(a) Active and contributing members of the Teachers' Retirement System may claim and purchase service credit in the system not to exceed eight years for any period of prior service while they were full-time employees of an employer who is authorized to join the system pursuant to Section 16-25-10.7, but has not elected to participate. The certification of any prior service claimed by the members under this section shall conform to applicable administrative rules and procedures of the Teachers' Retirement System. Members shall receive credit for the prior service when they remit to the system the contributions required by subsection (b). Notwithstanding the foregoing, no member of the system shall receive credit for any service that the member is already credited with in the system or any other public retirement plan, with the exception of the federal Social Security program.
(b) Any member who is eligible to purchase service credit in the Teachers' Retirement System under subsection (a) shall pay to the Secretary-Treasurer of the system, within one year from July 31, 1995, for the claimed service, a sum equal to a percentage of his or her current annual earnable compensation or average final compensation, whichever is greater. The applicable percentage shall be the sum of the prevailing percentage rates of employer and member contributions, as required by the most recent actuarial valuations, for each year of service credit purchased.
Last modified: May 3, 2021