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Warner Robins council approves veterans benefits

Macon Telegraph - 6/6/2017

June 06--The Warner Robins City Council on Monday approved new benefits aimed at recruiting military veterans to work for the city as well as for veterans already working for the city.

The council approved a resolution that would give new hires who have served in the military and extra week of vacation and to make them immediately eligible for benefits. Currently there is a 60-day waiting period for new city employees to get benefits.

The council approved a second resolution that would apply only to the 74 veterans already working for the city. That change will allow veterans to have military service count toward the calculation of retirement benefits with the city.

Each four years of active-duty military service would count toward retirement as one year of service with the city, up to 20 years of military service. That would mean a maximum of five years counted toward city retirement. Also, each eight years of guard and reserve military service would count for one year toward city retirement. It would apply only to the calculation of retirement benefits, the resolution states, not for vesting or retirement eligibility purposes.

A second part of that resolution would apply only to new hires as a recruiting incentive. That would give a $1,000 bonus for each four years of active-duty service and each eight years of guard and reserve service up to a maximum of $5,000. The money would be paid in annual installments over five years.

Councilman Chuck Shaheen, who met with military members along with Councilwoman Carolyn Robbins to develop the resolutions, said it was a good move by the city to approve it.

"This sends a message to the Department of Defense that the city of Warner Robins is a military town and that we support our armed forces," Shaheen said after the meeting. "I'm just ecstatic about it."

Wayne Crenshaw: 478-256-9725, @WayneCrenshaw1

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