Bandeen v. Public School Employees' Retirement Board

**What Happened** Bandeen, a day-to-day substitute teacher, applied to purchase maternity/child-rearing service credit through the Public School Employees' Retirement Board. This type of credit allows eligible public school employees to count time off for having or caring for children toward their retirement benefits. The retirement board denied her application, arguing that substitute teachers who work on a day-to-day basis don't qualify as "public school employees" under the law. **What the Court Decided** The Michigan Court of Appeals sided with the retirement board. The court ruled that day-to-day substitute teachers are not considered "public school employees" according to the legal definition in the retirement statute. Therefore, Bandeen was not eligible to purchase the maternity/child-rearing service credit she sought. **What This Means for Workers** This decision highlights how employment classification affects retirement benefits. Substitute teachers working on irregular, day-to-day schedules may not receive the same retirement benefits as regular full-time or part-time employees. Workers in similar temporary or irregular positions should check their eligibility for retirement benefits and understand how their employment status might limit access to certain programs, especially those related to family leave credits.