Updated Feb 9, 2010 - 10:36 am
Can state employees "double dip?"
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Considering the severe economic crisis facing Washington, can the state afford to pay workers both a retirement pension and a salary at the same time?
That was the focus of Dave Ross' interview with State Auditor Brian Sonntag who said the process does exist, and in some cases can actually benefit the state financially. The process called "double dipping" by some, but which Sonntag calls the "retire-rehire" program, involves state workers who have reached their retirement age, retire with their pension, and then get rehired by the state.
But there are rules for how it's done.
"A person who retires and then is hired back in to do any kind of work for a government agency is restricted to about 5 months of full employment without having to get back into the system," Sonntag said on Monday.
There are various retirement packages for teachers, law enforcement, and regular state employees but the average rule is five months of work before their pension is put on hold and they go back to work full time.
According to Sonntag the system prevents a "brain drain" of institutional knowledge as groups of people, like baby boomers, retire all at once. "If those rules are followed... and the hours are followed the government certainly isn't, and the tax payers aren't losing any money. In fact, there could very well be a financial benefit."
Sonntag believes that workers who retire and are rehired
into some other agency can provide tremendous experience
and knowledge over their five-month contract and save
taxpayers from rehiring a full time employee with less
knowledge who needs a longer period of training.
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