Section 169.315

Title XI EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES

Chapter 169

Effective - 28 Aug 2001   

  169.315.  Rules, regulations to permit purchase of creditable service, requirements — eligibility. — 1.  The board of trustees shall adopt rules and regulations which shall permit members to purchase creditable service under the circumstances provided for in this section.  Such rules and regulations shall specify, for each such designated circumstance:

  (1)  The manner in which the employee contributions required to purchase such service shall be calculated;

  (2)  The manner in which any employer contributions required for such service shall be calculated;

  (3)  The maximum amount of service that may be purchased, if any;

  (4)  The time by which the election to purchase service shall be made and the period over which such contributions shall be paid; and

  (5)  Any other requirements the member must satisfy in order to be eligible to purchase service in such circumstance.  

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All such rules and regulations shall be applied on a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis so that all members are treated similarly under similar circumstances.

  2.  Any active member who ceased to be a regular employee and received a refund of contributions and interest attributable to a prior period of service with any employer may, after reemployment as a regular employee and prior to retirement, elect to reinstate any creditable service the member forfeited by purchasing such service in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted by the board of trustees.

  3.  Any active member who has rendered service in a public school district or public library within the state of Missouri but outside of the district in which the retirement system is established, or in a college, community college or university within the state of Missouri may elect to purchase and receive credit for such service in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted by the board of trustees.

  4.  Any active member who has rendered service in a public school district, public library, college, community college or university outside the state of Missouri may elect to purchase and receive credit for such service in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted by the board of trustees; provided that, such member shall pay to the retirement system, in addition to all required employee contributions, the required amount of employer contributions, plus interest, for each year of creditable service being purchased.

  5.  Any active member who was, prior to becoming a member, employed by a private school, college or university on a full-time basis and duly certified under the law governing the certification of teachers during all of such employment may elect to purchase and receive credit for such private school service in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted by the board of trustees; provided that, such member shall pay to the retirement system, in addition to all required employee contributions, the required amount of employer contributions, plus interest, for each year of creditable service being purchased.  As used in this section, the term "private school" means a school which is not a part of the public school system of the state of Missouri and which charges tuition for the rendering of elementary, secondary educational or postsecondary educational services.

  6.  Any active member who, voluntarily or involuntarily, enters service in the Armed Forces of the United States or other national defense service may, after reemployment and prior to retirement, elect to purchase and receive credit for such military service in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted by the board of trustees and with the laws governing the reemployment rights of veterans.

  7.  Any active member who is granted a period of approved, unpaid leave of absence by the employer's board for academic study at a college, community college, university or otherwise, illness or such other circumstances as may be authorized by the board of trustees, may elect to purchase and receive creditable service for such period of leave in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted by the board of trustees.

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(L. 1982 H.B. 1522 § 169.311 subsec. 7, A.L. 1989 S.B. 146, A.L. 1990 H.B. 1347, et al., A.L. 1994 S.B. 575, A.L. 1995 S.B. 378, A.L. 1997 H.B. 169 merged with S.B. 309, A.L. 2001 H.B. 660)