Sinkman v. State Employees' Retirement Board

# Sinkman v. State Employees' Retirement Board ## What Happened Susan Sinkman, a state employee, wanted to buy back only part of her previous service time to increase her retirement benefits. The State Employees' Retirement Board told her she had to either purchase all of her prior service credit or none at all—she couldn't pick and choose which years to buy back. ## What the Court Decided The court sided with the retirement board. The judge upheld the board's rule that required employees to make an all-or-nothing choice when purchasing service credit. Sinkman's request to buy back only a portion of her previous service was rejected. ## Why This Matters for Workers This ruling clarifies how service credit buyback programs work for public employees. Workers in similar situations now know they cannot selectively purchase parts of their past service—they must commit to buying back all eligible years or forgoing the benefit entirely. This affects how state employees plan their retirement finances and understand the rules governing their pension benefits.