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

(1)  “Accumulated contributions” means the sum of all amounts paid by a member, excluding interest paid on the repayment of a refund, and credited to his individual account in the employee‘s savings account, together with regular interest credited prior to July 1969.

(2)  “Actuarial equivalent” means a benefit of equivalent value to the accumulated contributions, annuity or benefits and regular interest, as the case may be, computed on the basis of the following assumptions:

(a)  Interest shall be compounded annually at a rate established by the board and adopted by the Public Retirement Systems’ Actuarial Committee.

(b)  Annuity rates shall be determined on the basis of the 1971 Group Annuity Tables adjusted on a unisex table basis; however, no optional benefit which accrued prior to September 3, 1984, shall be less than the benefits would be as converted under the definition of actuarial equivalent as provided herein.

(3)  “Actuarial tables” means the tables of mortality and rates of interest adopted by the board.

(4)  “Agency” means any governmental body employing persons and includes departments, agencies, boards, commissions, and courts.

(5)(a)(i)  “Average compensation”, for a member whose first employment making him eligible for membership in the system began on or before June 30, 2006, and for any person who receives an additional benefit pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. 11:444(A)(2)(b) or (c), 557, 582, or 602 or La. Rev. Stat. 24:36 whose first employment making him eligible for membership in one of the state systems occurred on or before December 31, 2010, means the average annual earned compensation of a state employee for the thirty-six highest months of successive employment, or for the highest thirty-six successive joined months of employment where interruption of service occurred; however, average compensation for part-time employees who do not use thirty-six months of full-time employment for average compensation purposes shall be based on the base pay the part-time employee would have received had he been employed on a full-time basis.

(ii)  The earnings to be considered for the thirteenth through the twenty-fourth month shall not exceed one hundred twenty-five percent of the earnings of the first through the twelfth month.  The earnings to be considered for the final twelve months shall not exceed one hundred twenty-five percent of the earnings of the thirteenth through the twenty-fourth month.  Nothing in this Subparagraph, however, shall change the method of determining the amount of earned compensation received.

(b)(i)  “Average compensation”, for a member whose first employment making him eligible for membership in the system began on or after July 1, 2006, and subject to the limitations provided in this Subparagraph, means the average annual earned compensation of a state employee for the sixty highest months of successive employment or for the highest sixty successive joined months of employment where interruption of service occurred; however, average compensation for part-time employees who do not use sixty months of full-time employment for average compensation purposes shall be based on the base pay the part-time employee would have received had he been employed on a full-time basis.  This Item shall also be applicable to any  judge, court officer, governor, lieutenant governor, clerk or sergeant-at-arms of the House of Representatives, secretary or sergeant-at-arms of the Senate, or state treasurer whose first employment making him eligible for membership in one of the state systems occurred on or after January 1, 2011.

(ii)  The earnings to be considered for persons to whom Item (i) of this Subparagraph applies 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.  The limitations on the computation of average compensation contained in this Item shall not apply to any twelve-month period during which compensation increased by more than fifteen percent over the previous twelve-month period solely because of an increase in compensation by a uniform systemwide increase adopted by the state Department of Civil Service and approved by the governor or because of a pay adjustment enacted by the legislature.  This Item shall also be applicable to any  judge, court officer, member of the Louisiana Legislature, governor, lieutenant governor, clerk or sergeant-at-arms of the House of Representatives, secretary or sergeant-at-arms of the Senate, or state treasurer whose first employment making him eligible for membership in one of the state systems occurred on or after January 1, 2011.

(iii)  The provisions of this Subparagraph shall not apply to any person who receives an additional benefit pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. 11:444(A)(2)(b) or (c), 557, 582, or 602 or La. Rev. Stat. 24:36 whose first employment making him eligible for membership in one of the state systems occurred on or after January 1, 2011.

(6)  “Base pay” means prescribed compensation for a specific position on a full-time basis, but does not include overtime, per diem, differential pay, payment in kind, premium pay, or any other allowance for expense authorized and incurred as an incident to employment, except supplemental pay for certain members as provided by Article X, Section 10(A)(1) of thethe Louisiana Constitution of 1974.  Employees who work biweekly eighty-hour schedules shall have their earned compensation for such regularly scheduled work considered as part of base pay even if some of these hours are defined as overtime for the purpose of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

(7)  “Beneficiary” means any person designated by the member or legally entitled to receive a retirement allowance, an annuity, or other benefit.

(8)  “Board” means the Board of Trustees of the Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System.

