Rumors and Myths

As I, fellow Trustees, and our staff meet with fellow firefighters and retirees around Houston, we hear all sorts of rumors and myths that many believe to be factual. Our member services staff often handle numerous calls from HFD active and retired members of the Fund with questions based on gossip and tall tales. We would like to take a moment to try to put some of these falsehoods to rest and hopefully reduce some of the unnecessary anxiety about our pension fund that comes from these stories being passed around. Before we jump into that, please know that HFRRF is one of, if not the best run and well-funded pension funds in the country. We have a long history of growing our investments, even when other pensions have struggled. Your pension will be here when you need it and if we continue this tradition of building a strong and well-governed pension fund, it will be here for firefighters and their families long into the future. Here are the top three:

Rumor/Myth #1: My spouse’s pension is going to be reduced/eliminated because of my pension; or the other way around.
FACT: Your HFRRF retirement benefits are calculated based upon set statutory formulas. This means your (or your eligible spouse’s) HFRRF retirement benefits will not be reduced because of any other retirement benefits you or your spouse receive from another source. Conversely, and as a general rule, any benefits you or your spouse are entitled to receive from another retirement fund, other than federal social security benefits, should not be reduced as a result of your participation in HFRRF.