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Letters to the Editor

Sensible pension plan needed

As a couple on both Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System and Kentucky Retirement Systems, we follow the pension issue. My wife and I worked in the real world prior to education careers. We chose to make far less money and walk away from pension plans in industry for Kentucky tech education.

Little did I know that my Social Security was also going to be penalized or gone. Like many teachers, I got the estimates that showed a full amount. My full amount ended up as 25 percent. The employee who calculated my Social Security said I was the first government pension recipient in her 17 years who qualified for any money at all.

Contrast that reality with my wife, who paid in far less for fewer years to Social Security, yet gets a full check. She worked at a regional university where, based on employee vote, she was able to pay into both KTRS and Social Security. No vote was offered to my group.

The legislature needs to step up on this issue and maintain a sensible pension plan.

Michael A. Tyree

Frenchburg

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Gallman, Vanessa - Lexington

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11-15 06:32 PM - Gallman, Vanessa - Lexington

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LEX_NewsBroad2 11-16-2017, State/1st - News, A/7 Opinion_1

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This story was originally published November 15, 2017 at 6:44 PM with the headline "Sensible pension plan needed."

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