§3004. Creditable service

A. Under such rules and regulations as the Board of Trustees shall adopt each member who was an employee at any time during the year immediately preceding August 1, 1948 and who during such year had accepted and was included under the provisions of Act No. 33 of 1944 and who became a member on or before November 1, 1948, shall be eligible for credit for service as an employee rendered by him prior to August 1, 1948.

B.(1) In the computation of prior service under the provisions of this Part, the following schedule shall govern: Nine months of service or more during any fiscal year shall constitute a year; six to nine months, three-quarters of a year; three to six months, one-half year; less than three months, one-quarter of a year of service. In no case shall credit be allowed for any period of absence without compensation except for disability while in receipt of a disability retirement allowance, or military service as provided in Subsection F of this Section, nor shall less than fifteen days of service in any month constitute a month of service, nor shall more than one year of service be creditable for all service rendered in any one fiscal year.

(2) In the computation of any retirement allowance or any annuity or benefit provided in this Part any fractional period of service of less than one year shall be taken into account and a proportionate amount of such retirement allowance, annuity or benefit, shall be granted for any such fractional period of service.

C. Subject to the above restrictions and to such other rules and regulations as the Board may adopt, the Board shall verify, as soon as practicable after the filing of such statements of service, the services therein claimed.

D.(1) Upon verification of the statement of prior service, the Board shall issue a prior service certificate certifying to each member the length of prior service for which credit shall have been allowed on the basis of his statement of service. So long as membership continues, a prior service certificate shall be final and conclusive for retirement purposes as to such service, provided that any member may within one year from the date of issuance or modification of such a certificate request the Board of Trustees to modify or correct his prior service certificate.

(2) When membership ceases such prior service certificates shall become void. Should the employee again become a member he shall enter the system as an employee not entitled to prior service credit except as provided in R.S. 11:3006 and 3008.

E. Creditable service at retirement on which the retirement allowance of a member shall be based shall consist of the membership service rendered by him since he last became a member, and also, if he has a prior service certificate which is in full force and effect, the amount of the service certified on his prior service certificate.

F. Anything in this Part to the contrary notwithstanding, any person who shall have been employed in the City Service at any time subsequent to September 16, 1940, who shall have entered the armed forces of the United States during time of war or have been inducted into such armed forces in time of peace, subsequent to said date while a City employee, shall be entitled to a prior service certificate for creditable service rendered prior to his service in the armed forces provided he again becomes an employee within one year after his discharge from the armed services and elects to become a member within sixty days after the date of his re-employment in the City Service. In addition to such prior service credit, he shall also be entitled to creditable service for all time he shall have served in the armed forces of the United States.

G. Any employee in the City Service heretofore transferred to any agency of the United States, or hereafter so transferred with any City function assumed by the United States Government, shall be entitled to credit for prior service as a City employee, if and when such employee is returned to the City Service. Such an employee shall be given ninety days from the date of return to the City Service to elect not to become a member of the system as provided in R.S. 11:3003(A)(2).

H. Any member who was eligible for membership on or before November 1, 1948, and who elected not to become a member at that time but who later became a member of the system and made contributions thereto up until the present date shall be eligible to regain credit for the period during which he did not contribute, including prior service if he would have been eligible for such service had he joined the system originally, provided that he notify the board on or before January 1, 1973 of his intention to regain credit for this service and pays to the system in a lump sum on or before the aforementioned date, an amount equal to:

(1) All amounts previously withdrawn by him from the City Employees' Retirement Pension and Relief Fund, or the City of Alexandria Employees' Retirement System, plus five percent yearly interest thereon, and

(2) Also pays to the said retirement system a sum equal to four percent of his earned compensation for the period between August 1, 1948 and the date he rejoined as a member of said retirement system, plus five percent yearly interest thereon. Upon the giving of such notice and the payment of the amount due he shall be given creditable service for the period beginning when he first became eligible for membership until the date he became a contributing member, and he shall also be given credit for any prior service for which he would have been eligible had he joined the system when he first elected non-membership.

I.(1) In addition to any credit authorized in this Section, any person who is a member of the City of Alexandria Employees' Retirement System shall be entitled to purchase up to four years of military service credit for active service in the military service of the United States for up to but not in excess of four years of such active military service whether rendered prior to or after commencement of employment as a municipal employee with the city of Alexandria.

(2) Any member who has at least eighteen months of creditable service in the City of Alexandria Employees' Retirement System shall be entitled to purchase up to four years of military service credit, provided all service was rendered prior to January 1, 1993, and provided application is filed with the retirement system, together with proof of the inclusive dates of military service performed. In order to obtain such credit the member shall pay into the system an amount equal to the current employee contributions based on the member's average base pay for the first thirty-six successive months of credited service in the system plus six percent compound interest per year from the date the member joined the system until paid. The amount to be paid shall be paid in one lump sum on or before December 1, 1993. The employer shall pay into the system an amount equal to the current employer contributions based on the member's average base pay for the first thirty-six successive months of credited service in the system plus six percent compound interest per year from the date the member joined the system until paid.

(3) No member shall receive more than four years of total military service credit under any provision of law. No member shall be entitled to purchase military service credit unless he has been honorably discharged from military service.

(4) No credit for military service shall be given for service in any state national guard or in the reserve forces of the United States, or for any service for which a member is drawing a benefit based on military service.

(5) There shall be no duplication of credit for military service and no member shall be entitled to purchase or receive credit for military service pursuant to this Section if he has previously received credit for such in any other public retirement plan or he is drawing a regular retirement benefit, based on age and service.

(6) Military service shall not be used for purposes of acquiring eligibility for disability or survivor's benefits and shall only be used for purposes of acquiring eligibility for normal retirement benefits. In addition, such military service credit cannot be used to meet the minimum eligibility requirement of any regular retirement of less than fifteen years.

(7) Military service credit shall not be used as the highest thirty-six successive months of employment where interruption of service occurred, in computing the average compensation for retirement benefit computation.

(8) The Board of Trustees of the City of Alexandria Employees' Retirement System shall notify the members of the system of the privilege granted by this Section, together with necessary information for obtaining such credit, as soon as practicable.

(9) The credit herein authorized shall be only for purposes of the retirement system and shall not be used to compute time served with the city for purposes of compensation, promotion, longevity, or any other purpose.

Designated from Acts 1972, No. 167, §1 by Acts 1991, No. 74, §3, eff. June 25, 1991; Acts 1993, No. 575, §1.