The Voice of the Retired Public Employee
Retired State, County and Municipal Employees Association of Massachusetts
Founded in 1968, now in its 57th year of serving retired Massachusetts public employees of the 104 public retirement systems within the Commonwealth, the Mass Retirees Association is widely recognized as one of the strongest independent advocacy groups on Beacon Hill. From public pensions and health insurance, to federal issues such as the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision, Government Pension Offset and Medicare the Association leads the fight exclusively for all Massachusetts retired public employees. We are The Voice of the Retired Public Employee.
Breaking News
October 13, 2025
Turning 65 and Medicare Enrollment
With Medicare’s annual Open Enrollment period about to begin on October 15, this is a good opportunity to revisit how the plan impacts retired Massachusetts public employees – and how it does not. Medicare Open Enrollment Wednesday, October 15th begins ...Read More
October 3, 2025
Retiree Health Insurance Developments
Weekly Update, October 3, 2025: This week our focus returns to retiree healthcare, both at the state and municipal levels of government. The sharply rising cost of healthcare is a major concern for state and local officials, as well as ...Read More
September 9, 2025
Mass Retirees Endorses Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for Reelection
Dating back to our Association’s founding in 1968, we have maintained a close working relationship with the mayor of Boston. As the Commonwealth’s capitol city and the 3rd largest public pension fund, Boston often sets the tone when ...Read More
September 8, 2025
Valeri Announces Reelection for the State Retirement Board
Mass Retirees President Frank Valeri has announced he will be a candidate for reelection to the State Retirement Board. Since 2013 Valeri has served as Association president, replacing its long time and founding father Ralph White. During his tenure as ...Read More
September 3, 2025
Neilon Appointed Executive Vice President: Retired as MTRS Asst. Exec. Director & CFO
With the passing of Executive VP Paul Shanley, Association President Frank Valeri fully recognized the importance of filling his position now before the September 2026 elections, as the by-laws empower him to do. As Valeri sees it, “This is ...Read More
Learn about the legacy of Mass Retirees
Latest News From Mass Retirees
Turning 65 and Medicare Enrollment
October 13, 2025With Medicare’s annual Open Enrollment period about to begin on October 15, this is a good opportunity to revisit how the plan impacts retired Massachusetts public employees – and how it does not. Medicare Open Enrollment Wednesday, October 15th begins ...Read More
Retiree Health Insurance Developments
October 3, 2025Weekly Update, October 3, 2025: This week our focus returns to retiree healthcare, both at the state and municipal levels of government. The sharply rising cost of healthcare is a major concern for state and local officials, as well as ...Read More
Social Security Fairness Act: 3.1 Million Retirees Received $14 Billion in Payments
September 9, 2025Less than seven months after being signed into law by President Joe Biden, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced that it has completed implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act. According to the SSA, some 3.1 million retirees ...Read More
Mass Retirees Legislative Update: Association Bills Receiving Public Hearings
September 9, 2025Since the July edition of The Voice, the public hearing process has picked up pace. According Nancy McGovern, Director of Healthcare & Retirement Advocacy, “To date, 12 of the bills filed by the Association for the 2025–2026 legislative session ...Read More
COLA Commission Work Continues: Focus on Creating Enhanced Benefit
September 9, 2025While local retirement systems continue to focus on incrementally increasing their respective COLA base, the work of the state’s Special COLA Commission continues. As we reported in the July edition of The Voice, the 9-member Commission is heavily ...Read More