(a) A member shall receive a month of credited service for each month of service as a teacher, provided the Teachers' Retirement Board may grant a member a month of credited service for a month during which such member was employed after the first school day but not later than the fifth school day of such month if (1) such month was the member's first month of service as a teacher and (2) such month of credited service is needed by the member in order to qualify for a normal retirement benefit. Ten months of credited service shall be equal to one year of credited service. A member may not accumulate more than one year of credited service during any school year.

(b) Any member may purchase, as provided in subsection (c) of this section, additional credited service, but not to exceed an aggregate of one year in the case of service described in subdivision (2) of this subsection for each two years of active full-time service as a Connecticut teacher; and not to exceed an aggregate of one year in the case of absence described in subdivision (8) of this subsection for each five years of active full-time service as a Connecticut teacher, provided if any such absence exceeds thirty consecutive school months, such additional credited service shall be limited to thirty school months; and not to exceed an aggregate of ten years for all service described in this subsection, except for service described in subdivision (2) of this subsection. In no event may any service described in this subsection be purchased if the member is receiving or is, or will become, entitled to receive a retirement benefit based upon such service from any governmental system other than the teachers' retirement system or the federal Social Security System. Additional credited service includes:

(1) Service as a teacher in a school for military dependents established by the United States Department of Defense;

(2) Service as a teacher in another state of the United States, its territories or possessions;

(3) Service in the armed forces of the United States in time of war, as defined in section 27-103, or service in said armed forces during the period beginning October 27, 1953, and ending January 31, 1955;

(4) Service in a permanent full-time position for the state;

(5) Service as a teacher at The University of Connecticut prior to July 1, 1965;

(6) Service as a teacher at the Wheeler School and Library, North Stonington, prior to September 1, 1949;

(7) Service as a teacher at the Gilbert Home, Winsted, prior to September 1, 1948;

(8) Any formal leave of absence as provided in regulations adopted by the board, if the member subsequently returns to service for at least one school year;

(9) Service as a teacher at the American School at Hartford for the Deaf, the Connecticut Institute for the Blind or the Newington Children's Hospital;

(10) Forty or more days of service as a substitute teacher, or the equivalent service rendered at less than half-time, in a single public school system within the state of Connecticut in any school year, provided eighteen days of such service shall equal one month of credited service under subsection (a) of this section;

(11) Service in the armed forces of the United States, other than service described in subdivision (3) of this subsection, not to exceed thirty months;

(12) Service as a full-time, salaried, elected official of the state or any political subdivision of the state during the 1978 calendar year or thereafter, if such member subsequently returns to service for at least one school year;

(13) Service in the public schools of Connecticut as a member of the federal Teacher Corps, not to exceed two years;

(14) Service in the United States Peace Corps;

(15) Service in the United States VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program;

(16) Service in the public schools of Connecticut as a social work assistant, from January 1, 1969, to December 31, 1986, inclusive, if such member became a certified school social worker and remained in public school service as a social worker after certification; and

(17) Service prior to July 1, 2007, as a member of the staff of the State Education Resource Center established pursuant to section 10-4q of the general statutes, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 2007, employed in a professional capacity while possessing a certificate or permit issued by the State Board of Education.

(c) Additional credited service must be purchased by a member (1) prior to the time of retirement, (2) at the time a surviving spouse elects benefits under the provisions of subsection (d) of section 10-183h, or (3) at the time benefits commence as provided under sections 10-183g and 10-183jj. Any purchase of such service shall be accomplished by the member paying to the board an amount determined on the basis of actuarial factors adopted by the board that reflect the present value of one-half of the full actuarial cost of the benefit increase that will be derived by the purchase of such service, except that in the case of purchase of service described in subdivision (17) of subsection (b) of this section, or in the case of purchase of service described in subdivision (2) of said subsection (b) in excess of ten years, the present value of the full actuarial cost. Such factors shall consider the member's age at the time of purchase, actual or projected salary, and the earliest date on which the member would be eligible for a normal retirement allowance. Payments for additional credited service may be made in a lump sum by transfer of funds from the member's accumulated one per cent contributions withheld prior to July 1, 1989, with credited interest and accumulated voluntary contributions with credited interest plus such other amounts as may be required to complete the purchase.

