A.  Upon the effective date of commencement of participation in the plan and during the period of participation in the plan, neither the employee nor the employer contributions shall be payable, and the participant in the plan shall be considered as a Deferred Retirement Option Plan participant, and except as provided in La. Rev. Stat. 11:447 through 454, the Deferred Retirement Option Plan participant shall be treated as a member of the system.

B.  For purposes of this Section, final average compensation and creditable service shall remain fixed as they existed on the date of commencement of participation in the plan. Creditable service shall not include conversion of sick and annual leave.

(1)  Any person who has completed participation in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan and continued employment such that he was employed by a member agency of the Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System on or after July 1, 2003, who makes application for retirement to the system and leaves service on or before December 31, 2003, and is still a contributing member of the Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System on August 15, 2003, may upgrade all or a portion of service credit earned prior to entry into the Deferred Retirement Option Plan by purchase made pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. 11:158.  The balance in the employee’s Deferred Retirement Option Plan account and any contribution made to the Deferred Retirement Option Plan account shall be unaffected by the recalculation of the retirement benefit.

(2)  Final average compensation for service credit earned prior to entry into the Deferred Retirement Option Plan shall include the cash value of any emolument of office granted in lieu of salary, provided the member who makes application for retirement to the system and leaves service on or before December 31, 2003, pays, at the time of the application for service credit, the total actuarial cost as provided in La. Rev. Stat. 11:158, which cost shall completely offset the liability to the system for benefits attributed to the retirement credit for the emolument received.

C.  Retirement benefits based on final average compensation and creditable service as established under Subsection B of this Section and which otherwise would have been due the participant shall, during the period of participation in the plan, be credited to the participant’s Deferred Retirement Option Plan subaccount.

D.  Individuals who participate in the plan shall not receive the benefit of any cost-of-living adjustments granted while employed and for a period of one year following termination of employment and then such cost-of-living adjustment shall only be granted in accordance with La. Rev. Stat. 11:542.

Acts 1990, No. 14, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1991; Redesignated from La. Rev. Stat. 42:578.2 by Acts 1991, No. 74, §3, eff. June 25, 1991; Acts 2001, No. 308, §1, eff. June 6, 2001; Acts 2003, No. 818, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2004; Acts 2003, No. 1234, §1.