As used in the Educational Retirement Act:

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

A. “member” means an employee, except for a participant or a retired member, coming within the provisions of the Educational Retirement Act;

B. “regular member” means:

(1)     a person regularly employed by a state educational institution, except for: (a) a participant; or

(b) all employees of a general hospital or outpatient clinics thereof operated by a state educational institution named in Article 12, § 11 of the constitution of New Mexico;

(2)     a person regularly employed by a junior college or community college created pursuant to N.M. Stat. Ann. Chapter 21, Article 13, except for a participant;

(3)     a person regularly employed by a technical and vocational institute created pursuant to the Technical and Vocational Institute Act [N.M. Stat. Ann. Chapter 21, Article 16], except for a participant;

(4)     a person regularly employed by the New Mexico boys’ school, the girls’ welfare home, the Los Lunas medical center or a school district or as a licensed school employee of a state institution or agency providing an educational program and holding a license issued by the department, except for a participant;

(5)     a person regularly employed by the department holding a license issued by the department at the time of commencement of such employment;

(6)     a member classified as a regular member in accordance with the rules of the board;

(7)     a person regularly employed by the New Mexico activities association holding a license issued by the department at the time of commencement of such employment; or

(8)     a person regularly employed by a regional education cooperative holding a license issued by the department at the time of commencement of such employment;

C. “provisional member” means a person described in Section 22-11-17 N.M. Stat. Ann.;

D. “local administrative unit” means an employing agency however constituted that is directly responsible for the payment of compensation for the employment of members or participants;

E. “beneficiary” means a supplemental needs trust or a natural person having an insurable interest in the life of a member or a participant designated by written instrument duly executed by the member or participant and filed with the director to receive a benefit pursuant to the Educational Retirement Act that may be received by someone other than the member or participant;

F. “employment” means employment by a local administrative unit that qualifies a person to be a member or participant;

G. “service employment” means employment that qualifies a person to be a regular member;

H. “provisional service employment” means employment that qualifies a person to be a provisional member;

I. “prior employment” means employment performed prior to the effective date of the Educational Retirement Act that would be service employment or provisional service employment if performed thereafter;

J. “service credit” means that period of time with which a member is accredited for the purpose of determining the member’s eligibility for and computation of retirement or disability benefits;

K. “earned service credit” means that period of time during which a member was engaged in employment or prior employment with which the member is accredited for the purpose of determining the member’s eligibility for retirement or disability benefits;

L. “allowed service credit” means that period of time during which a member has performed certain nonservice employment with which the member may be accredited, as provided in the Educational Retirement Act, for the purpose of computing retirement or disability benefits;

M. “retirement benefit” means an annuity paid monthly to members whose employment has been terminated by reason of their age;

N. “disability benefit” means an annuity paid monthly to members whose employment has been terminated by reason of a disability;

O. “board” means the educational retirement board; P. “fund” means the educational retirement fund;

Q. “director” means the educational retirement director;

R. “medical authority” means a medical doctor or medical review panel designated or employed by the board to examine medical records and report on the medical condition of applicants for or recipients of disability benefits;

S. “actuary” means a person trained and regularly engaged in the occupation of calculating present and projected monetary assets and liabilities under annuity or insurance programs;

T. “actuarial equivalent” means a sum paid as a current or deferred benefit that is equal in value to a regular benefit, computed upon the basis of interest rates and mortality tables;

U. “contributory employment” means employment for which contributions have been made by both a member and a local administrative unit pursuant to the Educational Retirement Act;

V. “qualifying state educational institution” means the university of New Mexico, New Mexico state university, New Mexico institute of mining and technology, New Mexico highlands university, eastern New Mexico university, western New Mexico university, central New Mexico community college, Clovis community college, Luna community college, Mesalands community college, New Mexico junior college, northern New Mexico college, San Juan college, Santa Fe community college and southeast New Mexico college;

W. “participant” means:

(1)     a person regularly employed as a faculty or professional employee of the university of New Mexico, New Mexico state university, New Mexico institute of mining and technology, New Mexico highlands university, eastern New Mexico university or western New Mexico university who first becomes employed with such an educational institution on or after July 1, 1991, or a person regularly employed as a faculty or professional employee of the central New Mexico community college, Clovis community college, Luna community college, Mesalands community college, New Mexico junior college, northern New Mexico college, San Juan college or Santa Fe community college who is first employed by the institution on or after July 1, 1999, or a person regularly employed as a faculty or professional employee of southeast New Mexico college who is first employed by the institution on or after July 1, 2023, and who elects, pursuant to Section 22-11-47 N.M. Stat. Ann., to participate in the alternative retirement plan; and

(2)     a person regularly employed who performs research or other services pursuant to a contract between a qualifying state educational institution and the United States government or any of its agencies who elects, pursuant to Section 22-11-47 N.M. Stat. Ann., to participate in the alternative retirement plan; provided that the research or other services are performed outside the state;

X. “salary” means the compensation or wages paid to a member or participant by any local administrative unit for services rendered. “Salary” includes payments made for annual or sick leave and payments for additional service provided to related activities, but does not include payments for sick leave not taken unless the payment for the unused sick leave is made through continuation of the member on the regular payroll for the period represented by that payment and does not include allowances or reimbursements for travel, housing, food, equipment or similar items;

Y. “alternative retirement plan” means the retirement plan provided for in Sections 22-11-47 through 22-11-52 N.M. Stat. Ann.;

Z. “retired member” means a person whose employment has been terminated by reason of age and who is receiving or is eligible to receive retirement benefits; and

AA.         “supplemental needs trust” means a valid third-party irrevocable trust that is authorized by the federal Social Security Act, as amended, for the sole benefit and lifetime of a trust beneficiary who is disabled and is created for the purpose of providing, accounting for or receiving supplemental assets that do not supplant, impair or diminish any benefits or assistance of any federal, state or other government entity for which the beneficiary would otherwise be eligible.