COLUMBUS, Ohio — Retired public employees are currently eligible for $225 to $405 dollars monthly for Medicare costs. But starting in January, 2022, that’s slashed to as little as $178 monthly.

The reason? They say they’re running out of money.

It’s a claim that seemed fishy to Representative Diane Grendell (R-Chesterland).

“I recently became aware of inconsistencies in the OPERS retirement system, which to me is very troubling,” said Grendell.

Nearly half a million Ohioans are in danger of getting their benefits cut, despite having already paid into the system.

Grendell thinks she knows why.

“OPERS is paying investment advisors excessively high bonuses, and yet OPERS management is cutting medical insurance benefits and seeking to cap the retirement benefits, claiming that there’s a lack of funds,” Grendell said.

Now, she’s introducing a bill that will open the books and get to the bottom of what’s really going on.

“We’re going to really nvestigate and go in with an open mind, you know, because there’s a lot I don’t know, but when I looked at it deeper, I found that OPERS management employees are being paid millions of dollars annually. Some senior personnel are making over $400,00 per year and about 30 OPERS personel are being paid more than the governor,” said Grendell.

Speaking of the governor, when asked about it, he had this to say:

“No one ever wants to see benefits cut, but also, one has to make sure that there is solvency and that there is protection into the future, and so, members of OPERS have to balance those decisions,” said Governor Mike DeWine (R-Ohio).

Grendell says she’s received lots of support from other representatives who are eager to get to the bottom of where that money went.