(1)(a) A county, municipality, or other political subdivision of the State, and an agency or department of a political subdivision or service organization referred to in Section 9-11-10(17)(c) in its discretion, may become an employer by applying to the board for admission to the system and by complying with the requirements of this section and the rules and regulations of the board. The application must set forth the requested date of admission, which must be the January first, or the April first, or the July first, or the October first next following receipt by the board of the application, except that in the case of any applications received before January 1, 1963, the requested date of admission may be July 1, 1962.

(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if such application is received prior to July 1, 1966, the requested date of the admission shall be July 1, 1962; provided that contributions are made to the System within the calendar year 1966, in such manner as the Board deems reasonable, by the political subdivision seeking such admission and each and every police officer in its employ who will become a member following such admission, in amounts respectively equal to the total contributions which they would have made had such political subdivision become an employer as of July 1, 1962.

(c) When such application is received after June 30, 1966 and prior to April 1, 1974, the requested date of such admission may be July 1, 1962, without loss or prejudice to their affected employees' claims to prior service credits but such electing employers and their employees shall be subject to the payment of such contributions, if any, as the Board may determine to be necessary to avoid any possible discrimination as against employers and employees coming under the terms hereof at an earlier date.

(d) An employer whose requested date of admission is on or after July 1, 1974, shall agree to make contributions on account of all service before the date of admission rendered by members in its employ who make contributions with respect to such service.

(2) In no event will admission as an employer be allowed unless a majority of all persons then employed as police officers by the prospective employer elect irrevocably to become members of the System as of the requested date of admission.

(3) Any employer participating in the System as of June 30, 1974 which is not participating in the Supplemental Allowance Program may elect as of July 1, 1974 or as of July 1 of any year thereafter to provide Class Two membership for police officers in its employ and thereby enable them to qualify for benefits based on Class Two service. Any such employer who so elects shall agree to pay the increased rate of employer contributions applicable to Class Two members with respect to police officers in its employ who become Class Two members. The police officers in the employ of any such employer which does not make such election shall be entitled only to the benefits herein provided with respect to Class One service.

(4) All persons who become employed as police officers by the State or other employer after the employer's date of admission to the system under the provisions of this section must become members, as a condition of their employment.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, no person shall become a member on or after July 1, 1963 unless his employer certifies to the system that his service as a police officer requires at least one thousand six hundred hours a year of active duty and that the person's salary for the service is at least two thousand dollars a year. If in any year after this certification the member does not render at least one thousand six hundred hours of active duty as a police officer, or if the member does not receive at least two thousand dollars in salary, his membership ceases and the provisions of Section 9-11-100 apply.

(5) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be eligible to participate in the System as a member and in another fund with respect to the same position nor shall any person be entitled to receive duplicate benefits for the same period of service in the same position.

(6) All persons who are employed as police officers by an employer at the date of the employer's admission to the System shall become members as of such date unless, within a period of one month following such date, they shall have filed with the Board on a form prescribed by the Board a notice of their election not to be covered in the membership and duly executed waiver of all present and prospective benefits which would otherwise inure to them on account of their participation in the System.

(7) Each member shall be classified as either a Class One member or a Class Two member, as hereinafter provided, and shall make the contributions and be eligible for the benefits provided for his class. Each member who is a participant in the Supplemental Allowance Program as of June 30, 1974 shall be a Class Two member. Any other police officer who became a member prior to July 1, 1974 and who is employed by the State or by an employer which is participating in the Supplemental Allowance Program as of June 30, 1974 or which elects to provide Class Two membership for police officers in its employ may elect by written notice filed with the Board within 60 days after July 1, 1974 to become a Class Two member as of said date, provided that any such member who is not in service as of July 1, 1974 may make such election within 60 days after his return to service. Any police officer becoming a member on or after July 1, 1974 who is employed by the State or by an employer which has elected to provide Class Two membership for police officers in its employ shall become a Class Two member. Any member employed by an employer whose date of admission is on or after July 1, 1974 shall be a Class Two member. Any member who is not a Class Two member shall be a Class One member.

(8) Should any member of the System withdraw his accumulated contributions or die or retire under the provisions hereof, he shall thereupon cease to be a member. The membership of any police officer entering the Armed Service of the United States shall be continued during such period in the Armed Service if he does not withdraw his contributions, and such member shall be considered to have accrued service credit during such period in the Armed Service if he returns to service as a police officer for an employer within ninety days after first becoming eligible for a discharge from such Armed Service and if, within one year following such return, he makes the contributions which he would have made had he continued in service as a police officer during such period.

(9) As used in this item, "correlated system" shall mean one or more of the following:

(a) South Carolina Retirement System;

(b) South Carolina Police Officers Retirement System;

(c) Retirement System for Members of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina.

