Crandle v. Connecticut State Employees Retirement Commission

Summary

The court affirmed dismissal of the plaintiffs’ administrative appeal, holding that disability retirement benefits may begin on the first day of the month after the Retirement Services Division receives an approved application rather than automatically on the day after the employee’s last paid workday. The commission’s interpretation was sufficiently time-tested and reasonable to warrant substantial deference because the governing statute leaves the commencement date unspecified and the commission had applied the interpretation in adjudicatory decisions for many years. The court also rejected the plaintiffs’ claim that the commission bore the burden of proving fair dealing by clear and convincing evidence.