(1) If a person who participated in a transitional public employment program becomes a member of a retirement system established under this act within 12 months after the date of termination as a participant in a transitional public employment program, service credit shall be given for employment in the transitional public employment program for purposes of determining a retirement allowance upon the payment by the person and the person’s employer under the transitional public employment program from funds provided under the comprehensive employment and training act, 29 U.S.C. § 801 to 992, as funds permit, to the retirement system of the contributions, plus regular interest, the person and the employer would have paid had the employment been rendered in a position covered by this act. During the person’s employment in the transitional public employment program, the person’s employer shall provide an opportunity by payroll deduction for the person to make his or her employee contribution to the applicable pension system. To provide for the eventual payment of the employer’s contribution, the person’s employer shall during this same period place in reserve a reasonable but not necessarily an actuarially determined amount equal to the contributions which the employer would have paid to the retirement system for those employees in the transitional public employment program as if they were members under this act, but only for that number of employees which the employer determined would transfer from the transitional public employment program into positions covered by this act. If the funds provided under the comprehensive employment and training act are insufficient, the remainder of the employer contributions shall be paid by the person’s current employer.

    (2) The provisions of subsection (1) shall not exclude the participant in a transitional public employment program from the accident, disability or other benefits available to members of the retirement system covered by this act.