(a) Any active and contributing member of the Employees' Retirement System may purchase credit in the Employees' Retirement System for prior service with the Alabama State Council on the Arts if the member has not received credit in the system for the same prior service and has not vested or otherwise become eligible to receive a retirement benefit by using the same prior service credit in another pension plan offered by the council.
(b) A member of the Employees' Retirement System who is eligible to purchase any prior service credit under subsection (a) of this section shall receive the credit if he or she pays into the system on or before his or her date of retirement, an amount of five percent of the greater of the member's current annual earnable compensation or average final compensation, whichever is greater, as determined by the actuary for the system, for the entire period of prior service claimed, or any portion thereof, plus eight percent compounded interest thereon through the date of repayment, for each year of prior service purchased. Prior service may be purchased only in yearly increments of at least two years at a time. At the same time that the employee makes his or her payment for the prior service credit, he or she shall also remit to the Employees' Retirement System the employer's share of the cost for the prior service credit being purchased, plus eight percent compounded interest thereon through the date of repayment, as determined by the actuary for the system.
Last modified: May 3, 2021