LEOFF Plan 2 is a 401(a) lifetime retirement pension plan available to law enforcement officers and firefighters in Washington. To request a COLA option for your installment payments, you will need to complete Part 5 of Section 3a in the 457 Alternative Installment.The withdrawals are also subject to state income tax. A hardship distribution is a withdrawal from a participant's elective deferral account made because of an immediate and heavy financial need.