Metje v. Pub. Emps. Ret. Sys.

421 P.3d 398, 291 Or. App. 338
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedApril 18, 2018
DocketA160742 (Control); A161443
StatusPublished

This text of 421 P.3d 398 (Metje v. Pub. Emps. Ret. Sys.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Metje v. Pub. Emps. Ret. Sys., 421 P.3d 398, 291 Or. App. 338 (Or. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

EGAN, C.J.

*340In these petitions, consolidated for purposes of opinion, petitioners seek judicial review of an order of the Public Employees Retirement System Board (the board) upholding an order of the Public Employees *399Retirement System (PERS) that petitioners were overpaid benefits, after a summary determination on a contested case hearing. We conclude that the board did not err and therefore affirm.

Petitioners each retired from public employment and elected to receive their PERS benefits in a lump-sum payment. Petitioner Parks received a lump-sum payment on August 22, 2003. Petitioner Metje received a lump-sum payment on February 13, 2004. In March 2006, both petitioners received letters from PERS notifying them that PERS had determined that their benefits had been miscalculated and that, as a result, they had received an overpayment. The letters included a copy of a January 2006 order by PERS establishing a repayment method and promising individual notices describing the exact amounts of the overpayments. The letter also described their appeal rights.

There were legal challenges to PERS's January 2006 order that resulted in a stay and a hiatus in overpayment collections. That litigation concluded in February 2012. In April 2012, PERS notified petitioners that it was resuming collection of the overpayments and, in December 2012 and January 2013, PERS notified petitioners Metje and Parks, respectively, of the exact amounts of their overpayments.

The overpayment notices included a notice of appeal rights, which described an administrative review by the PERS director, permitting the submission of written statements. Both petitioners sought administrative review, after which PERS issued a "review determination" upholding the overpayment calculation.

Petitioners were notified that they had a right to seek a contested case hearing after the review determination. The review determination included a notice of appeal rights:

"If you disagree with the above Determination, you may request a contested case hearing before an administrative *341law judge by filing a petition within 45 days after the date of this determination."

Both petitioners requested a contested case hearing before the board, which the board referred to administrative law judges (ALJs) of the Office of Administrative Hearings.1

Before the ALJs, PERS sought a summary determination, see OAR 137-003-0580 (setting forth procedures for summary determination) that there were no disputed facts and that PERS was entitled to prevail as a matter of law. In response to PERS's request, petitioners did not contend that there were factual disputes precluding summary determination; nor did they dispute that they had received overpayments. Rather, petitioners argued that they were entitled to summary determination as a matter of law, contending that, under ORS 238.715, to initiate collection efforts against a lump-sum payee, PERS was required to file a civil action in circuit court, and had failed to do so. In proposed orders, the ALJs rejected petitioners' contention and upheld the determinations of overpayment as a matter of law. With only technical corrections, the board issued final orders affirming and adopting the proposed orders based on summary determination, and upheld PERS's determinations of overpayment.

Petitioners seek judicial review. As we explained in Harris v. Dept. of Public Safety Standards , 287 Or. App. 111, 113, 400 P.3d 1032, rev. den. , 362 Or. 94, 405 P.3d 152 (2017), and Lucke v. DPSST , 247 Or. App. 630, 633, 270 P.3d 251 (2012), a summary determination is akin to a trial court summary judgment proceeding under ORCP 47. On judicial review, the board's order granting PERS's motion for summary determination will be affirmed if there is no genuine issue of material fact and PERS was entitled to a favorable ruling as a matter of law. See OAR 137-003-0580(6), (7) ;

*342*400Wolff v.Board of Psychologist Examiners , 284 Or. App. 792, 800, 395 P.3d 44 (2017) (describing standard of review).

On judicial review, petitioners continue to assert that, to initiate collection efforts against petitioners as lump-sum payees, PERS was required to commence a civil action. PERS continues to assert that it is permitted to recover overpayments to petitioners through these administrative proceedings. The parties' dispute turns largely on an interpretation of ORS 238.715, which is the statutory authorization for the recovery of overpayments by PERS. It provides, as relevant:

"(1) If the Public Employees Retirement Board determines that a member of the Public Employees Retirement System or any other person receiving a monthly payment from the Public Employees Retirement Fund has received any amount in excess of the amounts that the member or other person is entitled to under this chapter and ORS chapter 238A, the board may recover the overpayment or other improperly made payment by:
"(a) Reducing the monthly payment to the member or other person for as many months as may be determined by the board to be necessary to recover the overpayment or other improperly made payment; or
"(b) Reducing the monthly payment to the member or other person by an amount actuarially determined to be adequate to recover the overpayment or other improperly made payment during the period during which the monthly payment will be made to the member or other person.
"(2)(a)

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Related

Lucke v. Department of Public Safety Standards & Training
270 P.3d 251 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2012)
Wolff v. Board of Psychologist Examiners
395 P.3d 44 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2017)
Harris v. Department of Public Safety Standards & Training
400 P.3d 1032 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2017)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
421 P.3d 398, 291 Or. App. 338, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/metje-v-pub-emps-ret-sys-orctapp-2018.