74-4963. Termination of employment; payment of accumulated contributions; vesting of benefits; return to covered employment, conditions, purchase of service credit for previously forfeited service. (1) Upon termination of employment prior to the completion of 20 years of credited service, after 30 days after such termination a member may withdraw such member's accumulated contributions or elect to leave such accumulated contributions on deposit with the system. If the member elects to leave the accumulated contributions on deposit with the system and if the member returns to employment with the same or another participating employer within five years, such member shall receive credit for such member's service prior to such termination. If the member does not elect to leave the accumulated contributions on deposit or if the member does not return to covered employment within five years, such member shall no longer be a member of the system and the sum of such member's accumulated contributions then on deposit with this system shall be paid to such member after making application in a form prescribed by the board and after the system has a reasonable time to process the application for withdrawal. Upon proper notification by the system, member contributions not on deposit with the system shall be paid to the member by the participating employer.

(2) If, after termination and withdrawal of accumulated contributions, a former member returns to covered employment, except as otherwise provided in subsection (1), the former member shall become a member of the system as provided in subsection (2) of K.S.A. 74-4955, and amendments thereto. Any former member returning to covered employment may, at the former member's option, purchase service credit for such previously forfeited service credit, subject to the provisions of K.S.A. 74-49,123, and amendments thereto, at an additional rate of contribution, in addition to the employee's rate of contribution as provided in K.S.A. 74-4965, and amendments thereto, based upon the member's attained age at the time of purchase and using actuarial assumptions and tables in use by the retirement system at such time of purchase for such periods of service. Such additional rate of contribution shall commence at the beginning of the quarter following such election and shall remain in effect until all quarters of such service have been purchased. Subject to the provisions of K.S.A. 74-49,123, and amendments thereto, such member may elect to effect such purchase by means of a single lump-sum payment in lieu of the increased amount of the employee's contribution rate otherwise provided for in this act in an amount equal to the then present value of the benefits being purchased determined by the actuary using the member's attained age, annual compensation at the time of purchase and the actuarial assumptions and tables then in use by the retirement system. The lump-sum payment shall be made immediately upon being notified of the amount due. Upon receipt of such payment by the system the member shall receive full credit for the number of previously forfeited quarters of participating service which the member has elected to repurchase. Any member who repurchases all of the member's previously forfeited participating service credit shall also receive all of the member's previously forfeited prior service credit.

(3) Upon termination and withdrawal of accumulated contributions, any member whose employment was, up to the member's employer's entry date, covered by a pension system established under the provisions of K.S.A. 13-14a01 through 13-14a14, and amendments thereto or K.S.A. 14-10a01 through 14-10a15, and amendments thereto, shall be entitled to receive from the member's employer the sum of the member's accumulated contributions to the previous pension system.

(4) If a member has completed 20 years of credited service at date of termination, the member shall be granted automatically a vested retirement benefit in the system, but any time prior to the commencement of retirement benefit payments and before attaining age 55 the member may withdraw the member's accumulated contributions, whereupon the member's membership in this system ceases and no other amounts shall be payable for the member's prior and participating service credit. Eligibility of such member, who has not withdrawn the member's accumulated contributions, for retirement benefits and procedures for making application for retirement benefits shall be in accordance with K.S.A. 74-4957, and amendments thereto, except that in lieu of the three-month notice of intention to retire being made to the employer, such member shall make application for retirement in a form prescribed by the board and retirement benefits shall accrue from the first day of the month following receipt of such application. The amount of the retirement benefit shall be determined as provided in K.S.A. 74-4958, and amendments thereto.

(5) If a member, who has a vested retirement benefit, again becomes an employee of a participating employer, the amount of the member's vested retirement benefit shall remain in effect, and any retirement benefit such member subsequently accrues shall be calculated separately based on credited service after again becoming an employee and shall be added to that which had been vested by virtue of previous service. Eligibility of such member for retirement benefits and procedures for making application for retirement benefits shall be in accordance with K.S.A. 74-4957, and amendments thereto.

(6) Any member of this system who was previously a member of the Kansas public employees retirement system or the retirement system for judges and who forfeited service credit under either of those systems by reason of termination of employment and withdrawal of their contributions to that system, may elect, subject to the provisions of K.S.A. 74-49,123, and amendments thereto, to purchase service credit for the previously forfeited service credit by means of a single lump-sum payment and such service shall be recredited to that system. The amount of the lump-sum payment shall be determined by the actuary using the member's then current annual rate of compensation or the member's final average salary at the time the member elects to purchase such service credit, whichever is higher, and the actuarial assumptions and tables then currently in use by that retirement system.

(7) The provisions of this section shall apply only to members who were appointed or employed prior to July 1, 1989, and who did not make an election pursuant to K.S.A. 74-4955a, and amendments thereto.

History: L. 1965, ch. 447, § 13; L. 1967, ch. 431, § 11; L. 1968, ch. 71, § 2; L. 1978, ch. 322, § 1; L. 1982, ch. 319, § 38; L. 1983, ch. 254, § 17; L. 1984, ch. 289, § 14; L. 1989, ch. 232, § 21; L. 1993, ch. 227, § 40; L. 1995, ch. 267, § 23; L. 1998, ch. 64, § 75; L. 1998, ch. 201, § 40; L. 2001, ch. 209, § 36; L. 2003, ch. 155, § 11; L. 2006, ch. 143, § 20; July 1.