Relating to the administration of a retirement health care plan for firefighters and police officers in certain municipalities.

Contracts

• Vendor Agreements: Review all professional service agreements (investment, legal, auditing). Under Section 14, the Board has *exclusive* contracting authority; contracts executed by municipal designees may be voidable and must be ratified by the Board.
• Marital Settlement Agreements: Family law attorneys must revise standard divorce decree templates. Section 12(l) explicitly excludes Fund health benefits from being treated as divisible marital property; the Fund will reject court orders attempting to divide these assets.

Hiring/Training

• FMLA Protocols: Municipal HR staff require immediate training on the new FMLA "buyback" clock. Personnel must understand that missing the 60-day employer matching window triggers liability for denied service credits.
• Retirement Counseling: Counselors must be trained to present the new "Lump Sum" payment option and the "Conditional Waiver" for married dual-members during pre-retirement sessions.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• New Mandatory Forms: You must implement and distribute three specific forms by the effective date:
• 1. Irrevocable Lump-Sum Election: Must include waiver of refund rights.
• 2. Conditional Waiver of Eligibility: For married couples within the system.
• 3. Reinstatement of Eligibility: For divorced retirees who previously waived coverage.
• Audit Trail: Systems must timestamp the *receipt date* of these forms. Eligibility reinstatement is strictly limited to a 30-day window following divorce; a date stamp is your primary defense against litigation.

Fees & Costs

• Dependent Child Premiums: The Board now has statutory authority to levy premiums for dependent children. Budget for this potential cost shift to retirees.
• Late Payment Penalties: Update accounting systems to calculate interest on late remittances at the "Default Rate" (the Fund's actuarial assumed rate of return), rather than a standard statutory interest rate.