A.  Any member of this plan shall be eligible for retirement if he has:

(1)  Twenty-five years or more of service, at any age.

(2)  Twelve years or more of service, at age fifty-five or thereafter.

(3)  Twenty years of service credit at any age, exclusive of military service and unused annual and sick leave, but any person retiring under this Paragraph shall have his benefit, inclusive of military service credit and allowable unused annual and sick leave, actuarially reduced.  Any member retiring under this Paragraph who is in state service at the time of his retirement shall have his benefit actuarially reduced from the earliest age that he would normally become eligible for a regular retirement benefit under Paragraph (1) or (2) of this Subsection if he had continued in service to that age. Any member retiring under this Paragraph who is out of state service at the time of his retirement shall have his benefit actuarially reduced from the earliest age that he would normally become eligible for a regular retirement benefit under Paragraph (1) or (2) of this Subsection based upon his years of service as of the date of retirement.  Any employee who elects to retire under the provisions of this Paragraph shall not be eligible to participate in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan provided by La. Rev. Stat. 11:447 or the Initial Benefit Option provided by La. Rev. Stat. 11:446(A)(5).

B.(1)  Notwithstanding the provisions of La. Rev. Stat. 11:441(A)(2)(b) or any other provision of law to the contrary, any member of this plan who is not eligible for retirement under Subsection A of this Section may elect to retire under the provisions of La. Rev. Stat. 11:441(A)(2)(b)(i) with five years or more of service credit at age sixty or thereafter.

(2)(a)  The retirement benefit and survivor benefit provisions of this Subpart, including but not limited to La. Rev. Stat. 11:615 and 621, shall not apply to any member of this plan who elects to retire under the provisions of La. Rev. Stat. 11:441(A)(2)(b)(i).

(b)  Any member of this plan who elects to retire under the provisions of La. Rev. Stat. 11:441(A)(2)(b)(i) shall receive a retirement benefit equal to two and one-half percent of his average compensation for every year of creditable service.

(c)  Retirement benefits for any member of this plan who elects to retire under the provisions of La. Rev. Stat. 11:441(A)(2)(b)(i) shall be paid in accordance with La. Rev. Stat. 11:446.

Acts 2010, No. 992, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2011; Acts 2011, No. 368, §1, eff. July 1, 2011.