20-2606. Refund of accumulated contributions, when; reinstatement to original membership status, return of withdrawn contributions; purchase of previously forfeited service credit. (a) Any judge whose service is terminated prior to retirement, for any cause other than death, upon written request to the board and after 30 days after such termination, may have returned the total amount of accumulated contributions which the judge has made to the fund after the retirement system for judges has a reasonable time to process the application for withdrawal. The return of accumulated contributions to a judge shall preclude that judge from any benefits under the retirement system for judges unless and until that judge again serves in such capacity.

(b) Any incumbent judge over 70 years of age with a total service of at least eight years at the time the judge's present term of office expires, or at the time of retirement if the judge retires before the end of the judge's present term, shall receive retirement annuities as provided in K.S.A. 20-2608, 20-2609 and 20-2610, and any amendments thereto, unless the judge requests the return of accumulated contributions under this section.

(c) In case any judge, who has had such judge's accumulated contributions returned under this section, serves again in such capacity, such judge may return, subject to the provisions of K.S.A. 74-49,123, and amendments thereto, the amount refunded under this section without interest or penalty and regain such judge's original status under the retirement system for judges.

(d) Subject to the provisions of K.S.A. 74-49,123, and amendments thereto, any member of the retirement system for judges who was previously a member of the Kansas public employees retirement system or the Kansas police and firemen's retirement system and who forfeited service credit under either of those systems by reason of termination of employment and withdrawal of their contributions to that system, may elect to purchase service credit for the previously forfeited service credit by means of having employee contributions as provided in K.S.A. 20-2603, and amendments thereto, deducted from such judge's compensation at an additional rate of contribution, based upon such judge's attained age at the time of purchase and using actuarial assumptions and tables in use by the retirement system at such time of purchase for such periods of service. Such additional rate of contribution shall commence at the beginning of the quarter following such election and shall remain in effect until all of the full quarters of such service have been purchased. Such member may purchase such service by means of a single lump-sum payment in lieu of employee contributions as provided in this subsection. Such service shall be recredited to that system. The amount of the lump-sum payment shall be determined by the actuary using the member's then current annual rate of compensation or the member's final average salary at the time the member elects to purchase such service credit, whichever is higher, the actuarial assumptions and tables then currently in use by that retirement system and the judge's attained age.

History: L. 1953, ch. 182, § 6; L. 1972, ch. 108, § 1; L. 1982, ch. 319, § 7; L. 1984, ch. 289, § 3; L. 1998, ch. 64, § 17; L. 1998, ch. 201, § 3; L. 2006, ch. 143, § 1; July 1.