(A) As used in this section and section 3309.731 of the Revised Code:

(1) "Uniform retirement system" or "uniform system" means the Ohio police and fire pension fund or state highway patrol retirement system.

(2) "Military service credit" means service credit purchased or obtained under this chapter or Chapter 742. or 5505. of the Revised Code for service in the armed forces of the United States.

(B) A member of the school employees retirement system who has contributions on deposit with a uniform retirement system shall, in computing years of total service, be given full credit for service credit earned under Chapter 742. or 5505. of the Revised Code or purchased or obtained for military service credit if a transfer to the school employees retirement system is made under this division. At the request of the member, the uniform system shall transfer to the school employees retirement system, for each year of service, the sum of the following:

(1) An amount equal to the member's accumulated contributions to the uniform system and any payments by the member for military service credit;

(2) An amount equal to the lesser of the employer's contributions to the uniform system or the amount that would have been contributed by the employer for the service had the member been a member of the school employees retirement system at the time the credit was earned;

(3) Interest, determined as provided in division (F) of this section, on the amounts specified in divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section from the last day of the year for which the service credit in the uniform system was earned or in which military service credit was purchased or obtained to the date the transfer is made.

(C) A member who has at least eighteen months of contributing service with the school employees retirement system, is a former member of a uniform retirement system, and has received a refund of contributions to that uniform system shall, in computing years of total service, be given full credit for service credit earned under Chapter 742. or 5505. of the Revised Code or purchased or obtained for military service credit if, for each year of service, the school employees retirement system receives the sum of the following:

(1) An amount, which shall be paid by the member, equal to the amount refunded by the uniform system to the member for that year for accumulated contributions and payments for purchase of military service credit, with interest at a rate established by the school employees retirement board on that amount from the date of the refund to the date of the payment;

(2) Interest, which shall be transferred by the uniform system, on the amount refunded to the member that is attributable to the year of service from the last day of the year for which the service credit was earned or in which payment was made for military service credit to the date the refund was made;

(3) An amount, which shall be transferred by the uniform system, that is equal to the lesser of the employer's contributions to the uniform system or the amount that would have been contributed by the employer for the service had the member been a member of the school employees retirement system at the time the credit was earned, with interest on that amount from the last day of the year for which the service credit was earned or in which payment was made for military service credit to the date of the transfer. On receipt of payment from the member, the school employees retirement system shall notify the uniform system, which, on receipt of the notice, shall make the transfer required by this division. Interest shall be determined as provided in division (F) of this section. The member may choose to purchase only part of such credit in any one payment, subject to board rules.

(D) A member is ineligible to obtain service credit under this section for service that is used in the calculation of any retirement benefit currently being paid or payable in the future to the member under any other retirement program or for service credit that may be transferred under section 3309.731 of the Revised Code. Service credit obtained under this section shall be considered the equivalent of Ohio service credit.

(E) If a member of the school employees retirement system who is not a current contributor elects to obtain credit under section 742.21 or 5505.40 of the Revised Code for service for which the member contributed to the school employees retirement system or made payment for military service credit, the school employees retirement system shall transfer to the uniform retirement system, as applicable, the amount specified in division (D) of section 742.21 or division (B)(2) of section 5505.40 of the Revised Code.

(F) Interest charged under this section shall be calculated separately for each year of service credit. Unless otherwise specified in this section, it shall be calculated at the lesser of the actuarial assumption rate for that year of the school employees retirement system or of the uniform retirement system in which the credit was earned. The interest shall be compounded annually.

(G) At the request of the school employees retirement system, the uniform retirement system shall certify to the school employees retirement system a copy of the records of the service and contributions of a school employees retirement system member who seeks service credit under this section.

Effective Date: 02-20-2002.