Military Service Credits Bill Update – Committee Approves Actuarial Study Funding
(06/13/07)

Under current law, employees participating in the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) who began their public employment after serving in the military do not receive WRS credit for their military service if it occurred after 1974. Assembly Bill 43 and Senate Bill 19 would eliminate the arbitrary 1974 limitation and credit military service that occurs at any time. This legislation is not retroactive, meaning that it would only apply to public employees who terminate their WRS-covered employment after the bill becomes law.

Both AB 43 and SB 19 have been approved by committees in their respective houses, and have been referred to the Joint Survey Committee on Wisconsin Retirement Systems. Before that committee can consider the bill, an actuarial study must be completed to assess the costs the measure would create for the WRS. As the Joint Committee on Finance neared its budgetary revisions, it specifically authorized the funding necessary to conduct that study. Having this information will help the WPPA, as the only law enforcement group actively lobbying for this measure, to continue to build momentum for it as it moves through the legislative process.

For more information about this legislation, go to http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2007/data/SB-19.pdf. Anyone with questions or comments is also welcome to contact WPPA Assistant Executive Director Jim Palmer, either by telephone at 1.800.362.8838, or by e-mail at palmer@wppa.com.