If a member of any correlated system ceases to occupy a position covered under the System and if, within the protective period and under such conditions as are set forth in the correlated system for continuation of membership therein, he accepts a position covered by another correlated system, he shall notify the Director of each System of such employment, and his membership in the first System must be continued so long as his membership in the other System continues. Service credited to the member under the provisions of the first System must be considered service credits for the purpose of determining eligibility for benefits, but not the amount thereof, under the other System. Any benefit under any one of the correlated systems must be computed solely on the basis of service and contributions credited under that System, and must be payable at such times and subject to such age and service conditions as are set forth therein, except the average final salary under either the South Carolina Retirement System or the Police Officers Retirement System may be used for the benefit calculation under both systems for consecutive earned service credit. A member is not eligible to receive retirement payments so long as he is employed in a position covered by the South Carolina Retirement System or the South Carolina Police Officers Retirement System.

A member of the South Carolina Police Officers Retirement System may transfer credited service he received under the South Carolina Retirement System to the South Carolina Police Officers Retirement System on payment of accumulated employer and employee contributions and interest in the South Carolina Retirement System plus five percent of current compensation for each year of service prorated for periods of less than a year.

Service transferred under this subsection that was earned in the South Carolina Retirement System is "earned service" and counts toward the required five or more years of earned service necessary for benefit eligibility. With respect to service transferred to the system under this subsection, compensation earned while participating in the South Carolina Retirement System is not earnable compensation under the system and shall not be used in calculating a member's average final compensation.

(10) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any county, municipality or other political subdivision of the State, and any agency or department thereof which is participating in the South Carolina Retirement System with respect to firemen in its employ, may become an employer under the South Carolina Police Officers Retirement System with respect to such firemen by applying to the Board for admission to the System and complying with the rules and regulations of the Board. Such application shall set forth the requested date of admission which shall be July 1, 1976, or any subsequent July first, next following receipt by the Board of such application.

In no event will admission as an employer under this subsection be allowed unless a majority of all persons then employed as firemen by the prospective employer elect irrevocably to become members of the System as of the requested date of admission.

All persons who are employed as firemen by such employer at the date of the employer's admission to the System shall become members as of such date unless, within a period of one month following such date, they shall have filed with the Board on a form prescribed by the Board a notice of their election not to be covered in the membership and a duly executed waiver of all present and prospective benefits which would otherwise inure to them on account of their participation in the System.

All persons who become employed as firemen by the State or other employer after the employer's date of admission to the System under the provisions of this subsection shall become members, as a condition of their employment.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, no fireman shall become a member on or after July 1, 1976, unless the member's employer certifies to the system that his service as a fireman requires at least one thousand, six hundred hours a year of active duty and that the member's salary for the service is at least two thousand dollars a year. If in any year after this certification the member does not render at least one thousand, six hundred hours of active duty as a fireman, or if the member does not receive at least two thousand dollars in salary, his membership ceases and the provisions of Section 9-11-100 apply.

Each fireman who becomes a member of the System as provided in this subsection shall be classified as a Class Two member and shall make the contributions and be eligible for the benefits provided for Class Two members. With respect to his service while a member of the System, any fireman who becomes a member of the System pursuant to this subsection shall be subject to all of the provisions of this article which would be applicable if he were a police officer.

If a fireman is a member of the South Carolina Retirement System at the time he becomes a member of the South Carolina Police Officers Retirement System his membership in the South Carolina Retirement System shall be continued so long as his membership in the South Carolina Police Officers System continues. Service credited to the member under the provisions of the South Carolina Retirement System shall be considered credited service for the purpose of determining eligibility for benefits, but not the amount thereof, under the South Carolina Police Officers Retirement System. Any benefit under either one of these two correlated systems shall be computed solely on the basis of service and contributions credited under that System, but in determining the member's average final compensation, his compensation received during credited service under both Systems shall be taken into account. Such benefits shall be payable at such times and subject to such age and service conditions as provided under the respective Systems; provided, however, a member shall not be eligible to receive retirement payments so long as he is employed in a position covered by the South Carolina Retirement System or the South Carolina Police Officers Retirement System. Notwithstanding the above, the disability retirement benefit shall only be paid from and based on the benefit provisions of the System to which the member is contributing at the time of disability and shall be based on the total of his credited service under both Systems. The amount of accumulated contributions of such disabled member which is credited to his account under the System to which he is not contributing at the time of disability, shall be transferred to the System from which his disability retirement benefit shall be paid.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 61-334; 1962 (52) 1933; 1963 (53) 70; 1966 (54) 2424; 1967 (55) 252; 1970 (56) 1947; 1974 (58) 2032; 1976 Act No. 586 Section 2; 1980 Act No. 448, Section 3; 1986 Act No. 529, Section 5, eff June 18, 1986; 1988 Act No. 658, Part II, Section 47, eff June 8, 1988; 1989 Act No. 123, Section 1, eff May 30, 1989; 2000 Act No. 387, Part II, Sections 67H, 67I, 67J, eff January 1, 2001; 2003 Act No. 77, Section 4, eff June 27, 2003.