(9)  “Creditable service” means prior service plus membership service for which credit is allowable as provided in this Chapter.

(10)  “Earned compensation” means the base pay earned by an employee for a given pay period as reported to the system on a monthly basis by the agency which shall include the cash value of any emolument of office in the form of paid compensation in lieu of salary which is subject to federal and state payroll taxes and includes the full amount earned by an employee, overtime, and per diem earned by an employee of the House of Representatives, the Senate, or an agency of the legislature, and expense allowances and per diem paid to members of the legislature, the clerk, or sergeant at arms of the House of Representatives and president and secretary or sergeant at arms of the Senate.

(11)  “Employee” means any person legally occupying a position in the state service.

(12)  “Employer” means the state of Louisiana or any of its boards, commissions, departments, agencies, and courts which are contributing members of the Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System.

(13)  “Fiscal year” means the period beginning July first of any year and ending June thirtieth of the next succeeding year.

(14)  “Intermittent employee” means an employee working an indefinite schedule on an “as needed” basis.

(15)  “Job appointment” means employment for a fixed period not to exceed two years.

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

(17)  “Member” means any person included in the membership of the system.

(18)  “Membership service” means service after July 1, 1947 as an employee while a member of the system.

(19)  “Minor child” means an unmarried child under the age of eighteen years or an unmarried student under the age of twenty-three years who is the issue of a marriage of a member of this system, the legally adopted child of a member of this system, a child born outside of marriage of a female member of this system, or the child of a male member of this system if acknowledged or filiated pursuant to the provisions of the Civil Code.

(20)  “Part-time employee” means any employee who is a part-time, seasonal, or temporary employee as defined in 26 CFR 31:3121(b)(7)-2, or in any successor regulations.

(21)  “Position” means any office or any employment in the state service.

(22)  Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 679, §2, eff. June 25, 2001.

(23)  “Refund” means the withdrawal of all accumulated contributions at least thirty days after termination from the state service, or with respect to members having the option of belonging to the system, withdrawal of all accumulated contributions at least thirty days after receipt by the system of written notice of withdrawal.

(24)  “Retirement” means termination of active service, with a retirement allowance granted under the provisions of this Chapter.

(25)  “Retirement allowance or benefit” means an annuity for life paid in equal monthly installments.

(26)  “Spouse” means a person who is legally married to a member of this system.

(27)  “State” means the state of Louisiana.

(28)  “State service”means the type of agency service performed by its employees, elected officials, and appointed officials who are members of the system or the type of agency service established in accordance with La. Rev. Stat. 11:412.

(29)  “Student” means a person enrolled in a high school, a vocational-technical school, or a college or university, in a sufficient number of courses and classes in such institution to be classified as a full-time regular student under the criteria used by the institution in which he is enrolled.  In addition, the person must actually attend at least eighty percent of the total number of classes in which he is enrolled.

(30)  “System” means the Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System.

(31)  “Terminal leave payment” is the amount paid to an employee upon termination of state service for the value of accrued annual leave to his credit at the time of termination under such limitations as established by the State Civil Service Commission.

(32)  “Termination” means complete cessation of employment with the state.

(33)  “Vested right” means when a member obtains retirement eligibility as to age and service in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter.

Acts 1972, No. 135, §1, eff. July 26, 1972.  Amended by Acts 1976, No. 239, §1; Acts 1978, No. 67, §1; Acts 1978, No. 727, §7, eff. Jan. 1, 1979; Acts 1982, No. 190, §1; Acts 1983, No. 674, §3; Acts 1984, No. 473, §1; Acts 1987, No. 184, §1; Acts 1988, No. 657, §1, eff. July 15, 1988; Acts 1989, No. 76, §1; Acts 1989, No. 217, §1; Redesignated from La. Rev. Stat. 42:543 by Acts 1991, No. 74, §3, eff. June 25, 1991; Acts 1992, No. 518, §2, eff. June 26, 1992; Acts 1995, No. 1025, §1, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 1201, §1, eff. July 15, 1997; Acts 1999, No. 42, §1, eff. May 28, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 679, §§1 and 2, eff. June 25, 2001; Acts 2004, No. 26, §6; Acts 2005, No. 75, §1, eff. July 1, 2005; Acts 2006, No. 835, §1, eff. July 1, 2006; Acts 2007, No. 353, §1, eff. June 30, 2007; Acts 2010, No. 95, §1, eff. July 1, 2010; Acts 2010, No. 992, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2011.