Ohio State stadium ushers lose jobs due to pension regulation

[TexasTowelie]

Larry Binford misses his old ushering duties at Ohio Stadium.

“We were more interactive with the people, and, of course, we got to see the band come on the field, the players come on the field," he said. "Now we don’t see any of that.”

Binford, 65, will still work at Ohio State's game against Michigan today but not in his previous role as a portal chief (an usher supervisor in charge of a section of the stadium). The Columbus resident had to give it up because of a health-insurance change that this year began affecting some retired public employees.

Basically, earning payment for the work — no matter how little the amount — makes workers ineligible for a health-care reimbursement provided by the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. It offsets the cost of buying supplemental Medicare coverage and is worth $337 a month or more.

Read more: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2016/11/26/osu-stadium-ushers-lose-jobs-due-to-pension-regulation.html