Title 41, PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT, CIVIL SERVICE, AND PENSIONS

(1) A member who is on a paid leave of absence authorized by a member's employer shall continue to receive service credit. (2) A member who receives compensation from an employer while on an authorized leave of absence to serve as an elected official of a labor organization, and …

(1) Contributions on behalf of the employer paid by the employee to purchase plan 3 service credit shall be allocated to the defined benefit portion of plan 3 and shall not be refundable when paid to the fund described in RCW 41.50.075(4). Contributions on behalf of the employee …

(1) The director may pay a member eligible to receive a retirement allowance or the member's beneficiary a lump sum payment in lieu of a monthly benefit if the initial monthly benefit would be less than one hundred dollars. The one hundred dollar limit shall be increased annually…

(1) NORMAL RETIREMENT. Any member who is at least age sixty-five and who has: (a) Completed ten service credit years; or (b) Completed five service credit years, including twelve service credit months after attaining age forty-four; or (c) Completed five service credit years by S…

(1) Upon application of the member, a member who is diagnosed with a terminal illness shall be removed from membership in the system subject to the following conditions: (a) That the medical adviser, after a medical examination of the member made by or under the direction of the …

(1) A member of the retirement system who becomes totally incapacitated for continued employment by an employer as determined by the department shall be eligible to receive an allowance under the provisions of plan 3. The member shall receive a monthly disability allowance comput…

(1) Any member who elects to transfer to plan 3 and has eligible unrestored withdrawn contributions in plan 2, may restore such contributions under the provisions of RCW 41.35.500 with interest as determined by the department. The restored plan 2 service credit will be automatica…

(1) If a member dies prior to retirement, the surviving spouse or eligible child or children shall receive a retirement allowance computed as provided in RCW 41.35.620 actuarially reduced to reflect a joint and one hundred percent survivor option and, except under subsection (2) …

The required contribution rates to the retirement system for employers shall be established by the director from time to time as may be necessary upon the advice of the state actuary. The state actuary shall use the aggregate actuarial cost method to calculate contribution rates.…

The benefits provided pursuant to chapter 341, Laws of 1998 are not provided to employees as a matter of contractual right prior to September 1, 2000. The legislature retains the right to alter or abolish these benefits at any time prior to September 1, 2000. [ 1998 c 341 s 713.]…

Except for sections 303, 306 through 309, 404, 505, 507, 515, 701, 707, and 710 through 713 of this act, this act takes effect September 1, 2000. [ 1998 c 341 s 714.]

It is the intent of the legislature to establish a separate public safety employees' retirement system for certain public employees whose jobs contain a high degree of physical or psychological risk to their own personal safety and who provide public protection of lives and prope…

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise. (1) "Accumulated contributions" means the sum of all contributions standing to the credit of a member in the member's individual account, including any amount paid under R…

A retirement system is hereby created for public safety employees of the Washington state department of corrections, the Washington state parks and recreation commission, the Washington state gambling commission, the Washington state patrol, the Washington *state liquor control b…

Membership in the retirement system shall consist of all regularly compensated public safety employees who are members as defined in *RCW 41.37.010(5), with the following exceptions: (1) Persons in ineligible positions; (2)(a) Persons holding elective offices or persons appointed…

Any person who has been employed in a nonelective position for at least nine months and who has made member contributions required under this chapter throughout such period, shall be deemed to have been in an eligible position during such period of employment. [ 2004 c 242 s 6.]

(1)(a) If a retiree enters employment in an eligible position with an employer as defined in this chapter sooner than one calendar month after his or her accrual date, the retiree's monthly retirement allowance will be reduced by five and one-half percent for every eight hours wo…

Those members subject to this chapter who became disabled in the line of duty and who received or are receiving benefits under Title 51 RCW or a similar federal workers' compensation program shall receive or continue to receive service credit subject to the following: (1) No memb…

The deductions from the compensation of members, provided for in RCW 41.37.220, shall be made notwithstanding that the minimum compensation provided for by law for any member shall be reduced thereby. Every member shall be deemed to consent and agree to the deductions made and pr…

(1) The director shall report to each employer the contribution rates required for the ensuing biennium or fiscal year, whichever is applicable. (2) Beginning July 1, 2006, the amount to be collected as the employer's contribution shall be computed by applying the applicable rate…

(1) Subject to subsections (2) through (4) of this section, the right of a person to a pension, an annuity, or retirement allowance, any optional benefit, any other right accrued or accruing to any person under this chapter, the various funds created by this chapter, and all mone…

A member shall not receive a disability retirement benefit under RCW 41.37.230 if the disability is the result of criminal conduct by the member committed after July 1, 2006. [ 2004 c 242 s 13.]

