Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. said the governor was merely acting to protect the financial solvency of the Retirement Fund when he vetoed House Bill 16-81 which proposes to remove the certification requirement of a vocational rehabilitation counselor for a government employee to be declared with permanent disability.
“The governor looks forward to working with Rep. Joseph Reyes and other legislators to ensure that adequate financial safeguards are put in place to protect people with disabilities, as well as our government pension fund,” said the press secretary.
He noted that the lawmaker’s position may not have the support of the Retirement Fund.
“Rep. Joseph Reyes is taking a position that is not supported by the board members and the administration of the Retirement Fund, where he was once a board member and chairman,” the press secretary said in an e-mail to Variety.
“The governor is merely acting to protect the financial solvency of the Fund, as demanded by the Fund, for the protection of all retirees and potential retirees.”
He added, “The idea is not to deprive early retirement benefits to people with disabilities but to protect them by ensuring that all such applications for retirement are legitimate and officially certified by at least two physicians, with one of them being a specialist in the relevant area of disability in question.”
Representative Reyes said there are about 25 people whose retirements were put on hold because the government doesn’t have a vocational rehabilitation counselor.
He said this requirement is mandated by Public Law 13-60 which his bill sought to amend.
The press secretary said the governor supports the original intent of the bill which requires that at least one of two certifying physicians be a specialist in the relevant field of disability.
