Kansas Government Pays Out Unearned Pension Money

Because they have so much to spare

OSAWATOMIE — The Kansas Public Employee Retirement System wrongly awarded nearly $300,000 in the past six years – and that's just the start.

Since 2007, KPERS has allowed 13 former public employees to buy service credits after they were terminated, state officials said this week. The credits – measured quarterly – count toward an employee's overall standing in the pension system and, ultimately, their payout after retirement.

The revelation stems from the dismissal of Dennis Casarona, former deputy commissioner for the Juvenile Justice Authority and a holdover from the administrations of Democratic Govs. Kathleen Sebelius and Mark Parkinson.