For the purposes of this chapter:
(1) “Active member” means a member of the pension program or the individual account program of the Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan who is actively employed in a qualifying position.
(2) “Actuarial equivalent” means a payment or series of payments having the same value as the payment or series of payments replaced, computed on the basis of interest rate and mortality assumptions adopted by the board.
(3) “Board” means the Public Employees Retirement Board.
(4) “Eligible employee” means a person who performs services for a participating public employer, including elected officials other than judges. “Eligible employee” does not include:
(a) Persons engaged as independent contractors;
(b) Aliens working under a training or educational visa;
(c) Persons, other than workers in the Industries for the Blind Program under ORS 346.190, provided sheltered employment or make-work by a public employer;
(d) Persons categorized by a participating public employer as student employees;
(e) Any person who is an inmate of a state institution;
(f) Employees of foreign trade offices of the Economic and Community Development Department who live and perform services in foreign countries under the provisions of ORS 285A.075 (1)(g);
(g) An employee actively participating in an alternative retirement program established under ORS 353.250 or an optional retirement plan established under ORS 341.551;
(h) Employees of the Oregon University System who are actively participating in an optional retirement plan offered under ORS 243.800;
(i) Any employee who belongs to a class of employees that was not eligible on August 28, 2003, for membership in the system under the provisions of ORS chapter 238 or other law;
(j) Any person who belongs to a class of employees who are not eligible to become members of the Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan under the provisions of ORS 238A.070 (2);
(k) Any person who is retired under ORS 238A.100 to 238A.245 or ORS chapter 238 and who continues to receive retirement benefits while employed; and
(L) Judges.
(5) “Firefighter” means:
(a) A person employed by a local government, as defined in ORS 174.116, whose primary job duties include the fighting of fires;
(b) The State Fire Marshal, the chief deputy state fire marshal and deputy state fire marshals; and
(c) An employee of the State Forestry Department who is certified by the State Forester as a professional wildland firefighter and whose primary duties include the abatement of uncontrolled fires as described in ORS 477.064.
(6) “Fund” means the Public Employees Retirement Fund.
(7)(a) “Hour of service” means:
(A) An hour for which an eligible employee is directly or indirectly paid or entitled to payment by a participating public employer for performance of duties in a qualifying position; and
(B) An hour of vacation, holiday, illness, incapacity, jury duty, military duty or authorized leave during which an employee does not perform duties but for which the employee is directly or indirectly paid or entitled to payment by a participating public employer for services in a qualifying position, as long as the hour is within the number of hours regularly scheduled for the performance of duties during the period of vacation, holiday, illness, incapacity, jury duty, military duty or authorized leave.
(b) “Hour of service” does not include any hour for which payment is made or due under a plan maintained solely for the purpose of complying with applicable workers’ compensation laws or unemployment compensation laws.
(8) “Inactive member” means a member of the pension program or the individual account program of the Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan whose membership has not been terminated, who is not a retired member and who is not employed in a qualifying position.
(9) “Individual account program” means the defined contribution individual account program of the Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan established under ORS 238A.025.
(10) “Member” means an eligible employee who has established membership in the pension program or the individual account program of the Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan and whose membership has not been terminated under ORS 238A.110 or 238A.310.
(11) “Participating public employer” means a public employer as defined in ORS 238.005 that provides retirement benefits for employees of the public employer under the system.
(12) “Pension program” means the defined benefit pension program of the Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan established under ORS 238A.025.
(13) “Police officer” means a police officer as described in ORS 238.005.
(14) “Qualifying position” means one or more jobs with one or more participating public employers in which an eligible employee performs 600 or more hours of service in a calendar year, excluding any service in a job for which benefits are not provided under the Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan pursuant to ORS 238A.070 (2).
(15) “Retired member” means a pension program member who is receiving a pension as provided in ORS 238A.180 to 238A.195.
(16)(a) “Salary” means the remuneration paid to an active member in return for services to the participating public employer, including remuneration in the form of living quarters, board or other items of value, to the extent the remuneration is includable in the employee’s taxable income under Oregon law. Salary includes the additional amounts specified in paragraph (b) of this subsection, but does not include the amounts specified in paragraph (c) of this subsection, regardless of whether those amounts are includable in taxable income.
(b) “Salary” includes the following amounts:
(A) Payments of employee and employer money into a deferred compensation plan that are made at the election of the employee.
(B) Contributions to a tax-sheltered or deferred annuity that are made at the election of the employee.
(C) Any amount that is contributed to a cafeteria plan or qualified transportation fringe benefit plan by the employer at the election of the employee and that is not includable in the taxable income of the employee by reason of 26 U.S.C. 125 or 132(f)(4), as in effect on August 29, 2003.
(D) Any amount that is contributed to a cash or deferred arrangement by the employer at the election of the employee and that is not included in the taxable income of the employee by reason of 26 U.S.C. 402(e)(3), as in effect on August 29, 2003.
(E) Retroactive payments made to an employee to correct a clerical error, pursuant to an award by a court or by order of or pursuant to a conciliation agreement with an administration agency charged with enforcing federal or state law protecting the employee’s rights to employment or wages, which shall be allocated to and deemed paid in the periods in which the work was done or in which the work would have been done.
(F) The amount of an employee contribution to the individual account program that is paid by the employer and deducted from the compensation of the employee, as provided under ORS 238A.335 (1) and (2)(a).
(G) The amount of an employee contribution to the individual account program that is not paid by the employer under ORS 238A.335.
(H) Wages of a deceased member paid to a surviving spouse or dependent children under ORS 652.190.
(c) “Salary” does not include the following amounts:
(A) Travel or any other expenses incidental to employer’s business which is reimbursed by the employer.
(B) Payments made on account of an employee’s death.
(C) Any lump sum payment for accumulated unused sick leave, vacation leave or other paid leave.
(D) Any severance payment, accelerated payment of an employment contract for a future period or advance against future wages.
(E) Any retirement incentive, retirement bonus or retirement gratuitous payment.
(F) Payment for a leave of absence after the date the employer and employee have agreed that no future services in a qualifying position will be performed.
(G) Payments for instructional services rendered to institutions of the Department of Higher Education or the Oregon Health and Science University when those services are in excess of full-time employment subject to this chapter. A person employed under a contract for less than 12 months is subject to this subparagraph only for the months covered by the contract.
(H) The amount of an employee contribution to the individual account program that is paid by the employer and is not deducted from the compensation of the employee, as provided under ORS 238A.335 (1) and (2)(b).
(I) Any amount in excess of $200,000 for a calendar year. If any period over which salary is determined is less than 12 months, the $200,000 limitation for that period shall be multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of months in the determination period and the denominator of which is 12. The board shall adopt rules adjusting this dollar limit to incorporate cost-of-living adjustments authorized by the Internal Revenue Service.
(17) “System” means the Public Employees Retirement System. [2003 c.733 §1; 2005 c.152 §1; 2005 c.332 §2; 2005 c.728 §4; 2007 c.804 §77]
Section: 238A.005 238A.010 238A.025 238A.030 238A.050 238A.070 238A.100 238A.110 238A.115 238A.120 238A.125 238A.130 238A.140 238A.142 238A.145 NextLast modified: August 7, 2008