Good news! You are automatically enrolled and “vested” after you complete 6 months of caregiving with a covered employer.  During your 7th or 8th month of caregiving, a welcome letter will be mailed to you with steps on how to create a login for your account.
Make sure you provide updated and correct information (email, phone, address and DOB) to your employer. Giving your email address to your employer makes it easier to receive important information electronically.

Visit Retirement: My Plan to get instructions for creating a login to access your account information on-line. From Retirement: My Plan you will be forwarded to your Secure Retirement Plan account, hosted by Milliman, or you can go directly to www.millimanbenefits.com.

If you are no longer working as a caregiver, you still have login access to your account information, make sure your
contact information is up to date.

Milliman is the recordkeeper for the Secure Retirement Plan. They are authorized to provide you with your account details and answer questions. You may contact them at 1-800-726-8303. Help is available in your language.

They will send you account statements and information by email or mail. To get these notices from Milliman, you will need to keep your your contact information up to date with your employer.

Milliman gets your contact information from your employer only. Because of this, it is important to keep your information up to date with your employer. If your mailing information is incorrect, please contact your employer directly to update it. Please allow up to 45 days for changes to show on your retirement account.

Generally, you must be 65 or older in order to take a distribution from the Plan. How your SRP account is paid depends on how much money you have in your account.

1. If you are over 65 and your account is more than $2,400, it will be paid in monthly installments (minus mandatory
   taxes).
2. If you are over 65, no longer working, and your account is $2,400 or less, it will be paid in a single lump sum
   (minus mandatory taxes).

This Plan is not set up to take participant contributions. Your employer contributes to your account for every hour worked under the Collective Bargaining Agreement once you become a participant (6 months after your first hour working as a caregiver). If you want to contribute to your retirement, you can contribute to an IRA. Please see “What is WA Retirement Marketplace” for additional information.

You can still contribute to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and may be eligible for other retirement plans while participating in the Secure Retirement Plan (SRP). You can also consult a financial professional about your unique situation. The SRP is strictly employer funded which allows you to participate in an IRA of your choosing.

Washington State Retirement Marketplace offers low-cost and state-approved IRA options.

The Washington State Marketplace partners with private financial firms that help individuals save for retirement. The IRA options are low-cost for participants and are verified by the state. This is strictly voluntary and easy to use. The website offers translation in 5 different languages.

The investments for the plan are directed by the Trustees and managed by investment professionals to grow over time and add to your retirement savings. The SRP uses target date funds to diversify your investments based on your date of birth.

More plan details can be found in the Summary Plan Description. You can also call a Secure Retirement representative at 1-800-726-8303. Help is available in your language.

No. Contributions to the SRP are made by your employer and are not deducted from your paycheck. The contribution amount is determined in bargaining between SEIU 775 and your employer and stated in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Your employer makes a contribution to your retirement account for every hour you work in covered employment as a caregiver once you become a participant in the Plan. Contributions may very between employers depending upon their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Please view the current CBA located on the Union’s website or ask your employer.

The Plan is intended to help provide you with retirement income. Plan data indicates that many caregivers take a break and return to work within 24 months. That’s why if your account is $2,400 or more, even if you don’t continue a career in caregiving,  the Trustees have made it a priority for your account to be available only at age 65 or later. Caregiving is a difficult job and not everyone makes it their career. If a caregiver’s account is less than $2,400 and the caregiver doesn’t work for 24 months, the data shows it is likely they won’t return to the profession, so the Plan distributes the funds so that they can consolidate their retirement savings in their new employer’s plan if they choose. The good news is your money is still invested during those 24 months giving it an opportunity to continue to grow. If you return to work with the same employer or a different employer under the collective bargaining agreement, your contributions will automatically go into your account again.

The Secure Retirement Plan (SRP) was created to provide another source of income when you retire, adding to your other retirement income sources, like an IRA or Social Security. Many caregivers continue to work after the SRP retirement age of 65. Older caregivers have the advantage of both being able to access the monthly distribution payments as well as the benefit of having employer contributions continue to be deposited into their account. These monthly distributions will continue as long as you have an account balance.

Once your account reaches $2,400 and you are over 65, you can start receiving a monthly payment (less required tax withholding) in an amount determined based on your age and account balance. The minimum monthly payment is $100 minus a 20% tax withholding.

ICanRetire gives you financial education about retirement that is unique to your situation. You will get tools that talk about retirement topics in a way that is easy to understand. It has quizzes, articles and videos at no cost to you. Your information is secure and will not be used for marketing purposes.

Learn more about ICanRetire.

Every month, the SRP sends educational emails to our Plan participants. These emails give you more information and resources about planning for retirement. These emails are a great resource offering specific and customized information to help you with retirement readiness.