A. A member who is an eligible retired public safety officer and who wishes to have direct payments made toward the member's qualified health insurance premiums from the member's monthly disability benefit or monthly retirement payment must make a written election in accordance with Section 402(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, on the form provided by the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System, as follows:

1. The election must be made after the member separates from service as a public safety officer with the member's participating employer;

2. The election shall only apply to distributions from the System after December 31, 2006, and to amounts not yet distributed to the eligible retired public safety officer;

3. Direct payments for an eligible retired public safety officer's qualified health insurance premiums can only be made from the member's monthly disability benefit or monthly retirement payment from the System and cannot be made from the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Deferred Option Plan; and

4. The aggregate amount of the exclusion from an eligible retired public safety officer's gross income is Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000.00) per calendar year.

B. As used in this section:

1. "Eligible retired public safety officer" is a member who, by reason of disability or attainment of normal retirement date or age, is separated from service as a public safety officer with the member's participating employer;

2. "Public safety officer" means a member serving a public agency in an official capacity, with or without compensation, as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, chaplain, or a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew; and

3. "Qualified health insurance premiums" means premiums for coverage for the eligible retired public safety officer, the eligible retired public safety officer's spouse, and dependents, as defined in Section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, by an accident or health plan or a qualified long-term care insurance contract, as defined in Section 7702B(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The health plan does not have to be sponsored by the eligible retired public safety officer's former participating employer.

C. The Board shall promulgate such rules as are necessary to implement the provisions of this section.

Added by Laws 2007, c. 152, § 10, eff. July 1, 2007. Amended by Laws 2013, c. 16, § 1; Laws 2014, c. 37, § 1, emerg. eff. April 9, 2014.