53:5A-6 Creditable service; purchase of service credit.

6. a. Service as a full-time commissioned officer, noncommissioned officer or trooper rendered as a member, and service credit which was transferred from the former "State Police Retirement and Benevolent Fund," or transferred from any other State-administered retirement system, shall, if the required contributions are made by the State and the member, be considered as creditable service. If such transferred service credit is established, it shall be considered the same as creditable service as a full-time commissioned officer, noncommissioned officer or trooper rendered as a member.

In addition, service as a chief inspector, deputy chief inspector, inspector and special inspector in the Motor Vehicle Commission or equivalent Civil Service classifications, including Chief, Highway Patrol Bureau; Assistant Chief (Major), Highway Patrol Bureau; Captain, Highway Patrol Bureau; Lieutenant, Highway Patrol Bureau; Sergeant, Highway Patrol Bureau; and Officer, Highway Patrol Bureau, and service credit may be transferred from the Police and Firemen's Retirement System, the Public Employees' Retirement System, or any other State-administered retirement system and shall, if the required contributions are made by the State and the member, be considered as creditable service.

In addition, service as a member of the State Capitol Police Force, or as a Supervising Inspector, Principal Inspector, Senior Inspector, or Inspector Recruit in the Alcoholic Beverage Control Enforcement Bureau or as a Principal Marine Law Enforcement Officer, Senior Marine Law Enforcement Officer, or Marine Law Enforcement Officer in the Bureau of Marine Law Enforcement and service credit transferred from the Police and Firemen's Retirement System, the Public Employees' Retirement System, or any other State-administered retirement system shall, if the required contributions are made by the State and the member, be considered as creditable service.

A member on suspension shall be considered in service for the period of the suspension, but the period of suspension shall not be considered as creditable service unless the member receives salary therefor.

b. Any member of the retirement system, who, prior to becoming a member, had established service credits in this or another retirement system supported in whole or in part by the State, or who had rendered service to the State prior to becoming a member, or had purchased service credits while in another State-administered retirement system or in the Police and Firemen's Retirement System or the Public Employees' Retirement System, while serving as chief inspector, deputy chief inspector, inspector or special inspector in the Enforcement Bureau, Motor Vehicle Commission, or as a member of the State Capitol Police Force, or as a Supervising Inspector, Principal Inspector, Senior Inspector, Inspector, or Inspector Recruit in the Alcoholic Beverage Control Enforcement Bureau, or as a Principal Marine Law Enforcement Officer, Senior Marine Law Enforcement Officer, or Marine Law Enforcement Officer in the Bureau of Marine Law Enforcement, for which the member desires to establish credit in this retirement system, shall be permitted to purchase such credit, or to transfer such previously purchased credit, by paying into the annuity savings fund the amount required by applying the factor, supplied by the actuary, as being applicable to the member's age at the time of the transfer or purchase, to the member's salary at that time. Such payment may be made in regular installments equal to at least half of the normal contribution to the retirement system, over a maximum period of 10 years. If such purchased service credit or transferred purchased credit is established, it shall be considered the same as creditable service as a full-time commissioned officer, noncommissioned officer, or trooper rendered as a member.

A member who retires prior to completing the payments as agreed with the retirement system will receive pro rata credit for service purchased prior to the date of retirement, but if the member so elects at the time of retirement, the member may make the additional lump sum payment required at that time to provide full credit; except that in the case of retirement pursuant to any section of P.L.1965, c.89 (C.53:5A-1 et seq.) other than sections 8, 27, and 28 thereof, if an employee's membership has been terminated and the member is re-enrolled as a member of the retirement system, the member shall be accorded, upon the completion of one year of membership after the member's election to make the purchase and the payment of at least half the total amount due, the pension credit as it was at the time of the member's termination.

c. Not more than one year shall be credited for all service in a calendar year.

d. In computing service, time during which a member was absent on an official leave without pay shall be credited if such leave was for a period of: (1) less than three months; or (2) up to a maximum of two years, if the leave was due to the member's personal illness and the period of leave is allowed for retirement purposes within one year following his return to service after the termination of such leave.

e. The method of computation and the terms of the purchase of service permitted by subsections b. and d. of this section shall be identical to those stipulated for the purchase of previous membership service by members of the system, as provided by subsection a. of this section.

f. For any person who becomes a member of the retirement system pursuant to P.L.1997, c.19 (C.53:1-8.2 et al.) and is required to retire pursuant to section 8 of P.L.1965, c.89 (C.53:5A-8) with less than 20 years of creditable service in the retirement system, and who retires prior to the effective date of P.L.2019, c.251, an amount of service credit transferred or purchased pursuant to subsection b. which when added to the amount of creditable service in the retirement system equals 20 years shall be considered creditable service in the retirement system. Transferred or purchased service credit in excess of the amount necessary to provide 20 years of creditable service in the retirement system shall be included in the computation of a retirement allowance on the basis of one percent of final compensation for each year of such service credit.

g. In the case of a member for whom compensation is defined in paragraph (2) of subsection u. of section 3 of P.L.1965, c.89 (C.53:5A-3), the retirement system shall credit the member with the time of all service rendered by the member during the part of any year that the member was a participant of the Defined Contribution Retirement Program, pursuant to paragraph (5) of subsection a. of section 2 of P.L.2007, c.92 (C.43:15C-2) as amended by section 7 of P.L.2010, c.1, and making contributions to that program.

L.1965, c.89, s.6; amended 1971, c.181, s.4; 1983, c.403, s.38; 1997, c.19, s.8; 2010, c.1, s.19; 2019, c.251, s.1.