(a) Any active, vested, and contributing member of the Teachers' Retirement System who has been employed in public education for a minimum of 10 years may claim and purchase service credit in the system not to exceed five years for prior service between 1974 and 1989 rendered to an educational institution of higher education that receives direct appropriations from the Education Trust Fund but does not participate in the Teachers' Retirement System. The certification of prior service claimed under this section shall conform to applicable administrative rules and procedures of the Teachers' Retirement System. Members shall receive credit for the prior service when they remit to the system the contributions required by subsection (b). No member shall receive credit for any service for which the member is already credited within the system or any public retirement plan, with the exception of the federal Social Security program.

(b) Any member who is eligible to purchase service credit pursuant to subsection (a) shall pay to the Secretary-Treasurer of the system, within one year from October 1, 2009, for the claimed service, the full actuarially determined cost for each year of claimed service as determined by the system's actuary.

(c) Any year of service purchased under this section shall not be considered in determining the out-of-pocket premium amount charged to retirees under Section 16-25A-8.1 or Section 36-29-19.7. Also, any service purchased under this section shall not entitle a member to be eligible for benefits under either the Public Education Employees' Health Insurance Plan or the State Employees' Health Insurance Plan any earlier than the member could have reached eligibility under the plan without the service purchased under this section.