(A) A member of the Ohio police and fire pension fund who is not receiving a disability benefit or pension from the fund and is not a participant in the deferred retirement option plan established under section 742.43 of the Revised Code may purchase service credit, which shall be used in computing the member's years of service, for each year of service incurred by reason of having been on active duty, active duty for training, initial active duty for training, inactive duty training, full-time national guard duty, and a period for which a member is absent from a position of employment for the purpose of an examination to determine the fitness of the member to perform a duty, as a member of the armed forces of the United States if the member is honorably discharged. Credits which are not authorized under former sections 742.18, 742.19, 742.20, and 742.21 or section 742.521 of the Revised Code may be purchased at any time. The number of years purchased under this division shall not exceed five.

(B) For the purposes of this division, "prisoner of war" means any regularly appointed, enrolled, enlisted, or inducted member of the armed forces of the United States who was captured, separated, and incarcerated by an enemy of the United States.

A member who is not a participant in the deferred retirement option plan established under section 742.43 of the Revised Code may purchase service credit which shall be considered as the equivalent of Ohio service for each year of service the member was a prisoner of war. The number of years purchased under this division shall not exceed five. Service credit may be purchased under this division for the same years of service used to purchase service credit under division (A) of this section. The member may choose to purchase only part of such credit in any one payment, subject to board rules.

(C) The total number of years purchased under this section shall not exceed the member's total accumulated number of years of Ohio service.

(D) For each year of service purchased under division (A) or (B) of this section, the member shall pay to the fund for credit to the member's accumulated account an amount determined by the member rate of contribution in effect at the time the military service began or four per cent, whichever is greater, multiplied by the annual compensation for full-time employment during the first year of full-time service in Ohio covered by any state or municipal retirement system of this state following termination of military service. To this amount shall be added an amount equal to compound interest at a rate established by the board of trustees of the Ohio police and fire pension fund from the date active military service terminated to date of payment. For the purpose of this section, the board may define full-time service in Ohio covered by any state or municipal retirement system of this state.

(E) A member is ineligible to purchase service credit under this section for any year of military service that was:

(1) Used in the calculation of any retirement benefit currently being paid to the member or payable in the future under any other retirement program, except for retired pay for non-regular service under Chapter 1223. of Section 1662 of Title XVI of the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995," 108 Stat. 2998 (1994), 10 U.S.C.A. 12731 to 12739, or social security;

(2) Used to obtain service credit under former section 742.18, 742.19, 742.20, or 742.21 or section 742.521 of the Revised Code. At the time the credit is purchased the member shall certify on a form furnished by the trustees that the member does and will conform to this requirement. Any benefit paid under this section to which the member is not entitled shall be recovered by any recovery procedures available under this chapter. "Armed forces" of the United States includes army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard, or any reserve component of such forces; national guard; the commissioned corps of the United States public health service; the merchant marine service during wartime; auxiliary corps as established by congress; service as a red cross nurse with the army, navy, air force, hospital service of the United States, army nurse corps, navy nurse corps, or serving full-time with the American red cross in a combat zone; and such other service as may be designated by congress as included therein.

A member of the fund who has purchased service credit under this section, or the member's estate, is entitled to be refunded the amount paid to purchase such credit, or a pro rata portion thereof, provided that the purchased service credit, or a portion of the purchased service credit, does not serve to increase a pension or benefit paid under section 742.37 or 742.39 or calculated under section 742.442 of the Revised Code. The refund of any amount paid to purchase credit under this section, or a pro rata portion thereof, shall cancel an equivalent amount of service credit.

Effective Date: 03-24-2003 .