(a) General rule.--If, at the time a county employee becomes a State employee pursuant to 42 Pa.C.S. § 1905 (relating to county-level court administrators), there is a domestic relations order entered against the transferred employee or the county retirement system or pension plan in which the county employee was a contributor immediately prior to the transfer to State employment and if the domestic relations order affects the rights of the transferred employee or any county alternate payee to receive money or benefits from the county retirement system or pension plan, the domestic relations order shall be affected as follows:

(1) If the county employee elects to convert county service to State service in accordance with section 5303.1 (relating to election to convert county service to State service), the domestic relations order will remain in effect, but the obligations of the county retirement system or pension plan shall be assumed by the board or system if the domestic relations order is certified as an approved domestic relations order by the secretary of the board or a designated representative pursuant to section 5953.1 (relating to approval of domestic relations orders). If the domestic relations order is not certified as an approved domestic relations order, the order shall not be effective against the board or system and shall not require the board or system to attach, assign or otherwise pay benefits or money to any person except as otherwise provided for in this part.

(2) If the county employee does not elect to convert county service to State service, the domestic relations order shall remain in effect against the county retirement system or pension plan, and the order shall not be effective against the board or the system and shall not require the board or system to attach, assign or otherwise pay benefits or money to any person except as otherwise provided for in this part.

(b) Construction.--

(1) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a domestic relations order from being amended to satisfy the provisions of this part or to alter any distribution scheme to reflect the transfer of employment from a county to the State or the conversion of benefits from a county retirement system or pension plan to benefits from the system.

(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a domestic relations order from being amended to provide that all or part of the obligations attaching against the county retirement system or pension plan prior to the transfer of employment to the State shall not be transferred to the board or the system.

(c) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection:

"County alternate payee." Any spouse, former spouse, child or dependent of a county employee who is recognized by a domestic relations order as having a right to receive all or a portion of the moneys payable to that county employee under the county retirement system or pension plan in which the county employee was a contributor immediately prior to transfer to State employment.

"Domestic relations order." As defined in section 5102 (relating to definitions), regardless of whether the order was entered before or after June 28, 1994.

(June 22, 1999, P.L.75, No.12, eff. imd.)

1999 Amendment. Act 12 added section 5953.5.

Cross References. Section 5953.5 is referred to in section 5812 of this title.