(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, for each member other than a National Guard member absent without compensation due to military service pursuant to Section 20990, the employer shall contribute an amount equal to the contributions that would have been made by the employer and the employee during the absence. The employer’s contribution pursuant to this section shall be based upon the member’s compensation earnable and the contribution rates in effect at the commencement of the absence, if any of the following apply:

(1) The member returns to state service within six months after receiving a discharge from military service other than dishonorable.

(2) The member returns to state service within six months after completion of any period of rehabilitation offered by the United States government, except that for purposes of this section, rehabilitation solely for education purposes shall not be considered.

(3) The member is granted a leave of absence from the state employer as of the same date the member was reinstated to that employment from military service, provided that the member returns to state service at the conclusion of the leave.

(4) The member is placed on a state civil service reemployment list within six months after receiving a discharge from military service other than dishonorable and returns to state service upon receipt of an offer of reemployment.

(5) The member retires from this system for service or disability during the course of an absence from state service for military service.

(6) The member dies during the course of an absence from state service for military service.

(b) Any member on leave from state service for military service who elects to continue contributing to this system shall be entitled to a refund of those contributions upon request.

(c) Any member who withdrew contributions during or in contemplation of his or her military service is entitled to the benefits of this section irrespective of whether the contributions are redeposited. The rate for future contributions for the member shall be based upon the member’s age at the time the member commenced a leave of absence from state service for service in the military.

(d) The employer’s contribution pursuant to this section may be made either in lump sum, or it may be included in its monthly contribution as adjusted by inclusion of the amount due in the employer rate at the valuation most near in time to the event causing the employer’s liability for those contributions. The employer’s contributions pursuant to this section shall be used solely for the purpose of paying retirement and death benefits and shall not be paid to the member whose contributions are refunded to him or her pursuant to Section 20735.

(e) Within 30 days of the member’s return to state service, the employer shall inform the member of his or her rights pursuant to this section, and provide the employee with the form provided pursuant to subdivision (f).

(f) The board shall provide a separate and unique form to be used by the member to receive credit for his or her military service. The form shall clearly state that the member has no obligation to pay for any portion of the employer contribution if eligibility is determined pursuant to this section.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 707, Sec. 2. (SB 294) Effective January 1, 2017.)