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            The following words and phrases, as used in this Chapter, unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context, shall have the following meanings:

            (1) “Accumulated contributions” shall mean the sum of all the amounts deducted from the compensation of a member and credited to his individual account in the annuity savings fund.

            (2) “Actuarial equivalent” shall mean a benefit of equal value when computed upon the basis of such mortality tables as shall be adopted by the board of trustees, and regular interest.

            (3) “Annuity” shall mean payments for life derived from the accumulated contributions of a member. All annuities shall be payable in equal monthly installments.

            (4) “Annuity reserve” shall mean the present value of all payments to be made on account of any annuity, or benefit in lieu of any annuity computed upon the basis of such mortality tables as shall be adopted by the board of trustees, and regular interest.

            (5) “Average compensation” shall mean the average annual earned compensation of an employee for any period of sixty successive or joined months of service as an employee during which earned compensation was the highest. In case of interruption of employment, the sixty-month period shall be computed by joining employment periods immediately preceding and succeeding the interruption. The earnings to be considered for the thirteenth through the twenty-fourth month shall not exceed one hundred fifteen percent of the earnings of the first through the twelfth month. The earnings to be considered for the twenty-fifth through the thirty-sixth month shall not exceed one hundred fifteen percent of the earnings of the thirteenth through the twenty-fourth month. The earnings to be considered for the thirty-seventh through the forty-eighth month shall not exceed one hundred fifteen percent of the earnings of the twenty-fifth through the thirty-sixth month. The earnings for the final twelve months shall not exceed one hundred fifteen percent of the earnings of the thirty-seventh through the forty-eighth month.

            (6) “Beneficiary” shall mean any person designated to receive a pension, an annuity, a retirement allowance or other benefit as provided by this Chapter.

            (7) “Board of trustees” shall mean the board provided for in La. Rev. Stat. 11:2091 to administer the retirement system.

            (8) “Creditable service” shall mean service for which credit is allowable as provided in La. Rev. Stat. 11:2061.

            (9) “Earnable compensation” shall mean the full rate of compensation that would be payable to the member (employee) if he worked the full working time.

            (10) “Employee” shall mean any registrar of voters of the state of Louisiana or any deputy or permanent employee of the office of registrar of voters in any parish of the state of Louisiana. “Employee” shall also mean a person employed by this retirement system or a person employed by the Louisiana Registrar of Voters Association, Inc.

            (11) “Employer” shall mean the registrar of voters of any parish in the state of Louisiana, the state of Louisiana, or the police jury or any other governing body of a parish which employs and pays persons as registrars of voters. “Employer” shall also mean this retirement system.

            (12) “Employer’s annuity” shall mean payments for life derived from money provided by the employer or employing agency, or the parishes of Louisiana or the state of Louisiana.

            (13) “Medical board” shall mean the State Medical Disability Board.

            (14) “Member” shall include any employee, as defined in Paragraph (10) of this Section, included in the membership of this system as provided in La. Rev. Stat. 11:2051.

            (15) “Membership service” shall mean service as an employee while a member of this system.

            (16) “Pension reserve” shall mean the present value of all payments to be made on account of any pension, or benefit in lieu of any pension computed upon the basis of such mortality tables as shall be adopted by the board of trustees, and regular interest.

            (17) “Prior service” shall mean service rendered prior to the date of the establishment of this retirement system for which credit is allowable as provided in La. Rev. Stat. 11:2061.

            (18) “Regular interest” shall mean interest compounded annually at such a rate as shall be determined by the board of trustees in accordance with La. Rev. Stat. 11:2111.

            (19) “Retirement” shall mean withdrawal from active service with a retirement allowance granted under the provisions of this Chapter.

            (20) “Retirement allowance” shall mean the sum of the annuity and the pensions, or any optional benefit payable in lieu thereof.

            (21) “Retirement system” shall mean the Registrars of Voters Employees’ Retirement System as defined in La. Rev. Stat. 11:2032.

            (22) “Service” shall mean service rendered as an employee as described in Paragraph (10) of this Section.

            Acts 1954, No. 215, §1. Amended by Acts 1956, No. 445, §1; Acts 1962, No. 13, §1; Acts 1971, No. 79, §1; Acts 1974, No. 388, §1; Acts 1978, No. 727, §4, eff. Jan. 1, 1979; Acts 1989, No. 202, §1; Redesignated from La. Rev. Stat. 18:1651 by Acts 1991, No. 74, §3, eff. June 25, 1991; Acts 2006, No. 780, §1, eff. June 30, 2006; Acts 2009, No. 44, §1, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2012, No. 525, §1, eff. July 1, 2012; Acts 2018, No. 614, §1, eff. July 1, 2018.

NOTE: See Acts 2012, No. 525, §2 regarding implementation of changes to calculation of final compensation.