(a)

(1) The member's deferred benefit shall be the monthly benefit to which the member would have been entitled if the member had thirty (30) years of service and had actually retired on the member's deferred retirement option date with regard to the provisions of § 24-4-606 related to annuity options.

(2) If the member has less than thirty (30) years of actual service, but at least twenty-eight (28) years of service, the portion of the member's deferred benefit that is contributed to the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System Deferred Retirement Option Plan will be reduced by the percentage established by the Board of Trustees of the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System, and then shall be subject to the additional computations as set forth in subsections (b) and (c) of this section.

(b) The member's deferred option account shall be the account in which shall be accumulated the member's deferred option contributions, plus interest. Effective July 1, 1999, the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System's deferred option contributions shall be at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the system's deferred option benefit with the exact contribution to be determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the board as is actuarially appropriate for the system. The member shall be informed of the amount of his or her deferred option contribution and informed that his or her selection of the deferred retirement option, the time of the retirement deferral, and the selection of the retirement annuity are irrevocable.

(c) The interest on contributions to the member's deferred option account shall be credited to the individual account balance of the member on an annual basis at the end of each fiscal year. The board shall determine the rate of interest to be credited to each member's deferred option account.