§142. Reciprocal recognition of credited service in state, parochial, and municipal systems

A. A member of any state, municipal, or parochial retirement system with membership service credit in any other state, municipal, or parochial retirement system, or an eligible survivor of a member, shall have the option of combining all service for which the member has credit in every such retirement system in order that eligibility for regular retirement, disability retirement, and survivor's benefits may be acquired, subject to the limitations of this Section; however, such other credited service shall not be recognized until and unless the member has earned at least six months service credit in the member's current system.

B. To exercise such option, a member shall make application to the system in which he is currently contributing or to which he last contributed if he is not actively contributing to any system at the time of application, or an eligible survivor shall make application to the system in which the member last contributed. The application shall contain the name of all other retirement systems in which the member claims membership service credit and any other necessary information. When the system receives the application it shall forward a copy thereof to each other retirement system in which the member claims credit. Each such application shall contain such information as is mutually agreed upon by the retirement systems involved. Each retirement system receiving the application shall certify to each other retirement system in which the member claims membership service credit the official membership service credit in that retirement system, including specific dates of such service, provided that certification of such agreements for reciprocal service shall be approved by the board of trustees of each such system when application is made by a survivor.

C. Each of the retirement systems shall keep and retain complete, permanent records on each member, and also shall retain and maintain all contributions and liabilities for service performed by the member in that retirement system.

D. Eligibility for disability or regular retirement, or for survivor's benefits, shall require the member to meet the highest age and years of service requirements of each system in which he has membership service credit; however, service in any one system sufficient to meet the eligibility requirements of that system shall qualify the member for benefits from that system, but, for the purposes of benefits under this Section, no member shall be eligible to receive benefits from any system so long as he is contributing to another system.

E. The retirement system in which a member covered by this Section is currently active or in which the member had last actively contributed shall be responsible for coordinating with other retirement systems in which credit is held by promptly notifying each such system when a covered member ceases to be an active member due to resignation, or by death in service, or by application for service or disability retirement or when an inactive member becomes eligible for benefits by reason of attainment of age.

F. Each system in which a member has membership service credit shall compute the benefits due from that system using its benefit formula in effect on the date of retirement, or on the date of death while in service, and in addition, the following provisions shall apply:

(1) Only the compensation and years of service actually earned or credited while in that system shall be used in this computation.

(2) If the benefit computation of any system requires the use of a minimum number of years, and the member has credit in the system for fewer than the minimum number of years, the benefit shall be a pro rata portion, based upon the membership service actually to his credit in this system, of what the benefit would be if he had credit for the minimum required years of membership service.

(3) If two or more systems provide a lump-sum benefit as part of the formula benefit, as in the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System, the Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana, and the Louisiana School Employees' Retirement System, but not limited to these systems, each such system shall pay only that percentage of the additional lump-sum benefit that credited service in that system represents of total credited service with respect to all of the systems which provide an additional lump-sum benefit; however, in no instance shall the total additional lump-sum benefit payable by all of the systems be less than the greatest lump-sum benefit payable by any of them, and if the total benefit payable as above provided is less than such greatest lump-sum benefit, the system having the greatest lump-sum benefit shall pay the difference.

(4) Each system shall notify each other system in which the member has membership service credit of the amount of benefits payable by it and show the computation of such benefit.

(5) All of the retirement systems involved may agree that benefit payments will be made by one system, and that each other system will make appropriate reimbursement to the system making the payment of the amount attributable to it.

G. No more than one year of membership service shall be credited for any one calendar or fiscal year, and there shall be no duplication of membership service credit for any period, including military service. Except as required by federal law, no more than a total of four years of military service shall be credited unless five years of such credit has been obtained under the rules applicable in a system, in which instance a maximum of five years shall be credited. In the event of duplication of military service credit in more than one system or a total credit for military service in excess of five years, the retirement systems involved shall mutually agree on an appropriate procedure to assure that maximum credit in all systems does not exceed five years.

H.(1) The total benefits payable from all systems, plus primary employee social security benefits then available by reason of the fact that social security is a part of any of the retirement systems involved, shall not exceed:

(a) One hundred percent of the highest average compensation on which benefits are based, computed in accordance with Subsection F of this Section.

(b) The highest benefit that any one of the systems would provide if all service had been credited in that system.

(2) If the total computation exceeds either Subparagraph (1)(a) or (b) of this Subsection, then each retirement system shall reduce the benefits to be paid by it in the proportion its benefits represent of total computed benefits.

I. Membership in any state, municipal, or parochial retirement system for which his employment makes him eligible for membership shall not be denied any employee by reason of attained age if his credited service in another state, municipal, or parochial retirement system, together with his prospective employment in that system until normal retirement age, would make him eligible for regular retirement benefits.

J. A board of trustees shall have the right to modify or terminate any transfer agreement it has entered into with another system where necessary to comply with this or any future law, or to reflect a policy of the board which is in compliance with laws enacted by the legislature and each board shall adopt such rules and regulations as are necessary to carry out the provisions and intent of this Section. Each board of trustees shall adopt such rules and regulations and establish such records and procedures of proof, not in conflict herewith, as are necessary to carry out the provisions and intent of this Section.

K. In those retirement systems where thirty-six months or three years or sixty months or five years is used in the computation of average compensation, the average salary shall be computed on the actual time in the retirement system when the person has less than the required number of months of service but eighteen or more months of service credit.

L. Prior to retirement from any system, a member may cancel an application for reciprocal recognition of service credit by notifying in writing each system in which he has credit of his cancellation of his application.

Added by Acts 1970, No. 36, §2. Amended by Acts 1971, No. 167, §1; Acts 1972, No. 46, §1; Acts 1975, No. 548, §1; Acts 1976, No. 416, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1977; Acts 1978, No. 344, §1; Acts 1979, No. 103, §1; Acts 1985, No. 620, §1; Acts 1990, No. 50, §1; Redesignated from R.S. 42:697 by Acts 1991, No. 74, §3, eff. June 25, 1991; Acts 1992, No. 209, §1; Acts 1997, No. 932, §1, eff. retroactive to Oct. 24, 1995; Acts 2018, No. 225, §1, eff. May 15, 2018.