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• WSPRS Plan 2 Member Handbook
• Summary of benefits
• Overview
• Am I a member of the plan ?
• Who pays for my benefits?
• How is my service counted?
• What if I leave my WSPRS position?
• What if I’ve previously been a member of another retirement system?
• What is my service retirement benefit?
• What are my benefit options?
• What benefits do my survivors receive?
• What if I return to work after I retire?
• Can my benefits increase after I retire?
• Taxation and assignment of benefits
• Am I eligible for health insurance coverage after I leave employment?
• Why does DRS need my Social Security Number?
• When should I start planning for retirement?
• Administrative information
• Contact DRS
• PDF version of handbook

What if I've previously been a member of another retirement system?

Dual Membership

If you establish membership in more than one retirement system, you may qualify as a dual member, even if your membership in another system has been terminated.

You qualify for dual membership if you meet all the following criteria:

• You are currently a member of a DRS-administered retirement systems;
• You previously contributed to a dual member system other than the one to which you now belong;
• You have not retired for service from any dual member system, or any other DRS-administered retirement system; and
• You are not receiving disability retirement or disability leave benefits from any dual member system, or any other DRS-administered retirement system.

Service credit for dual members

As a dual member, you may combine service credit from more than one DRS-administered retirement system to qualify for retirement. For example, suppose you are a WSPRS Plan 1 member, 50 years old and have 21 WSPRS service credit years. If you also have four service credit years in WSPRS, you have a total of 25 service credit years— enough to retire immediately.

When you combine service credit to achieve eligibility for retirement, but are not old enough to retire from one of the systems:

• You may postpone receipt of that retirement benefit until a later date, or
• You may retire immediately with a reduced benefit. See “What is my benefit if I am not in service?” The provisions of each plan determine the amount of your benefit and when payments begin.

Restorations for dual members

If you are a dual member and wish to restore service credit in a system other than WSPRS, you must repay the amount withdrawn, plus interest, within two years of first becoming a dual member or before you retire, whichever comes first. To determine how much you owe in order to restore service credit, write to DRS.

Include the following information in your letter:

• Your name, Social Security Number, address and daytime phone number,
• The system(s) in which you want to restore service credit,
• The approximate dates of each withdrawal and the periods of employment each represents, and
• The name(s) of the employer(s).

Payment must be made by the deadline, or your service cannot be restored. Though you cannot restore after the deadline, it is still possible to purchase service credit. See “Purchasing service credit."

Dual membership rules do not allow you to partially repay contributions you have withdrawn. Also, if you are returning to WSPRS service, you may only repay withdrawn contributions as indicated under “Restoring WSPRS service credit."