Ron Larsen was unhappy about an article featured in the January RFFOW newsletter.  This prompted him to write to the RFFOW.  They published his letter in the March 2010 issue.

Ron Larsen wrote a letter to the RFFOW.  It was published in their newsletter.  Since I was mentioned in that letter, I was asked to respond.  This article is my response to Ron's letter.

The projected COLA based on calculations from the Bureau of Labor Statistics index will be 0.44% effective April 1, 2010.  This number is not official until verified by the Plan Administrator (DRS), but we are confident it is accurate.

The amount might be different depending on your actual date of retirement, but the 0.44% applies to almost everyone.  For example, if you retired after April 2, 2009 you will not get a COLA. 

Also, if you are retired under a prior act such as RCW 41.20 and you are entitled to an adjustment based on that system you will not see a change in the net amount you receive.  Your city check will go down a few dollars and the state check will go up the same amount. 

LEOFF 1 (RCW 41.26.240)
Retirement Date	Adjustments
April 2, 2009 - March 30, 2010	0.00%
January 1, 2009 - April 1, 2009	0.44%
April 2, 2008 - December 31, 2008	4.94%
Prior to April 2, 2008	0.44%

In our article "How to Calculate the COLA" we showed each of the steps needed to acquire the information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and to calculate the amount of the COLA.  In this article we complete the calculation for the 2010 adjustment.

Now is the time to call your legislator in support of HB 1679.  Yes, it is a LEOFF 2 issue, but it is an important one and needs your support.  Your brother and sister officers when disabled under LEOFF 2 are cast out without any health insurance for themselves or their families. And, disabled under LEOFF 2 means totally disabled.  No ability to work - just L & I payments for support.  It is one of the bad parts of LEOFF 2 and needs to be fixed.

The the full story to see how this failed system works in real life.

February 9th was the 30th day of the 60 session. February 9th was also the cut-off date for bills to pass out of the Senate and House fiscal committees. Bills that did not meet this deadline are technically dead with the exception of those Necessary to Implement the Budget (NTIB). This phrase is often applied liberally so legislation that did not make the cut-off are being monitored.

Today, the 26th day of the 60-day session, was the cut-off date for policy committees in the Senate. February 9th is the cut-off date for fiscal bills in both the House and Senate. The highlight of this week was on February 3rd when the state Senate and House ran floor resolutions honoring our fallen officers.

The Court has finally acted on the motion for reasonable attorney’s fees in the matter of Swisher v. City of Moses Lake. The Judge has advised Joe Fischnaller that he has granted the motion and awarded $6,425.00 in attorney’s fees against the City of Moses Lake.

See the full story with an update as of 2/5/2010

The third week of the legislative session has been completed. The cut-off date for bills to pass out of policy committees is February 2nd.  WACOPS reports that they are hopeful that all of their 2010 legislative priorities to be voted out of House Committees prior to that deadline.

View the list of pending legislation.  Most of these bills deal with law enforcement issues or LEOFF 2 pension items, but it is an interesting read.

Once bills pass out of policy committees they go to the Rules Committee which is chaired by the Speaker of the House. This committee decides which bills will go to the floor of the House to receive a vote from the full body. WACOPS reports that they have briefed members of this committee about the legislation.

February 3rd will be Law Enforcement Day in Olympia. Both the Senate and the House will be running resolutions honoring fallen officers.  This will be broadcast on TVW and you can check with www.tvw.org for local station and airing times.

The Legislature is in session.  Thus far we know of only two bills that impact LEOFF 1.  While they provide significant improvements for a few they have no impact on the overall pension.  Neither of these bills will affect many LEOFF 1 members.

HB 2519 LEOFF I & II State Patrol
Included is a LEOFF I amendment to increase duty death as a result of an occupational injury or illness from $150,000 to $214,000 and add an escalator. Also adds for LEOFF I a surviving spouse to the eligibility list for free college tuition.

SB 6078 LEOFF I Amendment
Allows a spouse of a member who is killed in the line of duty, with more than 25 years of service credit to select a 50% disability pension or a service pension of 2% for each year of service credit.  Example: 31 years of service credit equals a 62% pension.

Read the full story for more information on these bills.