19-20-410. Creditable service for extension service employment. (1) (a) At any time before retirement, a member with 5 years or more of creditable service in the retirement system may make a written election with the retirement board to qualify up to 5 years of employment service with the Montana cooperative extension service, subject to the limitation contained in 19-20-405, if:
     (i) the member became a member of the retirement system before July 1, 1989;
     (ii) the service involved instructional service at a unit of the Montana university system; and
     (iii) the member received a refund of membership contributions under the civil service retirement system or the federal employees' retirement system for the service to be qualified.
     (b) To qualify service under subsection (1)(a), the member shall contribute to the retirement system an amount equal to the combined employer and employee contribution for the member's first full year's teaching salary earned after becoming a member of the retirement system for each year of creditable service plus interest at the rate that the contribution would have earned had the contribution been in the member's account upon the completion of 5 years of membership service. The contribution rate must be that rate in effect at the time that the member is eligible for the service.
     (2) In addition to service purchased under subsection (1) and subject to 19-20-407, a member with 5 years or more of qualified service in the retirement system may qualify any cooperative extension service by contributing to the system the full actuarial cost of the service.
     (3) Contributions to qualify service under this section may be made in a lump-sum payment or in installments as agreed upon by the member and the retirement board.

     History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 79, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 113, L. 1989; Sec. , MCA 1991; redes. by Code Commissioner, 1993; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 408, L. 1997.