In accordance with RCW 28A.400.210 and WAC 392-136, school district employees meeting certain eligibility requirements may request pay for unused sick leave that has accrued during the prior calendar year (2022).

Employees that have over 60 days of sick leave, as of December 31, 2022, may be eligible for the cash out:

• Only the sick leave days accumulated (earned) during the calendar year (2022) are eligible for the buy back. You can refer to your collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on how many sick days a year your union receives. For example if you earned 12 days and used 2 days you would be eligible to cash out 10 days total.
• Remaining sick leave balance, after buy back, must have a minimum of 60 days after the cash out is completed.
• If you select not to buy back any sick leave hours your sick leave will stay in your balance and will not be cashed out.
• If you are eligible for cash out, depending on your employee groups’ vote outcome regarding VEBA and your total sick leave balance as of 12/31/2022 (more or less than 180 days), some employees will be cashed out monetarily and some employees will have a monetary amount added to their VEBA account. The cash out mechanism is governed by law and VEBA vote outcome; neither the employee nor the payroll office have flexibility with regard to the mechanism.
• Mechanism: The payroll team will be happy to tell you which cash out mechanism would be used for your particular balance and group.  If you have any questions, please email agriffin@osd.wednet.edu. Please email us your questions by February 5 so that there is time to answer your questions and, should you choose, for you to apply for buy back in time for the February 10, 2023 deadline.
• Sick leave buy back is paid at 1 to 4 ratio of your hourly rate, regardless of the mechanism of buy back.

If you have over 60 days of sick leave and believe that you are eligible for the cash out and would like to cash out your sick leave please fill out the attached form and return to the payroll office no later than February 10, 2023.  We will process your request and let you know if you are eligible or not.

If you are eligible for the sick leave buy back it will be processed with the February payroll.

Fill out the Sick Leave Buy Back Employee Request Form

In accordance with RCW 28A.400.210 and WAC 392-136, school district employees meeting certain eligibility requirements may request pay for unused sick leave that has accrued during the prior calendar year (2021).

Employees that have over 60 days of sick leave, as of December 31, 2022, may be eligible for the cash out:

• Only the sick leave days accumulated (earned) during the calendar year (2022) are eligible for the buy back. You can refer to your collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on how many sick days a year your union receives. For example if you earned 12 days and used 2 days you would be eligible to cash out 10 days total.
• Remaining sick leave balance, after buy back, must have a minimum of 60 days after the cash out is completed.
• If you select not to buy back any sick leave hours your sick leave will stay in your balance and will not be cashed out.
• If you are eligible for cash out, depending on your employee groups’ vote outcome regarding VEBA and your total sick leave balance as of 12/31/2022 (more or less than 180 days), some employees will be cashed out monetarily and some employees will have a monetary amount added to their VEBA account. The cash out mechanism is governed by law and VEBA vote outcome; neither the employee nor the payroll office have flexibility with regard to the mechanism.
• Mechanism: The payroll team will be happy to tell you which cash out mechanism would be used for your particular balance and group.  If you have any questions, please email help-payroll@osd.wednet.edu. Please email us your questions by February 5, so that there is time to answer your questions and, should you choose, for you to apply for buy back in time for the February 10, 2023 deadline.
• Sick leave buy back is paid at 1 to 4 ratio of your hourly rate, regardless of the mechanism of buy back.

If you have over 60 days of sick leave and believe that you are eligible for the cash out and would like to cash out your sick leave please fill out the attached form and return to the payroll office no later than February 10, 2023.  We will process your request and let you know if you are eligible or not.

If you are eligible for the sick leave buy back it will be processed with the February payroll.

Fill out the Sick Leave Buy Back Employee Request Form

Time is running out … have you made your changes?

Make changes online through SEBB My Account until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, November 21, 2022.

• If adding a dependent, submit copies of the required dependent verification documents through SEBB My Account or with your paper form.
• If required, attest to premium surcharges online or use the 2023 Premium Surcharge Attestation.
• Submit all required forms to your payroll or benefits office as required no later than November 21, 2022.

