(1) Sick and annual leave usage. Sick leave and annual leave is accumulated over time and paid to a person during a period of excused absence. Leave accrues at a prescribed rate, usually a certain number of hours per month. The employee earns a leave day by rendering service during the month the leave accrued. When the employee uses his or her accrued leave by taking a scheduled work day off with pay, the payment is deferred compensation for services previously rendered. The payment is a salary or wage earned for services rendered and is reportable.

(2) Annual leave cash outs. Annual leave cash outs are not reportable compensation for SERS Plan 2 and SERS Plan 3 members. Although annual leave cash outs, like payments for leave usage, are deferred compensation earned for services previously rendered, they are excluded from the definition of compensation earnable by statute, see RCW 41.35.010.

(3) Sick leave cash outs. Sick leave cash outs are excluded from the definition of compensation earnable for SERS Plan 2 and SERS Plan 3 members by statute.

Sick leave cash outs are excluded from reportable compensation for:

(i) School district employees by RCW 28A.400.210; and

(ii) Educational service district employees by RCW 28A.310.490. See RCW 41.35.010.