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A.(1)  A member who has been employed as a wildlife agent with the enforcement division of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for at least ten years immediately before application for retirement shall be eligible to apply for retirement if:

(a)  He was hired before July 1, 2003, and he has attained the age of fifty-five years; or

(b)  He was hired on or after July 1, 2003, and he has attained the age of sixty years; or

(c)  He was hired before July 1, 2003, and he has twenty years of service credit regardless of age; or

(d)  He was hired on or after July 1, 2003, and he has twenty-five years of service credit regardless of age.

(2)  Upon application to the board of trustees, a member shall receive a monthly benefit equal to the sum of:

(a)  Three percent of his average compensation for each year of service credit earned for all years before July 1, 2003, and

(b)  Three and one-third percent of his average compensation for each year of service credit earned for all years beginning on or after July 1, 2003.

(3)  A member shall receive a retirement benefit for service credit resulting from conversion of leave in accordance with La. Rev. Stat. 11:424 at a rate of three and one-third percent of his average compensation provided the member’s monthly benefit shall not exceed one hundred percent of his average compensation.

(4)  The retirement benefits provided by this Section shall not exceed the limitation provided in La. Rev. Stat. 11:444(B).

B.  However, no member shall be eligible to retire unless he is employed by the enforcement division of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission for at least ten years prior to his application for retirement, except as provided in this Subsection.  With less than ten years service he shall be eligible to retire on two and one-half percent of the average compensation for the actual number of years served with the said enforcement division.

C.(1)  For purposes of election to participate in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan as provided in La. Rev. Stat. 11:447(C), a member shall be eligible to participate when he has accrued twenty-five years of service credit at any age or ten years at age sixty, of which at least ten years is within the enforcement division immediately before joining the plan.  Any member who continues employment after participation in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan shall accrue an additional annual benefit equal to the sum of three percent of his average compensation for each continued year of service before July 1, 2003, and three and one-third percent of average compensation for each continued year of service on or after July 1, 2003, computed in accordance with La. Rev. Stat. 11:447 through 451 and not to exceed one hundred percent of the member’s average compensation.  Any member who participated in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan before July 1, 1999, shall not be eligible for additional participation therein after attaining twenty-five years of service credit.

(2)  Nothing in this Section shall be construed to allow recalculation of benefits for any retiree or of base benefits as defined in La. Rev. Stat. 11:450(D) for any Deferred Retirement Option Plan participant or any person who continued in employment after completing participation in the plan; however, calculation of a supplemental benefit amount based upon the service credit for additional employment after termination in the plan shall be governed by La. Rev. Stat. 11:450(D).

Added by Acts 1972, No. 135, §2, eff. July 26, 1972.  Amended by Acts 1975, No. 648, §2; Acts 1983, No. 674, §4; Redesignated from La. Rev. Stat. 56:682 by Acts 1991, No. 74, §3, eff. June 25, 1991; Acts 1999, No. 22, §1, eff. July 1, 1999; Acts 2003, No. 703, §1, eff. July 1, 2003.