(d) For the purpose of determining eligibility for benefits under section 10-183f, credited service purchased under subsection (b) of this section shall not be used except that (1) service in a school for military dependents described in subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section and out-of-state public school service described in subdivision (2) of said subsection (b) shall be used to determine eligibility for a normal retirement benefit based upon thirty-five years of credited service and for an early retirement benefit; and (2) military service described in subdivision (3) of said subsection (b), any leave of absence described in subdivision (8) of said subsection (b) and substitute service described in subdivision (10) of said subsection (b) shall be used as if they were service in the public schools of Connecticut.

(e) For purposes of computing benefit amounts under section 10-183g, other than proratable benefits and deferred vested retirement benefits, credited service purchased under subsection (b) of this section shall be used in the same manner as credited service described in subsection (a) of this section. In computing proratable benefits, purchased service credits shall be used as set forth in subsection (b) of section 10-183g. In computing deferred vested retirement benefits, purchased service credits shall be used as set forth in subsection (d) of section 10-183g. In computing the lump sum death benefit under section 10-183h, military service described in subdivision (3) of subsection (b) of this section and leaves of absence described in subdivision (8) of said subsection (b) shall be used as if they were service in the public schools of Connecticut.

(f) For purposes of computing benefit amounts under section 10-183g, whole months of credited service, including additional credited service, in excess of whole years shall be used in determining aggregate accumulations of credited service.

(g) Any member who has been elected to a full-time or part-time position in an organization which has been duly designated as the teachers' representative or who has been elected to a full-time or part-time position in a state-wide, national or international bargaining organization may, during the time such member so serves, continue membership and may make, or have made for such member, payments of contributions for such time, provided the organization which such member represents shall pay the full actuarial cost that would otherwise be incurred by the state for the time such member serves in excess of one year. If payment is made during such periods or at any time before retirement, such member shall receive credit for such service and shall be considered as serving as a public school teacher in the state for the purpose of computing length of service, and for the purpose of computing average annual salary, and shall be considered by the retirement board as though such member were remaining in such member's latest teaching position.

(P.A. 78-208, S. 4, 35; P.A. 79-407; 79-625, S. 2, 6; P.A. 80-376, S. 1; 80-408, S. 1; P.A. 82-293, S. 1, 2; 82-466, S. 1; P.A. 84-295, S. 1, 2; 84-440; P.A. 86-316, S. 2, 3; P.A. 87-410, S. 1, 3; P.A. 89-275; 89-342, S. 1, 5; P.A. 90-308, S. 5, 15; P.A. 92-205, S. 10–12; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-14, S. 1, 11; P.A. 93-379, S. 5, 8; P.A. 97-301, S. 1, 8, 10; P.A. 98-251, S. 1, 7; P.A. 02-117, S. 1; P.A. 03-232, S. 2, 14; P.A. 06-190, S. 2, 6; P.A. 07-126, S. 3; P.A. 08-112, S. 2; P.A. 14-212, S. 16.)

