Policy Details Page

Regulation 5400.2R

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Requests for annual buyback of sick leave days or sick leave cashout for retirement, termination or death must be made on the district-approved application. The applications are available on the district Web site  www.tacoma.k12.wa.us in the Human Resource portion of the site, or the applications are available from the Finance Office.

An application for annual buyback of sick leave days must be submitted by an employee during the month of January and received in the Finance Office in the Central Administration Building by 4:30 p.m. on the last business day in January. All applications shall be processed and payment made consistent with state law and regulation. If the application is late the individual shall not receive the sick leave cashout.

An employee whose employment is terminated due to either retirement or death may personally, or through his/her estate in the event of death, make application to convert all eligible, accumulated sick leave days to monetary compensation pursuant to current Washington law and regulation. For purposes of this regulation, “eligible employee” means (a) employees who separate from employment due to retirement or death; (b) employees who separate from employment and who are at least age fifty-five (55) and have at least ten (10) years of service under the teachers’ retirement system plan 3 or school employees’ retirement system plan 3 as
they are defined in current law, or (c) employees who separate from employment and who are at least fifty-five (55) and have at least fifteen (15) years of service under the teachers’ retirement system plan 2 as defined in law, or under the school employees’ retirement system plan 2 as defined in current law.

An employee whose employment is terminated due either to retirement or death may personally, or through his/her estate in the event of death, make application to convert all eligible, accumulated sick leave, in lieu of monetary compensation, to payment to an organization for post-retirement medical benefits consistent with state law and regulation.

An application for sick leave cash out due to retirement or death must be submitted on the district-approved application and received in the Finance Office within six (6) months of the last day of employment. If the application is late, the individual or estate shall not receive sick leave cashout.

In order to receive reimbursement for unused sick leave at the time of separation from the district due to retirement, an employee must have separated from employment and have been granted a retirement allowance under the Washington State laws governing the teachers’ retirement system or the public employees’ retirement system, whichever applies. A retired employee may receive reimbursement for unused sick leave if the retirement application is filed with one of the aforementioned retirement systems within six (6) months of the last day of employment with the district; without the occurrence of any intervening covered employment, and the employee has submitted the district application for reimbursement of unused sick leave within the required six months from the last day of employment. 

References: 

• RCW 28A.400.210
• WAC 392-136

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Approved 10/26/04