38-853.01. Redemption of prior service; calculation

A. Except as provided in subsection B of this section, an active member of the system who has at least five years of service with the system may elect to redeem up to sixty months of any part of the following prior service or employment by paying into the system any amounts required under subsection C of this section if the prior service or employment is not on account with any other retirement system:

1. Prior service in this state as an employee with an employer now covered by the system or prior service with an agency of the United States government, a state of the United States or a political subdivision of this state or of a state of the United States as a full-time paid firefighter, full-time paid certified peace officer or full-time paid corrections officer engaged in law enforcement duties.

2. Subject to any limitations prescribed by federal law, prior employment as an employee of a corporation that contracted with an employer now covered by the system to provide firefighting services on behalf of that employer as a full-time paid firefighter or that provided firefighting services for a political subdivision of this state.

B. An active member who became a member of the system before January 1, 2012 may redeem any amount of eligible prior service as specified in subsection A of this section without having to have accrued any minimum amount of credited service.

C. An active member who elects to redeem any part of the prior service or employment for which the employee is deemed eligible by the board under this section shall pay into the system the amounts previously withdrawn by the member, if any, as a refund of the member's accumulated contributions plus accumulated interest as determined by the board and the additional amount, if any, computed by the system's actuary that is necessary to equal the increase in the actuarial present value of projected benefits resulting from the redemption calculated using the actuarial methods and assumptions prescribed by the system's actuary.

D. A member electing to redeem service pursuant to this section may pay for service being redeemed in the form of a lump sum payment to the system, a trustee-to-trustee transfer or a direct rollover of an eligible distribution from a plan described in section 402(c)(8)(B)(iii), (iv), (v) or (vi) of the internal revenue code or a rollover of an eligible distribution from an individual retirement account or annuity described in section 408(a) or (b) of the internal revenue code.