Opinion ID: 2299488
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: johnson's pension plan and other benefits

Text: The relevant facts relating to WMATA's retirement plan are undisputed. From 1957 until 1983  a period spanning more than a quarter of a century  Johnson made contributions of two percent of his annual salary to the plan. These contributions totalled $23,714. Johnson claims that, if interest is added, he has contributed approximately $40,000 to the plan. In 1983, WMATA amended its retirement plan to provide for employer funding of current contributions. From 1983 to 1986, the plan included a provision under which employees could be called upon to contribute to the retirement fund if its liabilities exceeded its ability to pay. This contingency did not arise and, in 1986, WMATA amended its plan to eliminate the contingent provision for contributions by employees. Since 1986, the retirement plan has provided for employer funding of all current contributions. In light of the foregoing history, it is undisputed that at the time of Johnson's accident in 1990, he was no longer making annual contributions to the plan. Any benefits that the plan was paying out, however, were funded in part by contributions made by Johnson and by other employees prior to 1983. In February 1994, Johnson began to receive social security retirement benefits. Thereafter, his weekly income was as follows: Workers' compensation: $ 516.26 WMATA pension plan: 468.40 Social security benefits: 253.15 Total: $1,237.81 Johnson does not contest these figures, and the parties stipulated that his pre-injury average weekly wage was $987.46. It is therefore undisputed that Johnson's aggregate benefits exceed his former salary by more than $250 per week. Johnson thus receives substantially more than the higher of 80% of the employee's average weekly wage or the total of federal payments and employee benefit plans payments. D.C.Code § 36-308(9). [2]