(A) An active member may establish service credit for any period of paid public service by making an actuarially neutral payment to the system to be determined by the actuary for the board, based on the member's current age and service credit, but not less than sixteen percent of the member's current salary or career highest fiscal year salary, whichever is greater, for each year of credit purchased. Periods of less than a year must be prorated. A member may not establish credit for a period of public service for which the member also may receive a retirement benefit from another defined benefit retirement plan. A member may not establish service credit for public service to the extent such service purchase would violate Section 415 or any other provision of the Internal Revenue Code.

(B) An active member may establish service credit for any period of paid educational service by making an actuarially neutral payment to the system to be determined by the actuary for the board, based on the member's current age and service credit, but not less than sixteen percent of the member's current salary or career highest fiscal year salary, whichever is greater, for each year of credit purchased. Periods of less than a year must be prorated. A member may not establish credit for a period of educational service for which the member also may receive a retirement benefit from another defined benefit retirement plan. A member may not establish service credit for educational service to the extent such service purchase would violate Section 415 or any other provision of the Internal Revenue Code.

(C) An active member may establish up to six years of service credit for any period of military service, if the member was discharged or separated from military service under conditions other than dishonorable, by making an actuarially neutral payment to the system to be determined by the actuary for the board, based on the member's current age and service credit, but not less than sixteen percent of the member's current salary or career highest fiscal year salary, whichever is greater, for each year of credit purchased. Periods of less than a year must be prorated.

(D) An active member on an approved leave of absence from an employer that participates in the system who returns to covered employment within four years may purchase service credit for the period of the approved leave, but may not purchase more than two years of service credit for each separate leave period, by making an actuarially neutral payment to the system to be determined by the actuary for the board, based on the member's current age and service credit, but not less than sixteen percent of the member's current salary or career highest fiscal year salary, whichever is greater, for each year of credit purchased. Periods of less than a year must be prorated.

(E) An active member who has five or more years of earned service credit may establish up to five years of nonqualified service by making an actuarially neutral payment to the system to be determined by the actuary for the board, based on the member's current age and service credit but not less than thirty-five percent of the member's current salary or career highest fiscal year salary, whichever is greater, for each year of credit purchased. Periods of less than a year must be prorated.

(F) An active member may establish service credit for any period of service in which the member participated in the State Optional Retirement Program, the Optional Retirement Program for Teachers and School Administrators, or the Optional Retirement Program for Publicly Supported Four-Year and Postgraduate Institutions of Higher Education, by making an actuarially neutral payment to the system to be determined by the actuary for the board, based on the member's current age and service credit, but not less than sixteen percent of the member's current salary or career highest fiscal year salary, whichever is greater, for each year of credit purchased. Periods of less than a year must be prorated. A member may not establish credit for a period of service for which the member also may receive a retirement benefit from another defined benefit retirement plan. A member may not establish service credit under this subsection to the extent such service purchase would violate Section 415 or any other provision of the Internal Revenue Code. Service purchased under this subsection is "earned service" and counts toward the required five or more years of earned service necessary for benefit eligibility. Compensation earned while participating in the State Optional Retirement Program, the Optional Retirement Program for Teachers and School Administrators, or the Optional Retirement Program for Publicly Supported Four-Year and Postgraduate Institutions of Higher Education is not earnable compensation under the system and shall not be used in calculating a member's average final compensation. A member purchasing service under this subsection who has funds invested in a TIAA Traditional account under a TIAA-CREF Retirement Annuity contract shall be eligible to make a plan to plan transfer in accordance with the terms of that contract.

(G) An active member who previously withdrew contributions from the system may reestablish the service credited to the member at the time of the withdrawal of contributions by repaying the amount of the contributions previously withdrawn, plus regular interest from the date of the withdrawal to the date of repayment to the system.

(H) An active member establishing retirement credit pursuant to this chapter may establish that credit by means of payroll deducted installment payments. Interest must be paid on the unpaid balance of the amount due at the rate of the prime rate plus two percent a year.

(I) An employer, at its discretion, may pay to the system all or a portion of the cost for an employee's purchase of service credit under this chapter. Amounts paid by the employer under this subsection for all purposes must be treated as employer contributions.

(J) Service credit purchased under this section is not "earned service" and does not count toward the required five or more years of earned service necessary for benefit eligibility except:

(1) earned service previously withdrawn and reestablished;

(2) service rendered while participating in the State Optional Retirement Program, the Optional Retirement Program for Teachers and School Administrators, or the Optional Retirement Program for Publicly Supported Four-Year and Postgraduate Institutions of Higher Education that has been purchased pursuant to subsection (F); or

(3) service earned as a participant in the system, the South Carolina Retirement System, the Retirement System for Members of the General Assembly, or the Retirement System for Judges and Solicitors that is transferred to or purchased in the system.

(K) A member may purchase each type of service under this section once each fiscal year.

(L) At retirement, after March 31, 1991, a Class One or Class Two member shall receive credit for not more than ninety days of his unused sick leave from the member's last employer at no cost to the member. The leave must be credited at a rate where twenty days of unused sick leave equals one month of service. This additional service credit may not be used to qualify for retirement.

(M) The board shall promulgate regulations and prescribe rules and policies, as necessary, to implement the service purchase provisions of this chapter.

(N) An employee drawing workers' compensation who is on a leave of absence for a limited period may voluntarily contribute on his contractual salary, to be matched by the employer.

(O) An active member who is terminated within one year of retirement eligibility shall have five business days after the date of termination to purchase any service credit that the member is otherwise eligible to purchase under this section.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 61-335; 1962 (52) 1933; 1963 (53) 70; 1966 (54) 2424; 1970 (56) 1947; 1972 (57) 2207; 1974 (58) 2032, 2332; 1985 Act No. 76 Section 1; 1986 Act No. 461, Section 3, eff June 2, 1986; 1988 Act No. 658, Part II, Section 48B, eff June 8, 1988; 1989 Act No. 189, Part II, Section 49B, eff June 8, 1989 (became law without the Governor's signature); 1991 Act No. 87, Section 2, eff May 27, 1991; 1991 Act No. 170, Section 2, eff June 28, 1991; 1994 Act No. 420, Section 4, eff May 25, 1994 and applies with respect to payments made after June 30, 1995, to establish retirement system service credit; 1998 Act No. 439, Section 3, eff June 16, 1998; 2000 Act No. 387, Part II, Section 67K, eff January 1, 2001; 2003 Act No. 77, Section 5, eff June 27, 2003; 2008 Act No. 311, Section 39, eff June 4, 2008; 2012 Act No. 278, Pt III, Section 21.A, eff January 2, 2013; 2016 Act No. 202 (S.381), Section 3, eff June 3, 2016.