§952.24. Computation of credited service

A.(1) The computation of credited service rendered while a member shall include authorized leaves of absence on full or part pay, with appropriate employee and employer contributions being made on payments received during leave status. An employee on authorized leave of absence with part pay will receive service credit in the proportion that his part pay bears to full pay; however, the employee optionally may make additional contributions within ninety days after the time he returns to active duty for both the employer and employee share if full service credit is desired. In addition, a later payment for such additional full-time service credit may be made prior to the date of application for retirement if both employer and employee share plus regular interest is paid from the date of return to active service until paid.

(2) The computation of credited service while a member shall include leaves of absence without pay authorized by the board of supervisors in accordance with the following provisions:

(a) Any person who is a member of this system shall be eligible to obtain service credit in this system for service rendered elsewhere than in this system while on leave without pay authorized by the board of supervisors. The amount of such credit shall not exceed one year for every five years of service credit, or a total of three years.

(b) In order to obtain this credit, prior to the date of the member's application for retirement, the member shall make application to the board of supervisors therefor and shall furnish a detailed statement of all service for which credit is claimed in such form as the board requires.

(c) If the member is eligible to retire at the time he establishes credit for such service, he shall pay into the system an amount equal to the present value of the additional retirement benefit payable on account of his service while on leave without pay should he retire at the time credit for such service is established.

(d) If the member is not eligible to retire at the time he establishes credit for service while on leave without pay, he shall pay into the system an amount which, if invested at regular interest, would accumulate to an amount equal to the present value of the additional retirement benefit payable on account of such credit for service while on leave without pay should the member continue at his current salary until the earliest date he is eligible to retire. In determining the present value of the additional benefit payable on account of service while on leave without pay, and in determining the amounts to be paid by the member applying for credit of such service, regular interest and the tables of the system as adopted by the board of supervisors shall be employed.

B.(1) The computation of credited service rendered while a member shall include leaves of absence due to service in the armed forces of the United States and a person connected with the defense effort of the United States authorized by the board of supervisors, provided the member return to the employment of the university within such period of time as may be required under applicable legislation or board policy; and provided, further, that to obtain credit for such leaves, payment shall be made to the system prior to the date of application for retirement in an amount equal to the total contributions in excess of the social security payment which would have been paid by the employee and the employer based on the compensation which the member was earning immediately preceding such leave or termination for military or defense effort and on the assumption that he continued in university service at the same compensation during the period for which military or defense effort credit is claimed, plus regular interest thereon from the date of said service until paid.

(2)(a) A member who left the university service to enter the military service prior to July 1, 1971 and returned to university service within ninety days after release from such service, who was not granted a military leave, shall receive service credit for such service provided employee and employer contributions, based on the salary of the member at the time he left university service to enter military service plus regular interest are paid to the system prior to retirement.

(b) Any member who has at least two years of creditable service in this system shall be entitled to up to four years of military service credit regardless of when served. In order to obtain such credit, the employee and employer contributions based on the member's current regular compensation plus regular interest from date of military service until paid, must be paid to the system prior to retirement.

(c) Applicable employer and employee contributions, plus interest, shall be paid by the university and the employee respectively. Such contributions shall be reduced by the amount of the social security base and rate applicable on the dates of military service, provided, however, that the social security rate and the base for all years prior to July 1, 1971, shall be deemed to have been at the rate of five and two-tenths percent on a base of seven thousand eight hundred dollars. It is further provided that members who were employees prior to the establishment of this system on July 1, 1971, shall have interest accumulations payable only from July 1, 1971, until paid.

(d) No member shall receive retirement service credit for military service under this section unless application is filed with the retirement system, together with proof of inclusive dates of military service performed. Further, no member shall receive more than four years of total military service credit under the provisions of this section, and no credit shall be given for military service for which discharge was not granted under honorable conditions, nor shall credit for military service include any service in the national guard or in the reserve forces of the United States.

C. In the computation of part-time service, such service will only be given credit in proportion to full-time service for computation of a benefit allowance. For eligibility for regular retirement, early service retirement, disability retirement, and survivor's allowances only, a part-time employee will be credited for every year in which he works on a part-time basis as a full year of retirement credit for eligibility only. The average regular compensation for part-time employees who do not use months of full-time employment for average regular compensation purposes shall be based on the compensation the part-time employee would have received had he been employed on a full-time basis.

D. In the computation of credited service, the following schedule shall govern:

(1) for fiscal year employees, full or part year, nine months or more of service during any fiscal year shall constitute twelve months of service; provided no more than twelve months of service shall be creditable for all service rendered in any one fiscal year.

(2) for academic year employees, each regular semester shall constitute six months of service. For service of less than a semester or partly on an academic year basis and partly on a fiscal year basis during the same regular semester, service will be credited for the actual months and days served during the regular semester. No more than twelve months of service shall be creditable in any one fiscal year.

E. For the purpose of computing credited service for calculation of benefits only, but not for determining a member's eligibility for a benefit or the service upon which his average regular compensation shall be based, there shall be included the unused and unpaid accumulated sick leave and annual leave which the member had earned under civil service or administrative rules prior to his retirement or his death. Such accumulated and unpaid sick leave and annual leave shall be added to service credit on the basis of eight hours of leave equalling one work day, and twenty-two working days of leave equalling one month. If the leave total results in a fractional day, a fraction of one half or more day shall be counted as one day, of less than one half day shall be disregarded.

F. When the total computation of years of service including leave credits for determining benefits results in a final fractional part of a year, the following schedule shall govern: nine months of service or more shall be counted as one year; six to nine months, three-quarters of a year; three to six months, one-half year; one to three months, one-quarter of a year, and less than a month will not be counted.

G. With respect to employees who are or were members of the United States Civil Service Retirement System by virtue of university employment and who are or were employed in another division of the university not participating in the civil service retirement system, the service rendered under the civil service retirement system shall be counted as retirement service credit in this system for eligibility only, and in such case, calculation of benefits under this system shall be based only on credited service time in this system.

H. The computation of creditable service rendered while a member shall include full-time service rendered as a state employee prior to July 1, 1947 that would have qualified as creditable service in the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System. Such service shall include periods of military service immediately preceded by and immediately followed by state service, but not to exceed a total of four years of such military service. In order to obtain this credit, a member shall make application therefor to the board of supervisors prior to July 1, 1978, and shall furnish to the board a detailed statement of all service for which credit is claimed, in such form and with such verification as the board may require. Payment shall be made to the Louisiana State University Retirement System of an amount equal to the applicable employer and employee contributions based on the employee's current compensation.

Added by Acts 1971, No. 26, §1. Amended by Acts 1972, No. 519, §1; Acts 1974, No. 324, §1; Acts 1975, No. 472, §1; Acts 1975, No. 505, §1; Acts 1977, No. 323, §2. Redesignated from R.S. 17:1622 pursuant to R.S. 24:253.