(1) Payments to an employee are not earned for services rendered if an employer makes them for periods during which the employee was not employed and the payments are made either upon reinstatement or instead of reinstatement. Nonetheless, RCW 41.35.010 specifically designates these payments as reportable compensation. The payments are only reportable to the extent that they are equivalent to the salary the employee would have earned had he or she been working. The payment will be prorated over the entire period that the employee was suspended, terminated, or otherwise absent from work.

(2) For purposes of subsection (1) of this section, "reinstatement" means that the employee is entitled to return to full employment rights by action of either:

(a) The employer; or

(b) A personnel board, personnel appeals board or court of law following a hearing.