(1) Prior to January 1, 2020, except as otherwise provided in this section, a member of the retirement system who has a five-year break in service shall upon reemployment be considered a new employee with respect to the County Employees Retirement Act and shall not receive credit for service prior to his or her reemployment date.

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

(2)(a) A member who ceases to be an employee before becoming eligible for retirement under section 23-2315 and again becomes a permanent full-time or permanent part-time county employee prior to having a five-year break in service shall immediately be reenrolled in the retirement system and resume making contributions. For purposes of vesting employer contributions made prior to and after the reentry into the retirement system under subsection (3) of section 23-2319, years of participation include years of participation prior to such employee’s original termination. For a member who is not vested and has received a termination benefit pursuant to section 23-2319, the years of participation prior to such employee’s original termination shall be limited in a ratio equal to the amount that the member repays divided by the termination benefit withdrawn pursuant to section 23-2319.

(b) The reemployed member may repay the value of, or a portion of the value of, the termination benefit withdrawn pursuant to section 23-2319. A reemployed member who elects to repay all or a portion of the value of the termination benefit withdrawn pursuant to section 23-2319 shall repay the actual earnings on such value. Repayment of the termination benefit shall commence within three years of reemployment and shall be completed within five years of reemployment or prior to termination of employment, whichever occurs first, through (i) direct payments to the retirement system, (ii) installment payments made pursuant to a binding irrevocable payroll deduction authorization made by the member, (iii) an eligible rollover distribution as provided under the Internal Revenue Code, or (iv) a direct rollover distribution made in accordance with section 401(a)(31) of the Internal Revenue Code.

(c) The value of the member’s forfeited employer account or employer cash balance account, as of the date of forfeiture, shall be restored in a ratio equal to the amount of the benefit that the member has repaid divided by the termination benefit received. The employer account or employer cash balance account shall be restored first out of the current forfeiture amounts and then by additional employer contributions.

(3) For a member who retired pursuant to section 23-2315 and becomes a permanent full-time employee or permanent part-time employee with a county under the County Employees Retirement Act more than one hundred twenty days after his or her retirement date, the member shall continue receiving retirement benefits. Such a retired member or a retired member who received a lump-sum distribution of his or her benefit shall be considered a new employee as of the date of reemployment and shall not receive credit for any service prior to the member’s retirement for purposes of the act.

(4) A member who is reinstated as an employee pursuant to a grievance or appeal of his or her termination by the county shall be a member upon reemployment and shall not be considered to have a break in service for such period of time that the grievance or appeal was pending.

(5) Beginning January 1, 2020, if a contributing member of the retirement system ceases to be an employee and returns to service in any capacity with any county under the County Employees Retirement Act prior to having a one-hundred-twenty-day break in service, the member:

(a) Shall not be deemed to have had a bona fide separation of service;

(b) Shall be immediately reenrolled in:

(i) The defined contribution benefit if the member was contributing to the defined contribution benefit prior to ceasing employment; or

(ii) The cash balance benefit in which the member was participating prior to ceasing employment if the member was contributing to the cash balance benefit prior to ceasing employment;

(c) Shall immediately resume making contributions;

(d) Shall make up any missed contributions based upon services rendered and compensation received;

(e) Shall have all distributions from the retirement system canceled; and

(f) Shall repay the gross distributions from the retirement system.

(6)(a) Beginning January 1, 2020, if a contributing member of the retirement system ceases to be an employee and returns to permanent full-time or permanent part-time service in any capacity with any county under the County Employees Retirement Act after having a one-hundred-twenty-day break in service, the member:

(i) Shall be immediately reenrolled in:

(A) The defined contribution benefit if the member was contributing to the defined contribution benefit prior to ceasing employment; or

(B) The cash balance benefit in which the member was participating prior to ceasing employment if the member was contributing to the cash balance benefit prior to ceasing employment;

(ii) Shall immediately resume making contributions;

(iii) Shall continue receiving any annuity elected after the member ceased employment and before the member was reemployed; and

(iv) Shall be prohibited from taking any distributions from the retirement system until the employee again terminates employment with any and all counties under the County Employees Retirement Act.

(b) For the purposes of vesting employer contributions made prior to and after reentry into the retirement system, the member’s years of participation prior to the date the member originally ceased employment and the years of participation after the member is reenrolled in the retirement system shall be included as years of participation, except that if the member is not vested on the date the member originally ceased employment and has taken a distribution, the years of participation prior to the date the member originally ceased employment shall be limited in a ratio equal to the value of the distribution that the member repays divided by the total value of the distribution taken as described in subdivision (6)(c) of this section.

(c) A reemployed member may repay all or a portion of the value of a distribution except for an annuity elected after the member ceased employment and before the member was reemployed. Repayment of such a distribution shall commence within three years after reemployment and shall be completed within five years after reemployment or prior to the member again ceasing employment, whichever occurs first, through (i) direct payments to the retirement system, (ii) installment payments made pursuant to a binding irrevocable payroll deduction authorization made by the member, (iii) an eligible rollover distribution as provided under the Internal Revenue Code, or (iv) a direct rollover distribution made in accordance with section 401(a)(31) of the Internal Revenue Code. If the member fails to repay all of the value of such a distribution prior to the member again ceasing employment, the member shall be forever barred from repaying the value of such a distribution taken between the periods of employment. The value of the member’s forfeited employer account or employer cash balance account, as of the date of forfeiture, shall be restored in a ratio equal to the amount of the distribution repaid by the member divided by the amount of the distribution taken. The employer account or employer cash balance account shall be restored first out of the current forfeiture amounts and then by additional employer contributions.