Evening star., 1920-06-15
PENSION PROBLEM
UNDER RETIREMENT
UP FOR ! SOLUTION ! !
Laws Ambiguity Affects
Clerks 70 Years. Old Who
Lack Service Period.

Fate of those government employees
who have attained the age of seventy
years. yet have not served Uncle Sam
the Attorney General.
Heads of government departments
are marking time until the decision
is handed down. as they have no de-
sire to serve notices of separation
upon such employees if 1T means cut
ting them of from their jobs without
any pensions.
The whole problem presents one of
the most difficult angles to negotiate
yet met in the early enforcement of
the recently enacted retirement legis-
lation for civil service employees of
the United States.
Injustice Feature Cited.
There is a general feeling that it
would be entirely unjust to separate
these old employees from the service.
even If they have not had fifteen
years of service in the government.
and at the same time give them moth
ing in return. This would constitute
a mere turning out into the street. 1t
is pointed out. and would be doing
exactly what the retirement act was
passed to avoid.
lie nuD OI lHe question is. bO
these employees come within the act.
and If they do not come within the
act, what is to be done with them?"
1t is estimated that about 1000 en-
ployes of the government in the Dis
trict come within the retirement age,
but probably not all of them have
served Uncle Sam fifteen years.
Retirement Section Quoted.
Section l of the retirement act of
May % states that beginning at the
expiration of ninety days next fol-
lowing the passage of this act all
employees in the Classified civil service
Of the United States who have on
thereafter. reached the age of sew
enty years. and rendered at least
fifteen years of service" shall be eligi
BILE for retirement on an annuity as
provided in the law.
So the matter would seem plain
enough. until section 6 of the act is
reached. and the opening sentence
of that section is held to complicate
matters. The section begins:
THAT all employees to whom this
act applies shall, upon the expiration
Of ninety days next succeeding its
passage. if Of retirement age. or
thereafter on arriving at retirement
age. as defined in section l hereof, be
automatically separated from the
service. and all salary. pay or com
pensation shall cease from that date"
Ambiguity Is Shown.
Ambiguity is seen to such an ex-
tent in this passage that admins
trative heads of the. departments are
not sure whether the law means that
the employe must be both seventy
years old and have served fifteen
years, or merely must be seventy
years old.
If the latter Interpretation is to be
the one which shall be permanently
held, 1t means that some employees
will be separated from the service
without the right to annuities, it is
declared.
These employees would then be
served with the notice of separation
which must be given to all employees
who come within the age specified.
These notices of separation are to be
given to such clerks in all the de-
partments by next Monday. according
to the retirement law. and proper
blanks already have been distributed
by the pension office.
Under Other Interpretation.
II the other Interpretation shall pre-
vail, 1t is believed, department heads
would be empowered to withhold from
some employees the notices Of separa-
ton, and might avail themselves of
the power delegated in the act to cer-
ice Commission as one who might be
retained for a two-year period on ac-
count of willingness to stay in the
service and on account Of efficiency.