Jusino Rodríguez v. Junta De Retiro Del Gobierno De Puerto Rico

Summary

The court held that the surviving spouse of a teacher who had satisfied the retirement requirements before the 2013 reform but continued working until 2018 was entitled to the widow's pension provided by the governing retirement statute. It concluded that the benefit was preserved for qualifying participants who were contributing to the system as of the statutory transition date, and that the agency improperly limited the claimant to a refund of defined-contribution payments. The court therefore reversed and ordered payment of the widow's pension retroactively and prospectively.