Sec. 18.

(1) A member of the retirement system who, while an employee of this state, was or who is drafted or enlisted into active military or other armed service of the United States government during time of war, or a member who is drafted or enlisted into active armed service during time of peace, and who returns for reemployment as a state employee within 6 months after the member's discharge from active service, or if hospitalized at date of discharge, returns for reemployment as a state employee within 6 months after release from the military facility, shall have all that active service credited as a member of the retirement system, in the same manner as if the member had served the state uninterruptedly but not more than 5 years of that service may be credited to a member. During the period of active service, and until return to state employment, the member's contributions to the employee's savings fund shall be suspended and the balance in the employees' savings fund standing to the member's credit as of the last payroll date preceding the leave of absence from the service of the member's department shall be accumulated at regular interest. If the member withdraws all or part of the accumulated contributions from the employees' savings fund, the active service shall not be credited until the member returns to the fund all amounts the member withdrew, together with regular interest computed from the date of withdrawal to the date of repayment.

(2) On or after January 1, 1978 a member of this retirement system who does not meet the requirements of subsection (1) and who was drafted, enlisted, inducted, or commissioned into active duty with the military or other armed service of the United States government may elect to receive service credit for not more than 5 years of active duty upon request and payment to the retirement system of an amount equal to 5% of the member's full-time compensation for the fiscal year in which payment is made multiplied by the years of service that the member elects to purchase up to the maximum. Service shall not be credited if it is or would be credited under any other federal, state, or local publicly supported retirement system, but this restriction does not apply to those persons who have or will have acquired retirement eligibility under the federal government for service in the reserve. Armed service shall not be credited under this subsection until the member has accumulated the number of years of credited service needed to vest in the retirement system. Armed service under this subsection shall not be creditable to a member on deferred retirement status under section 20(4) before May 18, 1978. For purposes of computing payment under this subsection, the compensation amount used shall not be less than the highest fiscal year compensation previously received by the member.

(3) A person who was in the employ of the Michigan employment service on January 1, 1942, the date on which the employment service and its personnel were taken over by the United States employment service, and who continued in the employ of the United States employment service or who was temporarily taken out of the United States employment service for service in the war manpower commission or other government agency engaged in the prosecution of the war and later returned to the United States employment service, and whose service to the state, United States government, and state again was continuous and who was in the employ either of the United States employment service or of this state on November 16, 1946, the date on which the employment service was returned to the state, and who reentered state service on or before that date, shall upon his reentry into the state service become an original member of the retirement system, and shall receive full service credit for the period during which the personnel of the Michigan employment service was taken over by the United States employment service.

(4) A person who entered into the employ of the Michigan employment service while the employment service was under the United States employment service and who retires after April 30, 1978, may receive service credit for the service under the United States employment service by contributing to the retirement system contributions the person would have made from July 1, 1943, to November 16, 1946, as if that service were rendered as a state employee, plus the interest with which the contributions would have been credited from the January following the year of employment to the date of repayment. The salary on which contributions are based shall be the salary received as a state employee on November 16, 1946.

(5) A member who has prior service is entitled to credit for that prior service if at the time of retirement the member has 15 or more years of total service, of which the last 5 are continuous years of service and if the member contributions equal the contributions made or that would have been made for not less than 15 years of membership service. In the computation of unpaid member contributions, the contribution rate will be computed on the member's salary level at retirement or date of payment, whichever first occurs.

History: 1943, Act 240, Eff. July 30, 1943 ;-- Am. 1948, 1st Ex. Sess., Act 41, Imd. Eff. May 10, 1948 ;-- CL 1948, 38.18 ;-- Am. 1949, Act 72, Eff. Sept. 23, 1949 ;-- Am. 1951, Act 200, Imd. Eff. June 14, 1951 ;-- Am. 1955, Act 237, Imd. Eff. June 21, 1955 ;-- Am. 1960, Act 156, Eff. Aug. 17, 1960 ;-- Am. 1962, Act 233, Eff. Mar. 28, 1963 ;-- Am. 1966, Act 5, Imd. Eff. Mar. 10, 1966 ;-- Am. 1968, Act 111, Eff. Nov. 15, 1968 ;-- Am. 1969, Act 299, Imd. Eff. Aug. 11, 1969 ;-- Am. 1978, Act 148, Imd. Eff. May 18, 1978 ;-- Am. 1978, Act 622, Imd. Eff. Jan. 6, 1979 ;-- Am. 1990, Act 177, Imd. Eff. July 2, 1990 ;-- Am. 1995, Act 176, Imd. Eff. Oct. 17, 1995