History: P.A. 79-407 added Subsec. (i) re continuance of membership by members elected to full-time position in organization which is teachers' bargaining representative; P.A. 79-625 amended Subsec. (g) to include provisions re deferred vested retirement benefits; P.A. 80-376 allowed prior members to purchase additional credited service only after 1 year from date of latest resumption of membership, whereas previously prior members could purchase credited service only until 1 year from date of latest membership resumption in Subsec. (b); P.A. 80-408 amended Subsec. (b)(3) to include military service between October 27, 1953, and January 31, 1955, and deleted word “wartime” throughout section; P.A. 82-293 amended Subsec. (b) to allow credited service for teaching at American School for the Deaf, Connecticut School for the Blind and Newington Children's Hospital and amended Subsec. (c) to allow 5 years for purchase of service credit for teaching at American School for the Deaf, Connecticut School for the Blind and Newington Children's Hospital; P.A. 82-466 added Subsec. (b)(9) re purchase of retirement credit for service as a substitute teacher; P.A. 84-295 amended Subsec. (i) to include member “who has been elected to a full-time position in the state-wide bargaining organization with which the local bargaining organization is affiliated” and replaced reference to “subsection (b) of section 10-153” with reference to “section 10-153b”; P.A. 84-440 restructured provisions re purchase of additional credited service, limited total number of years which may be purchased to 10, repealed reciprocity requirement in Subsec. (b)(2) re out-of-state teaching service and added requirement re 2 years active full-time teaching service in Connecticut for each year of out-of-state service purchased, repealed provision authorizing prior member to purchase service after teaching in Connecticut public schools for 1 year after resumption of membership, amended Subsec. (b)(10) re substitute teaching service to require such service to be in Connecticut, added Subsec. (b)(11) re armed forces service, amended provisions in Subsec. (c) re cost of and time limits for purchase of additional credited service, repealed Subsecs. (d) and (e) re special purchase provisions and renumbered remaining subsecs.; P.A. 86-316 amended Subsec. (b) to delete limitation of subsection to any member “except an inactive member”, to provide that purchase of additional credited service for an absence described in Subdiv. (8) may not exceed an aggregate of 1 year for each 5 years of active full-time service as a Connecticut teacher and to provide that if any such absence exceeds 30 consecutive school months, such additional credited service shall be limited to 30 school months; amended Subsec. (b)(8) to refer to “formal” rather than “authorized” leave of absence; P.A. 87-410 amended Subsec. (a) to authorize board, under certain conditions, to grant a month of credited service for a month during which a member was employed after the first school day but not later than the fifth school day; P.A. 89-275 amended Subsec. (g) to increase number of years of credited service which may be purchased for service in bargaining organization from 4 to 8; P.A. 89-342 amended Subsec. (c) to limit use of accumulated 1% contributions for purchase of additional credited service to contributions withheld prior to July 1, 1989, and to clarify that such contributions and voluntary contributions include credited interest; P.A. 90-308 added Subsec. (b)(12) re service as an elected official; P.A. 92-205 added Subsec. (b)(13) re service as a member of the federal teacher corps and Subsec. (g) to expand provision re election to full-time position in state-wide bargaining organization to include national or international bargaining organization; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-14 changed effective date of P.A. 92-205 but did not affect the date applicable to this section; P.A. 93-379 added Subsec. (b)(14) permitting purchase of retirement credit for Peace Corps service, effective June 30, 1993; P.A. 97-301 amended Subsec. (b)(12) to require that credited service as an elected official must be service as a full-time, salaried, elected official and amended Subsec. (g) to include election to part-time position and to delete 8-year limit on continued membership, effective July 8, 1997; P.A. 98-251 amended Subdiv. (10) of Subsec. (b)(10) re additional credited service for 40 or more days of service as a substitute teacher, to include the equivalent service rendered at less than half-time, effective June 8, 1998; P.A. 02-117 amended Subsec. (b)(10) to reduce number of days of substitute teaching from 20 to 18, effective July 1, 2002; P.A. 03-232 amended Subsec. (c) to require that a member purchase additional credited service prior to retirement, deleted reference to optional payment form pursuant to Sec. 10-183j and deleted existing formula for payment for purchase of service, added reference to benefits under Secs. 10-183g and 10-183jj, and added new formula for purchase of service based on actuarial factors adopted by board which reflect present value of one-half of full actuarial cost of benefit increase to be derived by purchase of such service, and specified that factors consider member's age, actual or projected salary, and earliest date when member would be eligible for normal retirement allowance, effective October 1, 2004, and amended Subsec. (g) to delete “with which the local bargaining organization is affiliated, under the provisions of section 10-153b”, and to make certain technical changes, effective July 1, 2003; P.A. 06-190 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provisions re service in VISTA and certain service as social work assistant as Subdivs. (15) and (16), respectively, effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 07-126 added Subsec. (b)(17) re State Education Resource Center and amended Subsec. (c) by adding exception re Subsec. (b)(17), effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 08-112 amended Subsec. (b) to include service described in Subdiv. (2) as exception to limitation on additional credited service to aggregate of 10 years and to make a technical change and amended Subsec. (c) to include reference to purchase of service described in Subsec. (b)(2) in excess of 10 years and to make a technical change, effective July 1, 2008; P.A. 14-212 amended Subsec. (b)(17) by adding “of the general statutes, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 2007,” re Sec. 10-4q, effective June 13, 2014.