(a) General rule.--The provisions of this part in so far as they are the same as those of existing law are intended as a continuation of such laws and not as new enactments. The provisions of this part shall not affect any act done, liability incurred, right accrued or vested, or any suit or prosecution pending or to be instituted to enforce any right or penalty or to punish any offense under the authority of any repealed laws.

(b) Construction of part with regard to older workers protection.--It is hereby found and declared that the provisions of this part constitute a bona fide retirement or pension plan within the meaning of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (Public Law 90-202, 29 U.S.C. § 621 et seq.) and the act of October 27, 1955 (P.L.744, No.222), known as the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. Any provision of this part which is not inconsistent with the provisions of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended by the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (Public Law 101-433, 104 Stat. 978) and the rules and regulations of the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under such Federal laws shall be deemed not inconsistent with such provisions of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act as relate to discrimination on the basis of age with respect to the terms, conditions or privileges of employment.

(c) Vesting in the event of plan termination.--In the event of termination of the Public School Employees' Retirement System or upon complete discontinuance of contributions under this part, the rights of all members of the system to benefits accrued under this part to the date of such termination or discontinuance, to the extent then funded, are vested and nonforfeitable, except as forfeiture is required by the act of July 8, 1978 (P.L.752, No.140), known as the Public Employee Pension Forfeiture Act. Forfeitures under this subsection or under any other provision of law may not be applied to increase the benefits that any member would otherwise receive under this part.

(d) Construction of part with respect to the IRC.--

(1) (i) Notwithstanding any provisions of this part to the contrary, no benefit shall be payable to the extent that such benefit exceeds any limitation under IRC § 415 as in effect with respect to governmental plans as such term is defined in IRC § 414(d) on the date the benefit payment becomes effective, provided, however, that any increase in any limitation under IRC § 415 shall be applicable to all current and future annuitants. No act of the General Assembly enacted after the effective date of this subsection that increases benefits either for active members, inactive members, vestees or annuitants shall be deemed by the rules of statutory construction or otherwise to provide for benefits in excess of any limitation provided for under IRC § 415, as adjusted or subsequently increased, unless specifically so provided by legislation.

(ii) Notwithstanding subparagraph (i), any future increase in benefits for any member is intended to be applicable to the fullest extent allowed by law and this section is authorization for all such situations where authorization is required to apply any such increase in limitations or allowable benefits.

(2) In the event that annuities payable to a member from both the system and the State Employees' Retirement System are combined for purposes of determining whether annuities from the system and the State Employees' Retirement System are in excess of the limitations under IRC § 415(b), then:

(i) to the extent that the combined benefits exceed such limitations, but neither of the annuities from either retirement system would individually exceed such limitations or the annuities payable under this part individually exceed such limitations and the annuity payable from the State Employees' Retirement System does not, then the limitations shall be applied to the annuities payable under the State Employees' Retirement System to the extent required for such combined benefits to be within the limitations; or

(ii) to the extent that the combined benefits exceed such limitations and the annuity payable under this part individually exceeds such limitations and the annuity from the State Employees' Retirement System does not individually exceed such limitations or the annuities payable from each retirement system both individually exceed the limitations, then the limitations shall be applied first to the annuity payable under this part so that the annuity under this part is not in excess of such limitations and any remaining limitation shall be applied to the benefits payable under the State Employees' Retirement System.

(3) No payments for service shall be allowed for which the required contributions would cause a violation of the limitations related to contributions applicable to governmental plans contained in IRC § 415. In the event that any service credit based on such disallowed contributions is granted after the effective date of this subsection, then such service credit shall be canceled and benefits calculated without regard to such service or contributions and any member contributions in excess of the limitations and statutory interest credited on those contributions shall be refunded to the member by the board.

(e) Permissive service credit.--

(1) Nothing in this part shall be construed or deemed to imply that any member of the system shall be required to make contributions to the system for the purchase of school or nonschool permissive service credit in excess of the limits established by IRC § 415(n)(3)(A)(iii).

(2) Any contributions made by a member of the system for the purchase of school or nonschool service credit that are determined to be in excess of those limits shall be refunded to the member in a lump sum subject to withholding for all applicable taxes and penalties as soon as administratively possible after such determination is made.

(3) Any refund of excess contributions made under this section shall not affect the benefit payable to the member and shall not be treated as, or deemed to be, a withdrawal of the member's accumulated deductions.

(f) Exclusive source of rights and benefits.--Regardless of any other provision of law, pension and benefit rights of school employees shall be determined solely by this part or any amendment thereto, or the plan document established by the board, and no collective bargaining agreement nor any arbitration award between the employer and the employer's employees or the employee's collective bargaining representatives shall be construed to do any of the following:

(1) Change any of the provisions of this part.

(2) Require the board to administer pension or retirement benefits not set forth in this part or not established by the board in the plan document.

(3) Require the board to modify, amend or change any of the terms and provisions of the plan document.

(4) Otherwise require action by any other government body pertaining to pension or retirement benefits or rights of school employees.

(g) References to certain Federal statutes.--References in this part to the IRC or USERRA, including administrative regulations promulgated under the IRC or USERRA, are intended to include laws and regulations in effect on the effective date of this section and amended, supplemented or supplanted on and after the effective date of this section.

(h) Construction.--This part may not be construed to mean any of the following:

(1) That the limitations on benefits or other requirements under IRC § 401(a) or other applicable provisions of the IRC that are applicable to participants in the plan do not apply to the participants or to the members of the system and the benefits payable under this part.

(2) That an interpretation or application of a provision of this part or benefits available to members of the Public School Employees' Retirement System was not in accordance with the provisions of this part or other applicable law, including the IRC and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 before the effective date of this section.

(3) That the release or publicizing of a record, material or data that would not constitute a public record under section 8502(e)(2) (relating to administrative duties of board) is a violation of the fiduciary duties of the board.

(Apr. 29, 1994, P.L.159, No.29, eff. 60 days; Dec. 28, 2015, P.L.529, No.93, eff. imd.; June 12, 2017, P.L.11, No.5, eff. imd.)

2017 Amendment. Act 5 added subsecs. (f), (g) and (h).

2015 Amendment. Act 93 added subsecs. (c), (d) and (e).