DRS Notice 26-009, Return to work retirees must wait 30 days to avoid a reduced pension

Applies to: School Districts, Charter Schools, Tribal Schools, Educational Service Districts
Subject: DRS Notice 26-009, 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 RRTW begin date to us for a retiree who retired on their retirement (accrual date), we will send them a letter indicating that their benefit may be impacted. For example: A RRTW begin date of 9/1/26 is transmitted for a retiree who retired 9/1/26. This incorrect reporting will result in the generation of an RFEI (Request for Employer Information), 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 after their retirement (accrual) date.

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.