16-1013. Police officer; termination of employment; benefits; how treated; vesting schedule.

(1) If a police officer quits or is discharged before his or her normal or early retirement date, the officer may request and receive as a lump-sum payment an amount equal to the retirement value of his or her employee account as determined at the valuation date preceding his or her termination of employment. Such police officer, if vested, shall also receive a deferred pension benefit in an amount purchased or provided by the retirement value at the date of retirement. The retirement value at such retirement date shall consist of the accumulated value of the police officer's employee account, as reduced by any lump-sum distributions received prior to retirement, together with a vested percentage of the accumulated value of the police officer's employer account at the date of retirement.

(2) Until July 1, 2012, the vesting schedule shall be as follows:

(a) If the terminated police officer has been a member of the retirement system for less than four years, such vesting shall be nil;

(b) If the terminating officer has been a member of the paid department of the city of the first class for at least four years, such vesting percentage shall be forty percent. Such vesting percentage shall be fifty percent after five years, sixty percent after six years, seventy percent after seven years, eighty percent after eight years, ninety percent after nine years, and one hundred percent after ten years; and

(c) All police officers shall be one hundred percent vested upon attainment of age sixty while employed by the city as a police officer.

(3) Beginning July 1, 2012, the vesting schedule shall be as follows:

(a) If the terminated police officer has been a member of the retirement system for less than two years, such vesting shall be nil;

(b) If the terminating officer has been a member of the paid department of the city of the first class for at least two years, such vesting percentage shall be forty percent. Such vesting percentage shall be sixty percent after four years, eighty percent after five years, and one hundred percent after seven years; and

(c) All police officers shall be one hundred percent vested upon attainment of age sixty while employed by the city as a police officer.

(4) The deferred pension benefit shall be payable on the first of the month immediately following the police officer's sixtieth birthday. At the option of the terminating police officer, such pension benefit may be paid as of the first of the month after such police officer attains the age of fifty-five. Such election may be made by the police officer any time prior to the payment of the pension benefits. The deferred pension benefit shall be paid in the form of the benefit options specified in subsection (1) of section 16-1007 as elected by the police officer. If the police officer's vested retirement value at the date of his or her termination of employment is less than three thousand five hundred dollars, the city may elect to pay such police officer his or her vested retirement value in the form of a single lump-sum payment.

(5) A police officer may elect upon his or her termination of employment to receive his or her vested retirement value in the form of a single lump-sum payment.

(6) Upon any lump-sum payment of a terminating police officer's retirement value under this section, such police officer will not be entitled to any deferred pension benefit and the city and the retirement system shall have no further obligation to pay such police officer or his or her beneficiaries any benefits under the Police Officers Retirement Act.

(7) If the terminating police officer is not credited with one hundred percent of his or her employer account, the nonvested portion of the account shall be forfeited and first used to meet the expense charges incurred by the city in connection with administering the retirement system and the remainder shall then be used to reduce the city contribution which would otherwise be required to fund pension benefits.

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