The head of the New Jersey Division of Pensions and Benefits had no legal authority to overrule a decision by the board that oversees pensions for police officers and firefighters, a state appeals court held April 15.
Thus, the refusal by Florence Sheppard, the division’s acting director, to comply with a board determination that allowed pension credit for certain longevity increases in pay, was ultra vires, the court held, ruling in nine consolidated appeals brought by five municipalities and their police and fire unions.
