SB 146

retirement and group insurance

WRS annuities for critical workers

Under current law, certain people who receive a retirement or disability

annuity from the Wisconsin Retirement System and who are hired by an employer

that participates in the WRS must suspend that annuity and may not receive a WRS

annuity payment until the person is no longer in a WRS-covered position. This

suspension applies to a person who 1) has reached his or her normal retirement date;

2) is appointed to a position with a WRS-participating employer, or provides

employee services as a contractor to a WRS-participating employer; and 3) is

expected to work at least two-thirds of what is considered full-time employment by

the Department of Employee Trust Funds.

This bill creates an exception to this suspension if 1) the person is either hired

or provides employee services as a contractor in a critical position before the end of

the national emergency declared by the U.S. president in response to the 2019 novel

coronavirus or June 30, 2021, whichever is earlier; 2) at the time the person initially

retires from covered employment with a participating employer, the person does not

have an agreement with any participating employer to return to employment; and

3) the person elects to not become a participating employee at the time the person

is rehired or enters into a contract after retirement. In other words, the bill allows

a WRS annuitant who is either hired or provides employee services as a contractor

in a critical position before the earlier of the end of the national emergency declared

by the U.S. president in response to the 2019 novel coronavirus or June 30, 2021, to

return to work with an employer that participates in the WRS and continue to receive

his or her annuity.