Retiree

What can you tell me about these deductions?

Health care: Some retired customers opt to have health care deductions taken directly from their monthly pension payments. The IRS considers health insurance premiums paid via your monthly pension as part of your taxable income. This is because your pension contributions were not taxed (see IRS page 8). Contact your retiree health care provider with questions about health care deductions. DRS doesn’t determine this amount.

Metlife Insurance: For questions and to make adjustments regarding life insurance deductions and policies, contact Metlife by logging in or at 866-548-7139.

Combined Fund Drive (CFD) donations:  CFD policy automatically continues any recurring payroll contributions current state employees may have into their retirement. Update your selections through CFD.

Other deductions: If you have deductions from other organizations, such as Retired Public Employees Council (RPEC), you will need to contact these organizations to change or remove the deductions.

How do I update my beneficiaries? Complete this form—retired members are unable to designate pension beneficiaries online due to the complexity of survivor options. Your beneficiary would receive a lump sum of your remaining contributions upon your passing as well as your survivor’s passing (if you named one). If you have a DCP account, you can update your DCP beneficiaries online.

How do I update my survivor? A survivor is someone you designate to receive a portion of your retirement benefit in the event of your passing. In most cases, you cannot change your survivor. If your survivor passes before you, you can have your benefit changed to the unreduced single amount. If you marry in retirement, you have a one-time option to add your spouse as a survivor between your first and second year of marriage (second and third year for retirees from the Washington State Patrol). Report these life changes to DRS.

Read more about the difference between survivors and beneficiaries.

There may come a time when you will want or need someone to look after your pension account when you’re not able to do so. Consider naming people to act on your behalf for your pension-related needs. Some of these needs include:

• Changing your pension’s federal tax withholding
• Updating your home address or other personal contact information
• Electing or changing your pension’s direct deposit
• Requesting information (such as a pension verification letter or a copy of your 1099-R form) from DRS

If you’re interested, see Power of Attorney.

Tax savings on health insurance premiums

If you retired as a public safety officer from a designated Washington state retirement system, you might be able to exclude up to $3,000 of your qualified health, accident and long-term care insurance premiums from your gross taxable income each year.

Do I qualify for this tax saving option?

If you answer yes to all three following questions, you likely qualify.

1. Are you a retired Washington state public safety officer?

Public safety officer includes agencies for which you served as a:

• Fire fighter or law enforcement officer (including police, corrections, probation and parole officers as well as judges and prosecuting officers) involved in, crime, juvenile delinquency control, or reduction or enforcement of criminal laws
• Police or fire department chaplain
• Ambulance crew or rescue squad member

2. Did you retire at the normal retirement age or with a disability?

“Normal retirement age” is the age when you’re entitled to receive a full benefit. If you retired early, you don’t qualify unless you received a disability retirement.

3. Do your health insurance premiums qualify?

To qualify, your premiums must:

• Cover health, accident or long-term care insurance
• Cover you, your spouse or your dependents

If you’re not sure if you qualify or if you have questions, contact the Internal Revenue Service or your tax advisor. Keep in mind that DRS team members are not allowed to offer tax advice.

If you choose to participate, your monthly federal tax withholding will not change.

For more information about the federal programs that provide this benefit (the Pension Protection Act of 2006 and Secure Act 2.0), contact the IRS.

Representing Washington’s public pension system retirees

LEOFF 1 Coalition – Serves retired law enforcement officers and firefighters
407 West Bay Drive
Olympia, WA 98502
877-553-6631 or 360-570-1035
Fax: 360-943-7086
Contact: Joyce Wilms

Retired Firefighters of Washington (RFFOW) – Serves retired LEOFF Plan 1 firefighters
15310 163rd Court SE
Renton, WA 98058-8122
425-226-3793

Retired Public Employees Council of Washington (RPEC) – Serves retired state, county, city and local government employees
906 Columbia St SW, Ste 501
Olympia, WA 98501
800-562-6097 or 360-352-8262
Fax: 360-352-0354

Retired Washington State Patrol Employee Association (RWSPEA) – Serves Washington State Patrol retirees
RWSPEA – Secretary/Treasurer
PO Box 127
Greenacres, WA 99016

Washington Education Association (WEA) – Retired – Serves public education retirees
PO Box 9100
Federal Way, WA 98063-9100
800-622-3393 or 253-941-6700

Washington State Council of Fire Fighters (WSCFF) Retirees Association – Serves retired Washington State fire fighters
1069 Adams St SE
Olympia, WA 98501
360-943-3030

Washington State Retired Deputy Sheriffs and Police Officers Association (WSRDSPOA) – Serves retired deputy sheriffs and police officers
PO Box 1805
Sumner, WA 98390
800-826-1974

Washington State School Retirees Association (WSSRA) – Serves TRS, PERS, SERS retirees
4726 Pacific Avenue SE
Lacey, WA 98503
800-544-5219 or 360-413-5496
Fax: 360-413-5497

Death of a retired member

Please contact DRS as soon as possible. If the retiree chose a survivor benefit, we must update the account for payments to continue. If the retiree did not select a survivor option, we need to stop monthly benefits to avoid an overpayment.

When you contact us, please be ready to provide the deceased retiree’s:

• Full name
• Social Security number
• Date of death

We’ll also ask who is handling the affairs for the estate.

Report a death to DRS

Online: Report the death online.

Phone: 360-664-7081, Option 1

Email: drs.moddnd@drs.wa.gov – Please provide only the last 4 digits of the deceased’s social security number.

Mailed form: Print and mail this death reporting form to DRS.

Death of an active or not yet retired member

If the deceased worked in a public service position in Washington, payment may be due to survivor(s). When you contact us, please be ready to provide the deceased member’s full name, Social Security number and date of death. Also tell us if the death may be work-related.

Death of a beneficiary or survivor

If you are an active member, you can update your beneficiary designation at any time by logging into your online account.

If your named survivor dies after you retire, you can have your pension benefit changed to the single-life option with no survivor reduction. You will need to report the death to DRS. This provision applies to all DRS plans except for LEOFF and WSPRS Plan 1, which have different survivorship options.