| (a) A member with less than five years of service credit
on August 31, 2014 and/or a person whose membership begins on or after
September 1, 2014, must meet the requirements of §824.202(a-2),
Government Code, to be eligible for a standard service retirement
annuity.
(b) An eligible member may purchase any withdrawn,
unreported, waiting period, and/or USERRA service credit in order
to meet the five years of service credit requirement. Except as provided
in subsection (c) of this section, the purchase of any withdrawn service
credit must be completed, i.e. amount required to purchase the service
credit paid in full, by August 31, 2014. If the purchase of service
credit includes any years of service credit that may be purchased
one year at a time, only the amount required to purchase the number
of years of service credit needed to meet the five years of service
credit requirement must be paid in full by August 31, 2014.
(c) An eligible member seeking to purchase service
credit in order to meet the five years of service credit requirement
must submit a request to purchase the service credit to TRS. The request
to purchase the service credit and all documentation required to establish
eligibility to purchase the service credit must be received by TRS
before 12:00 a.m. on September 3, 2014. A member meeting this requirement
will be given until the later of 11:59 p.m. on September 2, 2014 or
a 30-day period from the date TRS mails the bill for the purchase
of service credit to submit full payment for the service credit to
be used in meeting the five years of service credit requirement.
(d) A member who meets the five years of service credit
requirement on August 31, 2014 or as described in subsection (c) of
this section, but terminates membership by withdrawal of accumulated
contributions after that date and later resumes membership in TRS
must meet the requirements of §824.202(a-2), Government Code,
to be eligible for a standard service retirement annuity.
(e) A person who was a member of TRS on August 31,
2014 and who has verified but not purchased USERRA service credit
for eligible military service performed before September 1, 2014 may
use the USERRA service credit to meet the five years of service credit
requirement provided membership is maintained until retirement. The
USERRA service may be verified any time before retirement.
(f) A person who is a member of TRS on August 31, 2014
and who has service credited on August 31, 2014 in the Employees Retirement
System of Texas (ERS) or another retirement system participating in
the Proportionate Retirement Program established in Chapter 803, Government
Code and maintains the combined service credit until retirement, may
use the combined service credit to meet the five years of service
credit requirement described in this section.
|
