Government

Controversy Brews Over More Than $100K Lump-Sum Paid To G.E.R.S. By P.F.A. For Employee

For most of Wednesday, the overriding conversation on talk radio was about a certain government employee close to Governor Kenneth Mapp "double-dipping". Double-dipping, relative to the Virgin Islands, is when a government employee, who was retired, comes out of retirement and goes back to work for the government, and continues to receive a pension while receiving a salary. The practice is not illegal, but it can only be done for a short period of time, according to Virgin Islands Code, Title 3, Section 706, paragraph C. It reads in part: "Any member receiving a service retirement annuity who reenters the service of the government may continue to receive his annuity while in receipt of salary from the Government, either by appointment or on a contractual basis, for a period of time not to exceed a total of 600 hours in any one-year period not to exceed two years. At the end of such period, the service retirement annuity shall be cancelled and the member shall thereupon again become a c...