Ohio Code 5505.40 – Full credit for service credit earned for full-time service as member of non-uniform system
(A) As used in this section and section 5505.41 of the Revised Code:
Terms Used In Ohio Code 5505.40
- Accumulated contributions: means the sum of the following credited to a member's individual account in the employees' savings fund:
(1) All amounts deducted from the salary of the member;
(2) All amounts paid by the member to purchase state highway patrol retirement system service credit pursuant to this chapter or other state law. See Ohio Code 5505.01
- board: means the state highway patrol retirement board provided for in the plan. See Ohio Code 5505.01
- Employee: includes the superintendent of the state highway patrol. See Ohio Code 5505.01
- member: means any employee included in the membership of the retirement system, whether or not rendering contributing service. See Ohio Code 5505.01
- Pension: means an annual amount payable by the retirement system throughout the life of a person or as otherwise provided in the plan. See Ohio Code 5505.01
- Retirement: means retirement as provided in sections 5505. See Ohio Code 5505.01
- Rule: includes regulation. See Ohio Code 1.59
- salary: means all compensation, wages, and other earnings paid to a member by reason of employment but without regard to whether any of the compensation, wages, or other earnings are treated as deferred income for federal income tax purposes. See Ohio Code 5505.01
- state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
- system: means the state highway patrol retirement system created and established in the plan. See Ohio Code 5505.01
- United States: includes all the states. See Ohio Code 1.59
(1) “Full-time service” means full-time service as defined by rule which shall be adopted by the state highway patrol retirement board.
(2) “Military service credit” means credit for service in the armed forces of the United States purchased or obtained under this chapter or Chapter 145., 3307., or 3309. of the Revised Code.
(3) “Non-uniform retirement system” or “non-uniform system” means the public employees retirement system, school employees retirement system, or state teachers retirement system.
(B)(1)(a) For purposes of computing the pension payable under section 5505.17 or 5505.18 of the Revised Code, a member of the state highway patrol retirement system who is a former member of a non-uniform retirement system and has received a return of contributions from the non-uniform system shall be given full credit for service credit earned for full-time service as a member of the non-uniform system or purchased or obtained as military service credit if, for each year of service credit, the state highway patrol retirement system receives the sum of the following:
(i) An amount, which shall be paid by the member to the member’s credit in the employees’ savings fund, equal to the amount received by the member from the non-uniform system for that year that is attributable to contributions made for full-time service and payments for military service credit, plus interest at a rate established by the board on that amount from the date payment was made to the member by the non-uniform system to the date the member makes the payment to the state highway patrol retirement system;
(ii) If a member is seeking credit for service under the public employees retirement system or state teachers retirement system, an amount, which shall be paid by the member, equal to the amount of any employer contributions and interest on employee contributions the member received under section 145.40 or 3307.563 of the Revised Code;
(iii) Interest, which shall be transferred by the non-uniform system, on the amount received by the member that is attributable to the year of service from the last day of the year for which the service credit was earned or in which payment was made for military service credit to the date the amount was paid to the member;
(iv) An amount, which shall be transferred by the non-uniform system, equal to the lesser of the employer’s contributions to the non-uniform system for the year of service or the amount that would have been contributed by the employer for the full-time service had the member been a member of the state highway patrol retirement system at the time the credit was earned, with interest on that amount from the last day of the year for which the service credit was earned or in which payment was made for military service credit to the date the transfer is made.
(b) On receipt of payment from the member, the state highway patrol retirement system shall notify the non-uniform system, which, on receipt of the notice, shall make the transfer required by this division. Interest shall be determined in accordance with division (F) of this section.
(c) The amount transferred under division (B)(1)(a) of this section by the public employees retirement system or state teachers retirement system shall not include any amount of employer contributions and interest on employee contributions the member received under section 145.40 or 3307.563 of the Revised Code.
