Inside this issue
All Employers
One of the most common reasons your member data may be rejected each month is the ‘Begin’ dates for new members are not reported. This prompts a phone call from us to save you time and prevent the need for a correction report. To save even more time for you and for us, double check your transmittal to ensure all new ‘Begin’ dates are included.
Reporting an employee with the incorrect type code or in the wrong plan impacts your employees and means you have to spend additional time correcting errors. You can save yourself time and ensure new employees are reported to DRS correctly by using our Member Reporting Verification service. This web-based service verifies system/plan history and retirement status for employees that may be new or returning to you. Learn more about the Member Reporting Verification service.
When a plan member passes away, we pay their benefits to the last beneficiary designated in their file. An occasional reminder to your employees to update their beneficiaries can help them avoid a difficult situation for their families. These forms must be on file with us, so prompt forwarding from you is equally important.
Employees considering retirement need their most current personal plan information to make the best choice for this important life decision. Your employees can request regular or disability retirement packets directly from us by calling 1-800-547-6657 (toll-free), 360-664-7000 (in the Olympia area) or e-mailing us.
Please resist the temptation to be helpful by photocopying or distributing application packets to your employees. We prepare personalized retirement packets promptly – generally in less than a week. Our packets include retirement estimates and other useful information that will help your employees with this important decision. Our staff is also available from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays to answer questions or walk through the steps necessary to successfully retire from service.
Members can schedule appointments or just stop by to discuss their retirement plans with a retirement services analyst. We encourage you to share our checklist with your employees.
School District and Educational Service District Employers
Employees working as substitutes should be reported to DRS on the first month they actually work for your district. For some, this was September but for others, it could be October or later. Following this procedure will save you time and reduce reporting errors.
Reporting the appropriate begin and end dates during the transition from substitute to active membership is necessary. To accurately transition those employees, an end date needs to be reported with the substitute type code and a begin date needs to be reported with the active member type code. The opposite is true for those employees who stop active membership and become substitutes.
Please refer to our reporting reminders for more information on correctly reporting employees who are substitutes or who are transitioning between substitute and active membership.
Community and Technical Colleges
To ensure your employees’ information is recorded properly, your 2007-2008 academic calendar information should be submitted to DRS by the end of November 2007. Coordinate your response with your benefits office, as needed. You can send the information in an e-mail attachment or mail it to:
Teachers’ Retirement System Department of Retirement Systems P.O. Box 48380 Olympia, WA 98504-8380
