Kellum v. Department of Retirement Systems

John C. Kellum, a Bellevue police officer, appeals an order of the Thurston County Superior Court affirming a decision of the Department of Retirement Systems denying his claim for service credit for a 20-month period during which he was on an authorized leave of absence from the Bellevue Police Department while serving with the armed forces of the United States. Kellum asserts, specifically, that (1) the trial court erred in its interpretation of the applicable statute, RCW 41.44; and (2) denial of service credit to him, even if authorized by statute, amounts to a denial of equal protection…