19-20-410. Creditable service for extension service employment. (1) (a) Subject to 19-20-405, at any time before retirement, a vested member may file a written application with the retirement board to purchase up to 5 years of employment service with the Montana cooperative extension service if:

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Terms Used In Montana Code 19-20-410

  • board: means the retirement system's governing board provided for in 2-15-1010. See Montana Code 19-20-101
  • Employer: means :

    (a)the state of Montana;

    (b)a public school district, as provided in 20-6-101 and 20-6-701;

    (c)the office of public instruction;

    (d)the board of public education;

    (e)an education cooperative;

    (f)the Montana school for the deaf and blind, as described in 20-8-101;

    (g)the Montana youth challenge program, as defined in 10-1-101;

    (h)a correctional facility, as defined in 41-5-103;

    (i)the Montana university system;

    (j)a community college; or

    (k)any other agency, political subdivision, or instrumentality of the state that employs a person who is designated a member of the retirement system pursuant to 19-20-302. See Montana Code 19-20-101

  • Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. Source: OCC
  • Member: means a person who has an individual account in the annuity savings account. See Montana Code 19-20-101
  • Position reportable to the retirement system: means a position in which an individual performs duties that would entitle the person to active membership in the retirement system under the provisions of 19-20-302. See Montana Code 19-20-101
  • Service: means the performance of duties that would entitle the person to active membership in the retirement system under the provisions of 19-20-302. See Montana Code 19-20-101
  • Vested: means that a member has been credited with at least 5 full years of membership service upon which contributions have been made and has a right to a future retirement benefit. See Montana Code 19-20-101

(i)the member became a member of the retirement system before July 1, 1989;

(ii)the service involved instructional service at a unit of the Montana university system; and

(iii)the member received a refund of membership contributions under the civil service retirement system or the federal employees’ retirement system for the service to be purchased.

(b)For each year of service to be purchased under subsection (1)(a), the member shall contribute to the retirement system an amount equal to the combined employer and employee contribution rate in effect at the time that the member is eligible to purchase the service multiplied by the member’s first full year’s salary earned in a position reportable to the retirement system subsequent to the member’s extension service employment, plus interest paid as follows:

(i)if a written application to purchase service was signed prior to July 1, 2012, at the rate that the contribution would have earned had the contribution been in the member’s account upon the member becoming vested; or

(ii)if a written application to purchase service is signed on or after July 1, 2012, at the actuarially assumed interest rate in effect on the date the written application is signed.

(2)In addition to service purchased under subsection (1) and subject to 19-20-407, a member who has purchased 5 years or more of creditable service in the retirement system may purchase additional years of cooperative extension service by contributing to the system the full actuarial cost of the service.

(3)Contributions to purchase service under this section may be made in a lump-sum payment or in installments as agreed upon by the member and the retirement board.