Medical Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), Limited Purpose FSA, and the Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP)

• Visit the Navia Benefits Solutions website to enroll for 2023. You will be asked to log in or create an account through Secure Access Washington to enroll online, or you can download and complete Navia’s Open Enrollment.
• Navia Benefits Solutions must receive your enrollment no later than November 21, 2022.
• You must enroll in an FSA each year you want to participate. Enrollment does not automatically continue from year to year.
• You cannot have both a Limited Purpose FSA and a Medical FSA, nor can you have a Medical FSA and be enrolled in a consumer-directed health plan (HDHP) with a health savings account (HSA).

Kaiser Permanente Washington Options (KPWA Options) Access PPO 1, 2, and 3 plans are closing. If you are currently enrolled in one of these, you will need to enroll in a new plan. If you do not enroll in a new plan during annual open enrollment, the SEBB Program will automatically enroll you in:

• The new KPWA Options Summit PPO 1, 2, or 3 if you live or work in a county where one of these plans is offered.
• UMP Achieve 1 if you do not live or work in a county where KPWA Options Summit 1, 2, or 3 is offered.

The Premera Peak Care Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) plan is closing. The Premera Blue Cross HMO plan will replace the Premera Peak Care EPO plan.  If you are currently enrolled in Premera’s Peak Care EPO plan, you will be automatically enrolled in their HMO plan unless you chose a new plan.

If you have questions, contact Amy Griffin at agriffin@osd.wednet.edu or by phone at 360-596-6187. 

Open enrollment is your opportunity to make changes to your benefit plans. All changes made during open enrollment are effective January 1, 2023.

SEBB Benefit Information:

• What changes can you make? Learn about the changes you can make on the HCA website under Open Enrollment.
• Learn about the changes for the 2023 SEBB Benefits – SEBB has important changes for 2023 regarding Kaiser Options Access PPO plans and Premera Peak Care EPO Plans.  Make sure to visit the HCA website under Open Enrollment to understand how these changes affect you. 
• How do I make changes? Log in to SEBB my Account and submit your changes between October 31 and November 21, 2022. 
•  Look for your SEBB Intercom newsletter – It was mail/emailed by Health Care Authority and has important information regarding open enrollment.

Important Dates:

• October 31: Open Enrollment Begins
• November 1-10: In-person benefit fairs are scheduled at eight locations around the state.
• November 2: SEBB Facebook Live Q&A about open enrollment at 4 p.m.
• November 21: Last day to make changes to your SEBB benefits.
• January 1, 2023: New plan year begins. Open enrollment changes become effective.

NW Benefit Advisors Information:

• What plans are offered? – Short Term Disability, Accident, Critical Illness, Genomic Life, Hospital, Permanent Life Insurance with Long Term Care, Legal Assistance, Identity Theft, Pet Insurance, and PayActiv.
• What changes can you make? Learn about the changes you can make on NW Benefit Advisors website.  
• Learn about the voluntary benefit options – Sign up for a voluntary benefit webinar with one of the many providers. 
• How do I enroll or make changes? Schedule a telephone appointment on their website or click to schedule.

If you have questions about your benefits or SEBB my account, please contact your benefits administrator Amy Griffin at agriffin@osd.wednet.edu.

The Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) has asked us to notify OSD employees about an upcoming information release in response to a public records request submitted by an individual named E.H. Baxter.

DRS received a public records request from an individual named E.H. Baxter for a copy of The Seattle Times’ public records request of July 1, 2022, and a complete copy of all records provided. A copy of the notice is posted on the DRS website.

DRS intends to provide the information items listed above to Mr. Baxter on November 18, 2022.

If you are the subject of this public records request, no action is required of you. If you want additional information or have questions about the request, please contact DRS at (844) 704-6780 or email drs.pdrnotice@drs.wa.gov.

A note about injunctive relief: Individuals who are the subject of a records request often ask if they can seek a court order to prevent the release of their records. Under state law, an agency could be enjoined from releasing records if a court finds that the release “would clearly not be in the public interest and would substantially and irreparably damage any person, or would substantially and irreparably damage vital governmental functions.” To enjoin DRS from releasing records in the current request, the Department would need to be served with an injunction prior to the scheduled release date listed above. State agencies cannot provide advice on whether to seek an injunction or whether such an attempt would be successful.

