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State Patrol group urges survivor medical coverage review; actuary says retroactive cost needs more data
Summary
A representative of the Washington State Patrol Troopers Association urged the committee to include survivor medical benefits for troopers and noted the Patrol has under 1,000 members and higher employer contribution rates; the OSA actuary said prospective costs could be estimated for September but capturing retroactivity requires additional data and would likely push analysis to October.
Dabor Jurasic, representing the Washington State Patrol Troopers Association, told the committee the Patrol has "less than 1,000" members and that the agency contribution rate is high, noting "our agency pays 15.85." He asked the committee to advance a review of survivor medical benefits and recommended the select committee assess actual costs and benefit tradeoffs before the next legislative session.
Michael Harbour, the OSA actuary, explained there were two pieces to the proposal: a prospective reimbursement of Medicare costs and a retroactive element capturing the delay between a death and its being ruled duty related. Harbour said the committee could obtain a September cost estimate if the retroactive element were excluded, but including retroactivity would require additional department data and would likely require an October timeline. The committee agreed to move a survivor medical presentation and possible action to an October agenda so the actuary and staff can gather necessary data.
