ALBANY — Retirement hasn’t stopped 665 public employees from drawing government paychecks in addition to their pensions, a new report found.
The double-dipping retirees all received a waiver that allowed them to take another government job while still receiving their pensions, according to the report from The Empire Center, a fiscally conservative think tank.
Many of the double dippers are former police officers who retired and then take on jobs as investigators at other state and local government offices.
Of the 665 double dippers in New York, 115 are employed at state Executive Branch agencies, including the state Attorney General’s Office.
Since 1998, 7,361 waivers have been granted by various state and local agencies, the report found. Without the waiver, retirees would not be able to earn more than $30,000 a year without jeopardizing their pension benefits.
“If these people are going to keep working, it is unfair to keep the taxpayer on the hook for their pensions,” said Empire Center Executive Director Tim Hoefer.
Hoefer said a 2008 law passed by state lawmakers — at the urging of then-Attorney General Andrew Cuomo — made it harder to double dip, but more reform is still needed.
© 2014 New York Daily News
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