Kentucky pension recipients rally at Capitol in support of '13th check'

FRANKFORT — A group of state retirees gathered at the Capitol on Thursday to urge lawmakers to add a “13th check” to their pension payments.

Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman both spoke at the event. Beshear’s budget proposal included $100 million for the 13^th check — a one-time additional payment for retirees of the Kentucky Employees Retirement System and State Police Retirement System.

But that measure was not included in the House budget bills that passed last week, meaning the additional payment would have to be added when the budget is considered in the state Senate or when representatives from the two chambers meet to finalize the budget.

“I can assure you, we have the money, we oughta get you that 13^th check,” Beshear said to the assembled retirees. He said the $3.7 billion in the state’s Rainy Day Fund could easily cover the cost.

Beshear said that state retirees have not received a cost-of-living adjustment since the 2012 fiscal year.

House Republicans have defended their budget as fiscally conservative.

The House Budget Committee chairman, Rep. Jason Petrie, R-Elkton, said last week he would consider adding a 13th pension check to the budget as it moves through the legislative process but he is concerned that a one-time "bonus" to retirees would set false expectations that the state would not be able to meet going forward.

"We need to take very, very cautious steps about doing something that we may not be able to fund in the long run," Petrie said.

Now that the budget bill has passed the House without the additional pension payment, retiree groups plan to step up pressure on state senators to try to get the additional check added.

That was one reason the groups decided to rally at the Capitol instead of just sending emails and making phone calls, said Larry Totten, president of the Kentucky Public Retirees Association.

“We felt it was necessary, that we really needed to do this,” Totten said. “This issue is very important to us.”

The rally drew Kentucky Public Retirees Association members from Prestonsburg, Somerset, Paducah and the Frankfort area. AARP members also attended.

“For some of the employees (retirees), that might mean a matter of having food on the table, or your medicines, or they may even become homeless on Social Security — can’t live on Social Security and a very, very small pension anymore,” said Bernard Sandman, who worked for the Transportation Cabinet before retiring and drove to the rally from Wilder, which is in Campbell County.

“I’m working on behalf of people who are making on the low end of this pension,” said Margaret Hurst, who worked for the state government in a variety of roles. Hurst pointed to data showing the annual average pension benefit across all state plans is $18,828 and said she is concerned fellow retirees cannot live on that.

“I just think it’s time for us,” Hurst said.

Reach Rebecca Grapevine at rgrapevine@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Employees Retirement system participants rally for 13th check