‘It’s an injustice’: Family denied pension benefits after trooper dies in the line of duty

SOUTHINGTON, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) - It’s been nearly a month since Connecticut Trooper Aaron Pelletier died in the line of duty.

The 34-year-old’s death is now exposing a loophole in state law.

Pelletier’s family is not eligible to receive his vested benefits.

“They need all the support that they can get to make sure that there’s stability,” state Rep. Chris Poulos said.

Authorities said Pelletier was hit and killed during a traffic stop on a highway on May 30.

His death united police departments from across the state, showing support at his funeral.

Lawmakers are now unifying to say his young family deserves to be supported.

“We should focus on this case right now and make sure the Pelletier family is taken care of,” state Rep. Vincent Candelora said.

The Pelletier family is eligible for $100,000 from the state’s Fallen Officer Fund and a GoFundMe has also raised more than $670,000.

However, Connecticut state law says Pelletier was too young for his widow to have access to his pension.

State law currently states you must be 55 or have served 25 years for a surviving spouse to get benefits. Pelletier was only 34 and had 11 years of service at the time of his death.

“It’s an injustice that we need to correct. My first reaction was this is crazy,” Candelora said.

According to Candelora, when pension reform passed in 2017 it wasn’t intended to have this kind of consequence.

“I think none of us contemplated this kind of scenario occurring,” Candelora said.

The state representatives agree this needs to be fixed quickly.

“We need to introduce legislation to fix this glitch. We cannot let this happen again in the future, and we need to retroactively make sure his family is taken care of,” Poulos said.

A spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont also provided the following statement:

“Governor Lamont supports changing this law so that the Pelletier family can receive his pension. The governor is working with lawmakers and administrators on a solution to accomplish this.”

It seems everyone agrees the law needs to change, but it isn’t clear if the law would change to apply to all state employees or only law enforcement.

“I think we need to have that conversation. I think at a bare minimum our high-risk employees like our firefighters and our police officers should have this protection put in place,” Candelora said.

Poulos added, “What we wouldn’t want to do is overcorrect and have another issue. Really the solution for this is going to have to be collaborative.”

The Office of the State Comptroller oversees the state pension program.

Comptroller Sean Scanlon provided the following statement:

“Trooper Pelletier’s tragic death exposed a loophole in state law that myself, the Governor, and the Connecticut State Police all agree must be fixed. We are actively working together to find a solution, and we will. In the meantime, the state is doing all we can to support Trooper Pelletier’s family, and I would ask the public and the media to respect their privacy during this incredibly difficult time.”

A spokesperson for the Office of the State Comptroller says they are working to craft a policy to establish eligibility criteria to address the current loophole.

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