DRS makes no guarantee regarding the security of the records once in the hands of Mr. E.H. Baxter, nor does DRS take any responsibility for how he uses them.

Did you know you can save even more for retirement with the Washington State Deferred Compensation Program (DCP)?

DCP is a supplemental retirement savings program administered by the Department of Retirement Systems (DRS). 

Why save with DCP?

• You can save with as little as $30 per month
• Your contributions are tax-deferred so if you save $100 per month, your paycheck may only be reduced by $85
• You don’t need to know anything about investing –- if you complete the Quick Enrollment form, a professional team will invest for you
• Getting started late? That’s okay! You can save as much as $20,500 this year, and even more if you are age 50 or older

To learn more about DCP, visit the DCP website at drs.wa.gov/DCP and watch this short DCP video.

Ready to get started?

Complete the DCP Quick enrollment form and mail or fax the form to DCP.

If you have funds in another tax-deferred account that you would like to roll into your DCP account, complete and mail in the Rollover-in form.  Also, don’t forget to contact the custodian of that account to request the rollover of funds.

It’s never been easier to get started so enroll today!

The Payroll office wants to remind all employees to submit all timesheets from the 2021-22 school year by September 5, 5022.

Timesheets submitted after the deadline could be subject to an audit finding, so it’s important to submit them by September 5.

Thanks for your cooperation.

The following is a copy of an email sent to all OSD employees on July 14, 2022

The Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) has asked us to share with employees that it has received a public records request that seeks information about all members of the state’s retirement systems, including all retirees and members, for the period of July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021. The requesting organization is The Seattle Times. All of the information we are sharing with you in this email is also posted on the DRS website.

DRS has requested and received a copy from The Seattle Times of the Declaration of Non-Commercial Purpose pursuant to RCW 42.56.070(8).

View a copy of this Declaration and additional information provided by The Seattle Times.

DRS has reviewed the request and determined that the following information items are subject to disclosure under the state’s Public Records Act.

• Full Name
• City, State/Province, Country and ZIP/Postal Code
• Date of Birth
• Retirement System/Plan
• Date of Entry
• Service Credit
• Annual Salary
• Average Final Compensation
• Date of Retirement Withdrawal
• Monthly Retirement Benefit
• Retirement Type
• Employee Transmittal Code and Description
• Employer Name, City, State and ZIP Code

The Department intends to provide the information items listed above to the requesting organization on August 15, 2022.

If you are the subject of this public records request, no action is required of you. If you want additional information or have questions about the request, please contact DRS at 844-704-6780 or drs.pdrnotice@drs.wa.gov.

A note about injunctive relief: Individuals who are the subject of a records request often ask if they can seek a court order to prevent the release of their records. Under state law, an agency could be enjoined from releasing records if a court finds that the release “would clearly not be in the public interest and would substantially and irreparably damage any person, or would substantially and irreparably damage vital governmental functions.” To enjoin DRS from releasing records in the current request, the department would need to be served with an injunction prior to the scheduled release date listed above. State agencies cannot provide advice on whether to seek an injunction or whether such an attempt would be successful.

DRS makes no guarantee regarding the security of the information once in the hands of the Seattle Times, nor do we take any responsibility for how they use it.

Is retirement around the corner? The Department of Retirement Systems’ Education & Outreach team offers Nearing Retirement Seminar-webinars.  The next one is Saturday, May 21, 2022.

Although the Nearing Retirement Seminars are open to all employees, they are designed for those who plan to retire within the next few years.  Basic retirement plan information will not be provided at these seminars, but it’s important to understand the basics of your plan prior to attending.  If you would like to brush up, we encourage you to select your retirement plan and watch the recorded webinar video:

PERS Plan 1
TRS Plan 1
Plan 2: PERS, SERS, TRS
Plan 3: PERS, SERS, TRS
Plan 3 withdrawals
DCP withdrawals

Select Nearing Retirement Seminars for more information and how to join.  Be advised that while you can pre-register, you don’t have to.  From the seminar page, just select ‘Join’ 10-15 minutes prior to start. 

If you are unable to attend a live event, scroll down the seminar page and you will find recorded seminar videos you can watch at a time that is more convenient.

If you are a member of SERS or TRS, in addition to attending a seminar I encourage you to review: When is the best time to retire?