Police declaratory statement that takes arrogance to a new high. A place where justice, truth, and law have no meaning.
The Massachusetts State Retirement Board has a different opinion. In June 1999, Joan met with the Director of the MA State Retirement Board. He stated to her directly, "Your story is surreal. You have fallen through the cracks of the system. If the Retirement Board had full authority over your disability, this would not have happened. You are due a full retirement." However, it was further explained to her that she would need to get outside counsel to file legislation.
A State Representative agreed to assist her in filing legislation. He informed her that he had done this before for others. When she later produced the pay records he requested, he stated to her firmly that he would not be able to help her. She asked him why, but he refused to give her an explanation.
In her continued efforts to seek legislation, she wrote a letter to the late Senator Ted Kennedy. He arranged for a meeting with the new Director of the Retirement Board. The new Director stated to her that she was not eligible for a state employee regular retirement because she was a State Trooper, and their retirement is covered under its own section in Chapter 32 of the Massachusetts General Laws. However, he did arrange for her to speak directly with the Chief Counsel of the House Ways and Means Committee. He reiterated what Joan had previously been told, "There has been an injustice here, but you will need to find outside counsel to seek legislation." This is the second time she was told to pursue legislation.
So Joan continued her search and found a former MSP classmate who was now an attorney. He said he would be able to help her by lobbying her case with the legislature. After providing him with all her records, Joan's calls to his office went unanswered.
In 2014, she met with the Director of the Retirement Board once again. He stated, "We made a mistake." He told her she did not qualify for a State Police retirement but he could offer her a "modest" regular state employee retirement. It was an offer that removed State Police benefits and amounted to only about 25% of what she was actually due.
Joan was aware that these current obstacles were not caused by anyone at the Retirement Board, but rather were the result of road blocks that the State Police had dropped along the way. All these years, she had not been fighting a fair battle, for surely there would have been justice. She had simply been fighting the corruption of the of the MSP.
She was the only trooper to be denied both a job and retirement after 16 years of service and a documented "on-the-job" injury and resulting permanent disability.
WE OWE HER NOTHING!!!
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