(A)

(1) As used in this section and section 145.301 of the Revised Code:

(a) "Armed forces" of the United States includes the following:

(i) Army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard, auxiliary corps as established by congress, red cross nurse serving with the army, navy, air force, or hospital service of the United States, army nurse corps, navy nurse corps, full-time service with the American red cross in a combat zone, and such other service as may be designated by congress as included therein;

(ii) Personnel of the Ohio national guard and the reserve components of any of the armed forces enumerated in division (A)(1) of this section who are called to active duty pursuant to an executive order issued by the president of the United States or an act of congress;

(iii) Persons on whom United States merchant marine veteran status has been conferred for service aboard oceangoing merchant ships in service to the United States during World War II.

(b) "State retirement system" means any of the following: the Ohio police and fire pension fund, public employees retirement system, school employees retirement system, state highway patrol retirement system, or the state teachers retirement system.

(2) This section applies only to service in the armed forces that occurred prior to October 13, 1994, the date on which the "Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994," 108 Stat. 3149, 38 U.S.C. 101, became a public law.

(B) Except as otherwise provided in this division, upon reemployment in the public service and completion of one year of service credit as covered by a state retirement system or the Cincinnati retirement system, within two years after service in the armed forces that is terminated in a manner other than as described in section 4304 of Title 38 of the United States Code, "Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994," 108 Stat. 3149, 38 U.S.C.A. 4304, and presentation of documentation of the service and subject to rules adopted by the retirement board, any member of the public employees retirement system who was a member with not less than one year of payroll deductions before entering active duty with the armed forces and maintained membership in the public employees retirement system as provided by section 145.41 of the Revised Code, and who was or is out of active service as a public employee by reason of having become a member of the armed forces of the United States on active duty or service shall have such service, not in excess of ten years, included as prior military service. Except as otherwise provided in this division, service in the armed forces as established by documentation of the service, not in excess of ten years, shall also be included as prior military service for a person who was a public employee and who has acquired service credit for five years prior to, and within the one year preceding, the date of entering on active duty in the armed forces of the United States if such person was reemployed in the public service within one year after service in the armed forces that is terminated in a manner other than as described in section 4304 of Title 38 of the United States Code, "Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994," 38 U.S.C.A. 4304, and established total service credit as defined in section 145.01 of the Revised Code of twenty years exclusive of credit for service in the uniformed services, as defined in section 145.302 of the Revised Code. This division shall not serve to cancel any military service credit earned or granted prior to November 1, 1965.

If the public employees retirement board adopts a rule requiring payment for service credit granted under this section, the credit shall be granted only if payment is made. The rule shall not require payment of more than the additional liability to the retirement system resulting from granting the credit. A member may choose to purchase only part of the credit in any one payment.

(C) A member of the public employees retirement system is ineligible to receive service credit under this section for any year of military service credit used to obtain service credit pursuant to section 145.301 or 145.302 of the Revised Code. At the time such credit is requested, the member shall certify on a form supplied by the retirement board that the member does and will conform to this requirement. This division does not cancel any military service credit earned prior to March 15, 1979.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.148, SB 343, §1, eff. 1/7/2013.

Effective Date: 11-02-1999 .