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DRS Retiree Return to Work

500.415 DRS RETIREE RETURN TO WORK POLICY

Washington state law and the Washington state Department of Retirement System (DRS) retiree's retirement plan govern a retired state employee's reemployment eligibility and any limits on how much time the retiree can work. It is college policy to comply with Washington state law governing the reemployment of DRS retirees, and to require that all DRS retirees seeking WVC employment, or re-employment, follow the normal job application and referral procedures. It is a violation of state law and WVC policy for there to be any pre-retirement oral or written agreement between individuals of a DRS plan (PERS, PSERS, TRS, SERS, LEOFF, or WSPRS) and any state employer that results in the individual being hired into a WVC position.

Approved by the president’s cabinet: 3/13/12
Adopted by the board of trustees: 5/16/12
Last reviewed: 5/13/23
Policy contact: Human Resources

Related policies and procedures
1500.415 DRS Retiree Return to Work Procedure

1500.415 DRS RETIREE RETURN TO WORK PROCEDURE

Effective January 1, 2012, ESHB 1981 imposed restrictions on the number of hours a retiree from a Washington state Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) plan can work in a state government or state higher education job during a calendar or fiscal year before the employee's retirement pension payments are suspended for the remainder of the year. The law applies to all retirees, whether currently working post-retirement or not. For more information about post-retirement employment, see the DRS website.

Wenatchee Valley College will comply with state law regarding retirement and/or rehire of all DRS members. For purposes of this procedure, “retirement” from a DRS plan at WVC means a complete separation (including working as a volunteer) for a minimum of 30 days immediately following the member’s retirement date (as defined in this procedure). Prior verbal or written agreements to resume employment with the college after retirement are prohibited.

A. DEFINITIONS

DRS Retiree: Any person who has terminated employment due to retirement and receiving a retirement allowance resulting from services rendered to an employer while a member of the DRS plan.

Retirement Date: The first of the month after the month the employee separated from employment due to retirement.

B. WORKING AFTER RETIREMENT

  1. Employees who retire from a DRS plan at WVC must reapply if interested in any future positions with the college. Reapply means completing the college employment application for the position in which they are interested. Hiring departments must follow the established hiring procedure for the position they are seeking to fill.
  2. All DRS retirees must satisfy the DRS requirement for separation and retirement from service prior to accepting employment with the college.
  3. Employees who are retired from a DRS plan are subject to limitations in terms of how many hours they can work without losing their state pension. WVC is required to report the hours worked by a retiree who returns to work in any capacity at the college to the DRS; however, the college does not bear the responsibility of monitoring a re-employed retiree's work hours for retirement program compliance.
  4. It is each retiree’s responsibility to review and understand the information provided by the DRS regarding re-employment. Retirees are solely responsible for tracking their hours worked and determining the effect on their pension payments if they continue to work beyond their post-retirement employment limit.
  5. Effective July 1, 2011, DRS retirees (or those eligible to retire) who are hired to work at WVC are prohibited from participating in a higher education retirement plan (SBRP).

This page explains retiree reemployment requirements, however by state law there are no guarantees of post-retirement employment at WVC. The information is provided to assist employees and supervisors in understanding the rules that apply to the post-retirement employment of DRS plan retirees. However, if there is any discrepancy between this information and the current DRS rules, the DRS rules will prevail.

Approved by the president’s cabinet: 3/13/12
Presented to the board of trustees: 4/18/12
Last reviewed: 5/20/23
Procedure contact: Human Resources

Related policies and procedures
500.415 DRS Retiree Return to Work Policy