(1) A one hundred fifty thousand dollar death benefit shall be paid to the member's estate, or the person or persons, trust, or organization the member has nominated by written designation duly executed and filed with the department. If the designated person or persons are not st…

Any person who knowingly makes any false statements, or falsifies or permits to be falsified any record or records of this retirement system in any attempt to defraud the retirement system as a result of such an act, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor. [ 2004 c 242 s 15.]

Any person aggrieved by any decision of the department affecting his or her legal rights, duties, or privileges must, before he or she appeals to the courts, file with the director by mail or personally within sixty days from the day the decision was communicated to the person, a…

Following its receipt of a notice for hearing in accordance with RCW 41.37.130, a hearing shall be held by the director or an authorized representative, in the county of the residence of the claimant at a time and place designated by the director. This hearing shall be conducted …

Judicial review of any final decision and order by the director is governed by chapter 34.05 RCW. [ 2004 c 242 s 18.]

A bond of any kind shall not be required of a claimant appealing to the superior court, the court of appeals, or the supreme court from a finding of the department affecting the claimant's right to retirement or disability benefits. [ 2004 c 242 s 19.]

RCW 43.01.044 shall not result in any increase in retirement benefits. The rights extended to state officers and employees under RCW 43.01.044 are not intended to and shall not have any effect on retirement benefits under this chapter. [ 2004 c 242 s 20.]

(1) The annual compensation taken into account in calculating retiree benefits under this system shall not exceed the limits imposed by section 401(a)(17) of the federal internal revenue code for qualified trusts. (2) The department shall adopt rules as necessary to implement thi…

Beginning July 1, 2006, and every year thereafter, the department shall determine the following information for each retired member or beneficiary whose retirement allowance has been in effect for at least one year: (1) The original dollar amount of the retirement allowance; (2) …

(1) Upon retirement for service as prescribed in RCW 41.37.210 or retirement for disability under RCW 41.37.230, a member shall elect to have the retirement allowance paid pursuant to one of the following options, calculated so as to be actuarially equivalent to each other. (a) S…

(1) Except as provided in RCW 41.37.050, a retiree shall not be eligible to receive the retiree's monthly retirement allowance if he or she is employed in an eligible position as defined in RCW 41.37.010, or RCW 41.35.010, 41.40.010, or 41.32.010, or as a law enforcement officer …

A member of the retirement system shall receive a retirement allowance equal to two percent of such member's average final compensation for each service credit year of service. [ 2004 c 242 s 25.]

(1) The director may pay a member eligible to receive a retirement allowance or the member's beneficiary, subject to subsection (5) of this section, a lump sum payment in lieu of a monthly benefit if the initial monthly benefit computed in accordance with RCW 41.37.190 would be l…

(1) NORMAL RETIREMENT. Any member with at least five service credit years who has attained at least age sixty-five shall be eligible to retire and to receive a retirement allowance computed according to RCW 41.37.190. (2) UNREDUCED RETIREMENT. Any member who has completed at leas…

The required contribution rates to the retirement system for both members and employers shall be established by the director from time to time as may be necessary upon the advice of the state actuary. The state actuary shall use the aggregate actuarial cost method to calculate co…

(1)(a) A member of the retirement system with at least ten years of service in the public safety employees' retirement system who becomes totally incapacitated for continued employment as an employee by an employer, as determined by the department, shall be eligible to receive an…

Any member or beneficiary eligible to receive a retirement allowance under RCW 41.37.210, 41.37.230, or 41.37.250 shall be eligible to commence receiving a retirement allowance after having filed written application with the department. (1) Retirement allowances paid to members u…

(1) Except as provided in RCW 11.07.010, if a member or a vested member who has not completed at least ten years of service dies, the amount of the accumulated contributions standing to that member's credit in the retirement system at the time of the member's death, less any amou…

(1) A member who is on a paid leave of absence authorized by a member's employer shall continue to receive service credit as provided for under RCW 41.37.190 through 41.37.290. (2) A member who receives compensation from an employer while on an authorized leave of absence to serv…

(1) A member eligible to retire under RCW 41.37.210 may, at the time of filing a written application for retirement with the department, apply to the department to make a one-time purchase of up to five years of additional service credit. (2) To purchase additional service credit…

A member who separates or has separated after having completed at least five years of service may remain a member during the period of the member's absence from service for the exclusive purpose only of receiving a retirement allowance under RCW 41.37.210 if the member maintains …

A member who ceases to be an employee of an employer except by service or disability retirement may request a refund of the member's accumulated contributions. The refund shall be made within ninety days following the receipt of the request and notification of termination through…

(1) A member, who had left service and withdrawn the member's accumulated contributions, shall receive service credit for prior service if the member restores all withdrawn accumulated contributions together with interest since the time of withdrawal as determined by the departme…

(1) At the time of retirement, a plan 2 member may purchase an optional actuarially equivalent life annuity benefit from the public safety employees' retirement system plan 2 fund established in RCW 41.50.075. A minimum payment of five thousand dollars is required. (2) Subject to…