PENSION
PROVISIONS
The pension
plan exists to provide an incentive to keep members active for
longer periods of time and to give the officers some leverage
to keep them participating in training, duty shifts and
responses. The State Board recommends that participation in
the pension plan be made contingent upon fulfilling realistic
performance requirements in the department. If department
requirements are not met, please note this on the annual
remittance form so that disallowed pension payments may not be
made up at a future date.
Vesting
The minimum
requirements for vesting or qualifying for a pension under the
Volunteer Firefighters’ Pension Plan are ten years of
service and one payment into the pension fund. The amount
of the pension vested increases for each five years of service
beyond the minimum ten years and for each pension payment
made. The maximum pension is vested with 25 of
service and 25 payments into the pension fund. Many of the
smaller pensions compute to a monthly payment of less than
$50.00. These pensions are paid as one time lump-sum
settlements based upon the value of the annuity. All pensions
which compute to more than $50.00 are paid in monthly payments
for as long as the member lives and cease upon his or her
death or upon the death of both the member and her or his
spouse if the Joint/Survivor Option is chosen. You can find
monthly amounts by using the pension
tables.
Refund
When a member of the
pension plan leaves the service without vesting a pension (or
decides not to accept his or her vested pension), the fees
that he or she has paid into the plan may be refunded. For
this purpose, a State of Washington Invoice Voucher
must be prepared requesting a refund of pension fees and stating
that the participant is no longer a member of the volunteer
fire service or reserve law enforcement. The name of the
former member should be placed in the box at the top left, and
she or he should sign in the payee’s signature box. After
securing the Local Board’s approval as shown by the
signatures of the chair and secretary, the vouchers must be
sent to the State Board for processing. Upon the death of a
member who has not retired, the State Board should be
contacted with the spouse’s name and birth date. It can then
be determined whether the spouse will be entitled to a refund,
a lump-sum settlement or a monthly pension. If the member does
not have a spouse at death, the refund may be paid to his or
her heirs or estate. Please include a photocopy of the death
certificate with the voucher.
Retirement
When a member or former
member is nearing the age at which he or she wishes to retire
and begin drawing a pension, a set of retirement forms should
be requested from the State Board. These consist of a Notice
of Retirement, which must be completed and signed by the
member and notarized by a notary public, and a Certificate
of Eligibility, which must be approved by the Local Board
of Trustees. Both forms will have been partially completed to
reflect the records on file with the State Board in Olympia.
Joint/Survivor
Option
All members who served after July 1, 1989, are entitled to
choose to receive a reduced pension which will continue for
the life of the member and his or her surviving spouse named
in the Notice of Retirement. The actual amount of the
reduction is determined based upon the difference in age
between the member and spouse. If the pensioner’s spouse
then predeceases him or her, effective the first day of the
month following the spouse’s death, the pension will be
popped back up to the original amount.
Pensioner
Death
When a retired member who is receiving a pension dies, it is
necessary that the State Board be notified immediately, since
the pension ceases on the day of death or must be transferred
to the spouse if the member has chosen the Joint/Survivor
Option. If the Joint/Survivor Option is not in effect, the
secretary must notify the State Board and may be asked to
prepare an invoice voucher payable to the surviving spouse or
estate and attach a photocopy of the death certificate. The
voucher will pay the pension from the first day of the month
in which the pensioner died to the date of death. In the case
of the Joint/Survivor pension, the State Board must be
notified so that the records can be changed and the pension
can begin being sent to the surviving spouse.
If the
retired member has not yet begun to draw a pension at the time
of death, her or his spouse or estate may receive a refund of
the pension fees paid in or the spouse may elect to receive
the vested pension to which he or she would be entitled under
the Joint/Survivor Option. The refund is accomplished by the
completion of an invoice voucher with the required three
signatures and a photocopy of the death certificate. A
survivor’s pension must be applied for from the State Board
in the same way that a retired member applies for a pension.
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