At least 97 former municipal employees – including 76 teachers and 11 ex-cops – violated rules by taking jobs with the city and state governments, improperly collecting a total of $1.1 million in pension payments, The Post has learned.
Several bombshell audits of the city’s pension system by Comptroller Bill Thompson revealed that in 2005, at least $1,177,898 were paid out to workers who began new jobs without getting appropriate waivers or who were collecting disability payments.
Retired city workers under age 65 who decide to seek employment with other city agencies must get a waiver. If they retire due to some kind of injury or disability, they must also get a waiver before they return to the city payroll.
Thompson found that in 2005, 75 teachers got $846,925 in pension payments, then went back to work at the city Education Department.
Thompson didn’t divulge the names of the double-dipping teachers. One had retired in 2002, collecting a $62,248 pension, then went back to work and collected a $40,503 salary. Another retiree teacher took disability payments of $26,348 and a salary of $31,485.
The comptroller’s staff blamed the department for the foul-up more than the teachers’ retirement system.
“The Education Department should have been aware. They were clearly looking at résumés and should have done their due diligence,” said spokesman Jeff Simmons.
Department officials had no immediate comment, saying they hadn’t seen the final audit report.
Thompson’s auditors also found 16 city pensioners – seven cops, two firefighters, one teacher and six other municipal employees – who took state jobs while improperly collecting $251,055 in city pensions.
Michael Goldson, the finance director of the New York City Employees Retirement System, told The Post recovering the funds was easy, but his agency didn’t have access to state payroll records, so it was hard to ferret out double-dippers.
“We would be ahead of the curve if we got state access,” Goldson said.
Five other ex-cops were found to have taken new city jobs, improperly pocketing $52,195 in pension contributions.
One officer who retired in 2004 took $30,000 in pension checks and a $68,484 salary while working as a special-education teacher.
Another took a disability retirement in 1996 and got $41,053 in checks, then worked for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office for a $68,100 salary. Her cumulative $109,152 was above the $76,403 to which she was entitled.
“You are allowed to be employed, but you’re not allowed to collect a pension at the same time,” Simmons said.
Officials at the Police Pension Fund weren’t immediately available for comment. But in his response to Thompson, Michael Welsome, the executive director of the PPF, said the five officers would be allowed the opportunity to seek retroactive waivers. If they are denied, the funds would be recovered.