Non-interruptive Military Service Credit PERS Plan 1
What
is non-interruptive military service credit?
Non-interruptive military service credit is service credit available to
those who served in the U.S. military prior to becoming Public Employees'
Retirement System Plan 1 (PERS 1) members. If you qualify to receive non-interruptive
military service credit, you may apply for it at any time prior to retirement.
No payments are required.
Am I eligible to receive non-interruptive military
service credit?
To receive credit for military service performed prior to becoming a PERS
1 member, you must:
- have at least 25 years
of PERS 1 service
- be a veteran (see definition
on page 3), or have been a participating PERS member between February
25, 1972
and April 24, 1973
- have received an honorable
discharge.
If you do not meet all of the
above requirements, you do not qualify for non-interruptive military service
credit.
You may combine interruptive
and non-interruptive service to receive up to five years of military service
credit, but regardless of the total of the two types of credit you may
not receive more than five years credit. The only exception to this rule
applies to reservists who were called to active duty. They may earn up
to twelve weeks of service credit beyond the five-year maximum.
What PERS 1 service is creditable toward the required 25 years?
Service that can be counted towards the 25 years of PERS 1 service that
you must have in order to receive non-interruptive military service includes:
- Any PERS service earned
while working for a PERS employer; and
- Any properly creditable
interruptive military service time.
It does not include:
- Service credit earned in
a retirement system other than PERS, and
- Withdrawn service credit
that has not been restored.
Do
I meet the definition of "veteran"?
You are a veteran for purposes of receiving PERS 1 military service credit
if:
-
You were involved in active
federal military service between World War I and World War II or during
any period of war such as the Korean conflict (June 27, 1950 -
January 31, 1955) or Vietnam era (Aug. 4, 1964 - May 7, 1975)
note: The period of Feb. 28, 1961 to Aug. 4, 1964 can be credited
if you served in Vietnam during that time, OR
-
You received the Armed
Forces expeditionary medal or Marine Corp and Navy expeditionary medal
for opposed action on foreign soil, while serving in any branch of the
Armed Forces or the Women's Air Forces Service Pilots.
Note: Not all of your active
federal military service needs to be during a period of war. As long as
part of the your active federal military service was rendered during a
period of war, you are entitled to up to five years of PERS 1 credit for
any active federal military service regardless of when it was rendered.
What qualifies as active military service?
The following types of military service qualify:
- Service in the Army, Navy,
Air Force, Marine Corps or the Women's Air Forces Service Pilots, or federally activated service in their
reserve units (including two-week annual training for reservists);
- Full-time service in the United
States Coast Guard;
- Service in the Army or Air
National Guard; or
- Service between December 7,
1941 and December 31, 1946, as:
- A US documented Merchant Mariner
serving aboard an oceangoing vessel operated by the War Shipping Administration,
or the Office of Defense Transportation, or their agents; or
- A civil service crew member
with service aboard a US Army transport service or US Naval transportation
service vessel in oceangoing service.
- Two categories of active federal
military service in and of themselves entitle a PERS I member to noninterruptive
military service credit.
- If you served as a Merchant
Marine or a Civil Service crew member, by definition, your service was
rendered between December 7, 1941 and December 31, 1946. Accordingly you
are entitled to up to five years of non-interruptive military service
credit.
Similarly, if you qualify
as a veteran because you received an expeditionary medal, you are entitled
to up to five years non-interruptive military service credit for all periods
of active federal military service. This is true regardless of whether
the service covered by the expeditionary medal occurred during a statutorily
defined period of war.
What qualifies as a period of war?
See definition of a veteran.
How do I contact DRS?
To find out if you are eligible to receive non-interruptive service credit,
send your request for a determination along with documentation of your
military service, such as a DD214 form, to your retirement system for
review.
Send your request to DRS at:
PERS
Department of Retirement Systems
P.O. Box 48380
Olympia WA
98504-8380
Questions:
You can speak to a retirement benefit specialist by calling our Central
Reception unit at 1-800-547-6657 or in the Olympia area at 664-7000. An
operator will direct your call to the appropriate specialist. Or you can e-mail us
