(1) By no later than December 31, 2010, the department shall recalculate service credit for periods of qualifying prior service by an eligible member, as provided for in this section.

Washington Code 41.40.010

employed: means a person who is providing services for compensation to an employer, unless the person is free from the employer's direction and control over the performance of work. See Washington Code 41.40.010

Member: means any employee included in the membership of the retirement system, as provided for in RCW 41. See Washington Code 41.40.010

Prior service: means all service of an original member rendered to any employer prior to October 1, 1947. See Washington Code 41.40.010

Retirement: means withdrawal from active service with a retirement allowance as provided by this chapter. See Washington Code 41.40.010

Service credit month: means a month or an accumulation of months of service credit which is equal to one. See Washington Code 41.40.010

(2) An eligible member is a member of plan 2 or 3 who is active in the retirement system and who earns service credit after June 10, 2010, and before September 1, 2010.

(3) A qualifying period of prior service is a school year prior to January 1, 1987, in which the member:

(a) Was employed in an eligible position by a school district or districts, educational service district, the *state school for the deaf, the state school for the blind, an institution of higher education, or a community college;

(b) Earned earnable compensation for at least six hundred thirty hours as determined by the department;

(c) Received less than six months of service credit; and

(d) Has not withdrawn service credit for the school year or has restored any withdrawn service credit for the school year.

(4) The department shall recalculate service credit for qualifying periods of prior service for an eligible member as follows:

(a) The member shall receive one-half service credit month for each month of the period from September through August of the following year if he or she earned earnable compensation during that period for at least six hundred thirty hours as determined by the department, and was employed nine months of that period; and

(b) A member’s service credit shall not be reduced under this section for a qualifying period of prior service.

*Reviser’s note: The “state school for the deaf” was abolished pursuant to 2009 c 381 § 11 and powers, duties, and functions were transferred to the Washington state center for childhood deafness and hearing loss. The “Washington state center for childhood deafness and hearing loss” was renamed the “Washington center for deaf and hard of hearing youth” by 2019 c 266 § 1.