(2) For purposes of computing the pension payable under section 5505.17 or 5505.18 of the Revised Code, a member of the state highway patrol retirement system who has contributions on deposit with a non-uniform retirement system shall be given full credit for service credit earned for full-time service as a member of that non-uniform system or any service credit purchased or obtained as military service credit if, for each year of service, the non-uniform system transfers to the state highway patrol retirement system the sum of the following:
(a) The amount, contributed by the member or, in the case of military service, paid by the member, that is attributable to that service;
(b) An amount equal to the lesser of the employer’s contributions to the non-uniform system for the year of service or the amount that would have been contributed by the employer for the full-time service had the member been a member of the state highway patrol retirement system at the time the credit was earned;
(c) Interest, determined in accordance with division (F) of this section, on the amounts specified in divisions (B)(2)(a) and (b) of this section from the last day of the year for which the service credit in the non-uniform system was earned or in which military service credit was purchased or obtained to the date the transfer is made.
On receipt of a request from the member, the appropriate non-uniform system shall make the transfer.
(3) Unless section 5505.402 of the Revised Code applies, for purposes of computing the pension payable under section 5505.17 or 5505.18 of the Revised Code, a member of the state highway patrol retirement system who has contributions on deposit with the Cincinnati retirement system shall be given full credit for service credit earned for full-time service as a member of that retirement system or purchased or obtained as military service credit if, for each year of service credit, the state highway patrol retirement system receives the sum of the following:
(a) An amount, which shall be paid by the member to the member’s credit in the employees’ savings fund, equal to the amount withdrawn from the Cincinnati retirement system that is attributable to that year of service, with interest on that amount determined in accordance with division (F) of this section from the date of withdrawal to the date of payment;
(b) Interest, which shall be paid either by the member or the Cincinnati retirement system, on the amount withdrawn from the Cincinnati retirement system that is attributable to the year of service from the last day of the year for which the service credit was earned or in which payment was made for military service credit to the date the amount was withdrawn;
(c) An amount, which shall be paid either by the member or the Cincinnati retirement system, equal to the lesser of the employer’s contributions to the Cincinnati retirement system for the year of service or the amount that would have been contributed by the employer for the full-time service had the member been a member of the state highway patrol retirement system at the time the credit was earned, with interest on that amount from the last day of the year for which the service credit was earned or in which payment was made for military service to the date the payment is made.
(C) If a member who is not a current contributor and has not received a refund of accumulated contributions elects to receive credit under section 145.295, 3307.761, or 3309.73 of the Revised Code for service for which the member contributed to the state highway patrol retirement system and credit purchased as military service credit, the state highway patrol retirement system shall transfer to the appropriate retirement system the amount specified in division (C) of section 145.295, division (B) of section 3307.761, or division (B) of section 3309.73 of the Revised Code.
(D)(1) A member is ineligible to purchase or otherwise receive credit under this section for service that is used in the calculation of any retirement benefit currently being paid or that is payable in the future to the member under any other retirement program, service rendered concurrently with any other period for which service credit has already been granted, or for service credit that may be transferred under section 5505.41 of the Revised Code.
(2) Except as provided under division (D)(3) of this section, no service credit purchased under this section or received as a result of a transfer requested under this section shall be used to determine any member’s eligibility for retirement under sections 5505.16 and 5505.17 of the Revised Code.
(3) Service credit obtained under this section by a member for military service credit or for service as a state highway patrol cadet attending training school pursuant to section 5503.05 of the Revised Code shall be used to determine the member’s eligibility for retirement under sections 5505.16 and 5505.17 of the Revised Code.
(4) Subject to rules of the state highway patrol retirement system, a member may choose to purchase only part of the credit the member is eligible to purchase under division (B)(1) or (3) of this section.
(E) At the request of the state highway patrol retirement system, the non-uniform retirement system or Cincinnati retirement system shall certify to the state highway patrol retirement system a copy of the records of service, salary, and contributions of a member who seeks service credit under this section.
(F) Interest charged under this section shall be calculated separately for each year of service credit. Unless otherwise specified in this section, it shall be calculated at the lesser of the actuarial assumption rate for that year of the state highway patrol retirement system or of the system in which the credit was earned. The interest shall be compounded annually.
(G) The state highway patrol retirement system board may adopt rules establishing procedures for the purchase of service credit or the transfer of contributions under this section.