Assembly Bill 138 proposes amendments to the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) regarding the rehiring of jailers and protective occupation annuitants. The bill introduces an exception to the current requirement that annuitants must suspend their retirement or disability annuity upon being rehired by a WRS-participating employer. Specifically, it allows annuitants who retired from a participating employer without a prior agreement to return to work, and who choose not to become a participating employee upon rehire, to continue receiving their annuity. This applies to both protective occupation participants and county jailers who opted out of protective occupation status.

The bill also amends several sections of the statutes to include new provisions regarding the treatment of county jailers in relation to their retirement status. It clarifies that county jailers who opt out of protective occupation participation will be treated similarly to those who do participate. Additionally, the bill creates a new section (40.26 (7)) that outlines specific conditions under which a participant can apply for an annuity or lump sum payment after a period of termination from employment, provided they meet certain criteria. Overall, the bill aims to provide more flexibility for retired employees returning to work while ensuring their retirement benefits are not adversely affected.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 40.22(1), 40.22, 40.22(2m)(intro.), 40.22(2r)(intro.), 40.22(3)(intro.)