Interim retirement allowance—Final computation of retirement allowance—Adjustment of retirement allowance for errors.
(1) At the time of a member's application for retirement, the department does not have all information necessary to make a final computation of the member's retirement allowance. Based upon estimates of the retiree's compensation and earned service credit through the date of retirement, the department shall compute an interim retirement allowance made payable to the member in the interim between the member's date of retirement and the department's final computation of the member's retirement allowance. The interim retirement allowance is an initial, estimated computation of the retiree's retirement allowance subject to adjustment by the department based upon subsequent review of information provided by the member's employer.
(2) In computing the interim retirement allowance, the department shall, subject to later correction, consider only the amount of the member's salary actually reported by the employer up to the date of the interim computation, but shall impute the member's earned service credit for the same period.
(3) Following the department's computation of the interim benefit and receipt earnings history, the department shall complete a final computation of the member's retirement allowance. The department's final computation may either increase or decrease the amount of the interim retirement allowance computed pursuant to subsection (1) of this section.
(4) Pursuant to RCW
41.50.130, following the department's final computation of the member's retirement allowance as provided in subsection (3) of this section, the department may subsequently adjust a member's retirement allowance to correct any error in retirement system records. For purposes of this subsection, errors in retirement system records include, but are not limited to, the following:
(a) Applying an incorrect retirement allowance formula in computing the retirement allowance;
(b) Including service that is not creditable to the member;
(c) Including payments that do not constitute earnable compensation to a member in the member's retirement allowance computation, or excluding earnable compensation not reported by an employer;
(d) Benefit overpayments and underpayments;
(e) Including an individual in the membership of the retirement system who is not entitled to such membership.
[Statutory Authority: Chapters
41.32, 41.34, 41.35,
41.50 RCW. WSR 01-01-059, § 415-110-820, filed 12/12/00, effective 1/12/01.]