In addition to pay and other special employee programs, the following is a list of benefits offered by the state of Washington. The benefits for higher education employees vary slightly from those listed below for general government employees.

Core benefits

• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Life, accidental death, and dismemberment insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• Retirement
• Social security
• Vacation, leave and holidays

Additional benefits

• Flexible spending account 
• Dependent care assistance
• Other insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Deferred compensation 

Medical, dental and vision insurance

Eligible employees and their families are covered by medical, dental, and vision insurance which covers pre-existing conditions. There are various medical plan options to choose from–either managed care plans or preferred provider plans. Dental premiums are fully paid by the employer. For more information visit the Public Employees Benefits Board.

Life and accidental death & dismemberment Insurance

Eligible employees are provided with basic term life insurance, and may purchase supplemental insurance. Life insurance for a spouse or qualified domestic partner is also available. In addition, the state provides basic coverage for Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance.  Employees may choose to purchase additional AD&D insurance for dependents. For more information visit the Public Employees Benefits Board. 

Long-term disability insurance

Eligible employees receive basic Long-Term Disability (LTD) coverage. Employees may choose to purchase additional LTD coverage which provides up to sixty percent of their monthly salary (following a waiting period selected by the employee). For more information visit the Public Employees Benefits Board.

Retirement benefits

Most state employees are members of the Washington Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS). Employees hired on or after March 1, 2002, choose between PERS Plan 2 or PERS Plan 3.

PERS Plan 2 is a defined benefit plan. This means an individual's retirement benefit is defined by a formula. The formula is:  
2% X service credit years X average final compensation (AFC).

PERS Plan 3 has two different components. A defined benefit component similar to PERS Plan 2 except it uses one percent in the formula and a defined contribution component.

For more information, visit the Department of Retirement System’s web site.  

Social security
All state employees are covered by the U.S. social security insurance system. The state and the employee pay an equal amount into the system.

Flexible spending account
This program that allows you to set aside pre-tax dollars for expenses such as co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles, many prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, and various other expenses.

Dependent care assistance
This program allows you to save pre-tax dollars for a child or elder care expenses. 

Other insurance
Other coverage for auto, boat, home, and renter insurance is available through payroll deduction.

Flexible Schedules
Many agencies provide flexible work hours with a wider variety of shift and schedule options.

Deferred compensation
The Deferred Compensation Program provides the option of allowing employees to automatically save a portion of their salary and invest it in their choice of many different investment options.