19-3-509. Qualification of other Montana public service. (1) (a) A member may, at any time before retirement, make a written election with the board to qualify as service in this retirement system all or any portion of the member's service credit in the highway patrol officers', sheriffs', game wardens' and peace officers', firefighters' unified, or municipal police officers' retirement system for which the member either has received or is eligible to receive a refund of membership contributions. To qualify this service, the member shall contribute to the pension trust fund the actuarial cost of granting the service in the public employees' retirement system, as determined by the board, based on the most recent actuarial valuation minus the employer contribution provided in subsection (1)(b).
     (b) Upon receiving the member's payment under subsection (1)(a), the board shall transfer from the member's former retirement system to the public employees' retirement system an amount equal to the employer contributions made during the member's service but no more than an amount equal to the normal cost contribution rate minus the employee contribution rate in the public employees' retirement system, according to the most recent actuarial valuation, based on the salaries earned by the employee as a member of the former system.
     (2) (a) A member may, at any time before retirement, make a written election with the board to qualify any full-time public service employment performed for the state or a political subdivision of the state. The member shall provide salary and employment documentation certified by the member's former public employer. The board may grant service credit upon contribution by the employee of the actuarial cost of granting this service in the public employees' retirement system, as determined by the board, based on the most recent actuarial valuation of the system.
     (b) The board is the sole authority under this subsection (2) in determining what constitutes full-time public service.

     History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 145, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 290, L. 1983: amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 331, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 217, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 59, Ch. 265, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 412, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 52, Ch. 51, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 28, Ch. 562, L. 1999.