(a) If a public employee has retired before a forfeiture order is issued under § 21-704 of this subtitle, the Board of Trustees may recover from the public employee the amount of benefits paid to the public employee before the order.

(b) The recovery under subsection (a) of this section is limited to an amount equal to the benefits that would have been forfeited had the forfeiture order been issued before the public employee began receiving any benefits as a retiree.