(a) An active and contributing member of the Employees' Retirement System, who is also a vested member of the system, may purchase service credit in the system not to exceed five years for any period of prior service while he or she was employed at a welcome center for the state while employees of the welcome centers were not allowed to be members of the system. The Board of Control of the Employees' Retirement System shall adopt rules and regulations for the administration of this section including verification of the prior service for which the member desires to purchase credit in the system. The member shall receive credit for the service when he or she remits to the system the contributions required by subsection (b). Notwithstanding the foregoing language, no member of the Employees' Retirement System shall be eligible to receive credit for any period of time for which the member is already receiving credit in the system or in any other retirement plan, with the exception of the federal Social Security program.
(b) Any employee electing to purchase service credit pursuant to subsection (a) shall remit to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Employees' Retirement System, within one year of October 1, 1997, for each year of service credit, a percentage of his or her current annual earnable compensation or average final compensation, whichever is greater; the applicable percentage of the annual earnable compensation, or average final compensation, whichever is greater, shall be the sum of the prevailing percentage rates of employer and member contributions, as required by the most recent actuarial valuation.
Last modified: May 3, 2021