72-1335. PERSONNEL. (1) The director is authorized to appoint, fix the compensation, and prescribe the duties and powers of such officers, employees, and other persons as may be necessary. The director may delegate to any such person such power and authority as he deems reasonable and proper for the effective administration of this chapter, and may, in the time, form and manner prescribed by chapter 8, title 59, Idaho Code, bond persons handling moneys or signing checks hereunder, such bond to be paid from the employment security administration fund.

(2) (a) Subject only to the provisions of this chapter and such rules as the director may prescribe, the director is authorized and directed to establish and maintain a group pension plan providing retirement, disability, and death benefits for employees of the department through the means of group contracts negotiated with an insurer, licensed and qualified to do business under the laws of the state of Idaho.

(b) Employees covered by the plan shall include all employees (other than temporary and hourly-rated employees) who are in employee status with the department and whose employment commenced before October 1, 1980.

(c) Credited service shall mean all service by employees in the employ of the department (exclusive of leaves without pay other than military leave) as follows:

(i) Past service rendered prior to the effective date of the plan by employees; for this purpose prior service shall include service in any of the predecessor, component organizations thereof, as determined appropriate by the director on the effective date, and shall also include leave-of-absence for military service occurring within a period of otherwise continuous service in any such predecessor organizations.

(ii) Future service rendered on and after said effective date.

(iii) An employee of the department placed on loan or special duty with other governmental units may be deemed to be in credited service when the costs of continuing credited service are made reimbursable in accordance with an agreement approved by the director.

(d) For each year of credited service each employee covered under the plan shall receive a monthly pension commencing upon retirement at or after age sixty-five (65) and continuing until death, of not less than one and one-half percent (1 1/2%) of monthly earnings, except that appropriate schedules and conditions for service retirement, early retirement, disability retirement, and contingency annuity options shall be included in the insurance plan. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section to the contrary, the director is authorized and directed to negotiate with the insurer to invest any interest, dividends, earnings, or other moneys accruing to the funds financing the employees’ retirement program with the insurer to purchase additional retirement benefits. The purchase of said additional benefits shall be contingent upon actuarial appraisals of the plan and shall be based on sound actuarial principles. Total retirement benefits to be provided under the program shall meet the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service for integration purposes.

(e) The cost of past service, future service and disability pensions shall be calculated according to sound actuarial principles. The costs of the plan, including funding of past service pensions which shall be funded over a period of time consistent with good insurance practices, shall be paid from administrative funds available to the department. Each employee covered under the plan shall by payroll deduction contribute toward the cost of future service pensions at not less than the rate paid by the department, but not to exceed seven percent (7%) of monthly earnings.

(f) Upon termination of service, an employee may elect to receive the refund of his contributions plus interest or may elect to have the tax-deferred contributions and interest directly rolled over to an individual retirement account or annuity or to another qualified retirement plan that accepts the roll over, pursuant to 26 U.S.C. 402(c). A vested employee, as provided in the insurance contract, who leaves his contributions in the plan will remain entitled to the pension purchased by the contributions made on his behalf, and all other privileges under the plan.

(g) If an employee dies more than ten (10) years before his normal retirement date, all of his contributions plus interest will be returned to a previously-named beneficiary, subject to survivor benefits as provided in the plan. The following provisions of this subsection shall be subject to a contingency annuity option. If an employee dies on or after the date ten (10) years prior to his normal retirement date, it will be assumed that he retired on the first day of the month following his date of death, and his beneficiary shall receive, beginning on the assumed retirement date, one hundred twenty (120) monthly pension payments. The amount of monthly pension payable will be based on the credit accrued to that time and the employee’s assumed earlier retirement age. If death occurs after retirement but before one hundred twenty (120) monthly pension payments have been made, the monthly pension will be continued to his beneficiary until a total of one hundred twenty (120) monthly payments have been made.

History:

[72-1335, added 1947, ch. 269, sec. 35, p. 793; am. 1949, ch. 144, sec. 35, p. 252; am. 1959, ch. 29, sec. 1, p. 62; am. 1965, ch. 116, sec. 1, p. 223; am. 1971, ch. 136, sec. 49, p. 522; am. 1973, ch. 107, sec. 1, p. 189; am. 1994, ch. 210, sec. 1, p. 665; am. 1997, ch. 217, sec. 1, p. 639; am. 1998, ch. 1, sec. 45, p. 24.]