Brief Description: Providing reimbursement for certain Washington state patrol survivor benefits.

Sponsors: By House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Lovick, Roach, Simpson, Hurst, O'Brien, Eddy, Ericks, Eickmeyer, Kelley, VanDeWege, Pedersen, Sells, Hankins, B. Sullivan, Dickerson, Rodne, Springer, Appleton, Rolfes, Hudgins, Pettigrew, Williams, Kessler, Green, Ormsby, P. Sullivan and Santos).

House Committee on Appropriations
Senate Committee on Transportation

Background:

Retired or disabled employees of the state, school districts, and participating political subdivisions may purchase health care benefits from the Public Employees' Benefits Board (PEBB), administered by the Health Care Authority (HCA). This coverage is purchased at full cost based on the risk pool that the participants belong to, and includes administrative costs for each participant. Participants eligible for Medicare are placed in one risk pool, and all other retired or disabled participants are placed in a risk pool along with active employees. Groups are charged based on their per capita costs incurred by the risk pool they belong to, minus an explicit subsidy in the case of Medicare-eligible participants.

Legislation enacted in 2001 enabled surviving spouses of emergency service personnel killed in the line of duty on or after January 1, 1998, to purchase health care benefits from the PEBB. "Emergency service personnel" for this purpose includes fire fighter and law enforcement members of the Law Enforcement Officers' and Fire Fighters' Retirement System (LEOFF) and the Volunteer Fire Fighters' and Reserve Officers' Relief and Pension System. The cost of the insurance is paid by the surviving spouses and dependent children.

In 2006 legislation was enacted to reimburse survivors of all LEOFF 2 members killed in the course of employment for the cost of participating in a PEBB health insurance plan as a benefit from the LEOFF 2 retirement fund. The LEOFF 2 members are not offered a contractual right to reimbursement for the survivor health care insurance costs, and the Legislature reserved the right to amend or repeal the 2006 act for future reimbursements.

Summary:

The definition of emergency service personnel for purposes of eligibility to enroll in PEBB health benefit plans is expanded to include surviving spouses and dependent children of members of the Washington State Patrol Retirement System (WSPRS) killed in the line of duty.

Reimbursement for survivor and dependent health benefit premium payments is added to the death benefits provided to survivors of members of the WSPRS killed in the line of duty. Reimbursement of premium payments is not provided to survivors as a contractual right.

The act is known as "The Steve Frink's and Jim Saunder's Law."

Votes on Final Passage:

House   95   0
Senate   49   0   (Senate amended)
House   95   0   (House concurred)

Effective: July 22, 2007

Partial Veto Summary: The emergency clause for section 3 was taken out.