DRS Notice 24-023, Return to work retirees must wait 30 days to avoid a reduced pension

Date: October 03, 2024
Notice: 24-023
Applies to: School Districts, Charter Schools, Tribal Schools, Educational Service Districts
Subject: DRS Notice 24-023, Return to work retirees must wait 30 days to avoid a reduced pension

Return to work retirees must wait 30 days to avoid a reduced pension

Retirees must wait at least 30 consecutive days after their effective retirement date (accrual date) before returning to work or their pension will be reduced. These retirees must not have any pre-arranged agreement or guarantee with their employers to return to work. The only allowable pre-arrangement or guarantee is for those retirees who ask their employers to add them to the substitute list. However, the retirees added to the substitute list are also required to wait 30 days after their retirement date before accepting and performing substitute work.

Report the correct Retiree Return to Work (RRTW) begin date

An incorrect RRTW begin date will result in unnecessarily upsetting the retiree and will trigger corrections for the employer and DRS. If an employer reports a 9/1/2024 RRTW begin date to us for a retiree who retired effective 9/1/2024, we will send them a letter indicating that their benefit may be impacted. This incorrect reporting also leads to employer corrections and delays in processing that affect the retiree.

What you need to do if you’ve reported an incorrect RRTW begin date

Please email Employer Support Services and ask us to change the RRTW begin date for any retiree who didn’t actually work in the first 30 days.

If you have any questions regarding this DRS Notice, please contact Employer Support Services at 360-664-7200, option 2, or 800-547-6657, option 6, option 2; or email us.