Alabama
The next stop in our state by state analysis of mortality trends for public employee retirees in the years 2015 to 2024.
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Pandemic Milestones:
January 20, 2020
-First covid case in the U.S.
December 11, 2020
-Pfizer Emergency Use Authorization
December 18, 2020
-Moderna Emergency Use Authorization
August 23, 2021
-Pfizer full FDA approval
January 31, 2022
-Moderna full FDA approval
April 10, 2023
-Biden declares the end of the pandemic
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The Retirement Systems of Alabama
ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT
For the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2024
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page 157 (SCHEDULE OF RETIRANTS AND BENEFICIARIES ADDED AND REMOVED FROM ROLLS)
So this is the first annual report that I have seen that is a fiscal year that ends on a different date than June 30th. Notice that this fiscal year ends on September 30th.
So that will make my job of fabricating a calendar year a little different - that will be 75% from the year ended plus 25% from the next.
2020 … had 1589 retirees removed from the rolls
2021 … had 1733 retirees removed from the rolls
2022 … had 1575 retirees removed from the rolls
*Just looking for the average fiscal year number (“normal”) for 2014 - 2019, it is 1105.
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page 174 (Benefits by Type / Ten-Year History)
All figures are in the thousands, so add three zeroes to the numbers you see.
*There is a third table on this page for just the judicial retirees. Though the numbers are much smaller, 2022 - 2024 do see a big jump in the death benefits as well.
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Did this state mandate vaccination?
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Governor Ivey Issues Executive Order to Fight Overreaching Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates
“As long as I am your governor, the state of Alabama will not force anyone to take a covid-19 vaccine.”
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Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs employee vaccine mandate exemption, parental consent bills
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Alabama Law Creates More Exemptions from Mandatory Vaccination Policies
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So here, once again, we seem to have a governor fighting mandates - but from my reading, this mainly means by guaranteeing exemptions. But I will tell you from experience, that does not mean that there was not extraordinary pressure for those in Alabama to get vaccinated to keep their jobs. In my case, I was one of the lucky few that secured an exemption in my state of Oregon (which also has exemptions secured by law), when my county job required vaccination. The process to apply for and receive the exemption was arduous and humiliating. I think a lot of people just complied with the vaccine to skip the trial of asking for an exemption. But it does seem like the leadership in Alabama attempted to give those seeking the exemptions an easier time.
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Your story sounds so familiar Transcriber B. Many of my smarter than smart coworkers at the library suddenly transformed into rabid fascists. One top reference librarian in a group email even chastised anyone expressing hesitancy by saying something to the effect, "we all eat chemicals in our food, take tylenol, etc.
...so shup up and take the shot!"
This was someone I had admired for years, one of the best in his job.
Thanks for this. Good to see that Alabama's governor protected the exemptions. I can imagine the pressure to get jabbed, however, especially among the professional middle classes in the cities, because where I am I sure did witness the kerazy. Many people in my world were well and truly out of their minds on this issue. Now the same ones who were harassing everyone and their second cousin's inlaws' neighbors to get jabbed (and I mean harassing quite literally) don't want more shots, and they don't want to talk about any of it, either.