Good news: You have a lifetime pension!

We often get calls from members and retirees who are worried that their pension benefits will run out. In today’s financial climate, it’s no wonder. The good news is DRS plans are designed to last through your lifetime.

Bev Hermanson knows this very well. “I have always been aware that my retirement payments will last a lifetime,” she says.

She began working in a clerical position at the State Board for Vocational Education many years ago. Now, she’s an 87-year-old retired PERS Plan 1 member who insists she hasn’t really retired yet, despite collecting her pension for more than 20 years.

“One of the bosses that I had was totally committed that I should go back to school and get my degree. She wore me down and I enrolled at Evergreen,” says Bev. “My boss and I had developed the Division of Sex Equity in Vocational Education. I wrote a paper about what we did and received a year’s college credit for it.” After she earned her degree, things began changing. “I went from thinking of myself as a good clerical assistant, to perhaps being a good manager.”

Never say never

Bev isn’t a person who wants to be in business. “I like to do things for people,” she says. For 30 years, she worked for the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE). She started there as a coordinator of political action and then ended up being the lead lobbyist and the director of their political program. “I didn’t aspire to become a lobbyist, but I loved it! I worked many years beyond my retirement years because I couldn’t leave it.”

Her WFSE experience saw her tackling a cadre of union members, state employees and women’s organizations. And she was instrumental in the development of state-operated childcare for Washington state employees. The programs were established on college campuses and in state government.

Flash forward

Bev currently serves as a member of the Select Committee on Pension Policy (SCPP). The SCCP studies pension issues and recommends any retirement plan changes to the Legislature. Committee members represent active and retired members of the retirement systems, as well as state legislators, members of the business community and state government.

“I’m still there!” she says with an energetic laugh. “I’m begging to stay on. We’ve been trying to get a permanent Plan 1 COLA. If I could get this in my quiver, I could retire happily.”

And that’s not all; she’s been serving for 10 years as a lobbyist for the Retired Public Employees Council (RPEC) of Washington state. “I couldn’t stop with WFSE,” says Bev. She’s currently serving as the Chair of their Political Action Committee.

Really retired?

In 2001, Bev really did retire from PERS Plan 1. She made the decision without much time to spare. “It was really quick; I did it in 24 hours, or maybe a little longer but not much,” she says adding that she has a lot of respect for those DRS team members who helped her.

Life in retirement for Bev is about living life, loving life and enjoying family. She has two adult sons, three grandchildren and two great grandchildren. All of her grands play sports and are exceptional high school and college students.

“They’re incredible!” Bev says of her grands, the pride in her voice is unmistakable. “I knew nothing about hockey until I got those kids.” She frequently watches them on YouTube videos her son sends her.

A little career advice

Bev had no idea she would become a lobbyist, but she did. She encourages those who might think their careers aren’t meaningful. “If anything comes up and you’re not sure but you think you might want to do it, really, really, really pursue it,” she says. “The 40 years I spent ‘on the Hill,’ so to speak, were the most satisfying of my entire career.”

Be like Bev – live your life fully and don’t worry about your DRS pension.

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