If at any time a school employee, who is willing to continue, is not re-employed or is discharged before the time when he would, under the provisions of this act, be entitled to a school annuity, then such school employee shall be paid back at once the money, without interest, he may have contributed under this act. Any school employee who shall resign voluntarily from the service, shall receive a refund of one-half (1/2) of the money, without interest, he shall have contributed under this act. If such employee accepts employment in school service elsewhere in the state of Kansas, contributions made by him and not refunded to him shall, at his request within one year after his resignation, be paid to the state school retirement system. In case any school employee shall later return to school service, he may, within the first year of re-employment return the amount refunded to him and paid to the state school retirement system without either interest or penalty, and regain his original status with the retirement fund.

And should any school employee die before receiving benefits or school annuity by this act provided in an amount at least equal to the total amount of contributions by such employee under this act, the board of education shall pay to such school employee’s heirs or estate the amount, without interest, which is the difference between the amount paid into such retirement fund by said school employee and the amount, if any, paid to the school employee as benefit: Provided, Any school employee may name one or more beneficiaries to receive such payment that may be due or become due in the event of his death: Provided, Any school employee who has not attained the age of sixty (60), who has been credited under the rules and regulations of such board of education with an aggregate of twenty-five (25) or more years of school service to said board, and who voluntarily or involuntarily ceases to be an employee of the board of education, may elect, in lieu of accepting refund of his contributions as hereinbefore provided, to leave his accumulated contributions with the retirement fund and by so doing be entitled to receive a school annuity from such retirement fund beginning the first day of September following the date of his attaining the age of sixty (60) and his filing application for annuity with the board of education, and continuing so long as such school employee may live, in equal monthly installments which shall aggregate annually ninety percent (90%) of the annuity calculated on the basis of this school service as provided herein for an employee who has attained the age of sixty (60): Provided, Any school employee who shall resign voluntarily from the service, and whose resignation is effective subsequent to July 1, 1967, and the effective date of this act, shall be paid back at once the money, without interest, he may have contributed under this act: Provided, Properly executed claims for refund or deferred annuity shall be filed with the board of education by employees whose employment is terminated and by the beneficiaries, heirs, or estates of deceased employees within one (1) year from the date of termination of employment or decease of employee, and failure to file such claim within the stipulated period shall result in forfeiting of all rights to such refund or deferred annuity.