1. Except as otherwise provided by law, any person having earned creditable service pursuant to the provisions of the state employees’ retirement system or pursuant to the provisions of the state transportation department employees’ and highway patrol retirement system or having service as a statewide state elective officer or having service as a member of the general assembly or having service pursuant to the provisions of sections 287.812 to 287.855, or having service as a judge, as defined in section 476.515, may elect prior to retirement and not after retirement, to make a one-time transfer of credit for such service or such creditable service to or from any other retirement system or type of service specified in this section or sections 56.800 to 56.840 for which the person has accumulated service or creditable service. The amount of transferred credit shall be accumulated with the amount of such creditable service or such service earned by the person in the retirement system or type of service to which the service is transferred for purposes of determining the benefits to which the person is entitled under the retirement system or type of service to which the service is transferred. The transfer of such creditable service or service shall become effective at the time the person files written notification of the person’s election with the retirement boards affected by such service transfer. When the election to transfer creditable service or service becomes effective, the person shall thereby forfeit any claim to any benefit under the provisions of the retirement system or type of service, as the case may be, from which the service or creditable service was transferred regardless of the amount of service or creditable service previously earned in such retirement system or type of service. Any person who has transferred service pursuant to this subsection prior to August 28, 2002, and who is an employee covered by a retirement plan described in this subsection after that date, may elect to make an additional transfer of service prior to retirement if additional service would otherwise be available to be transferred except for the forfeiture of that service after the previous transfer. In no event shall the amount of service that a person shall be entitled to transfer pursuant to the provisions of this section exceed eight years.

2. In the event of the death of a member before retirement and prior to exercising transfer rights pursuant to the provisions of this section, survivorship benefits shall be computed as if such person had in fact exercised or not exercised the person’s transfer rights to produce the most advantageous benefit possible.

3. Any person that has earned creditable service pursuant to the provisions governing the Missouri state employees’ retirement system or pursuant to the provisions of chapter 287 or chapter 476, who terminated employment prior to August 13, 1986, shall, upon application to the board of trustees of the Missouri state employees’ retirement system, be made, constituted and appointed and employed by the board as a special consultant on the problems of retirement, aging and other state matters for the remainder of the person’s life. Upon request of the board or the court from which the person retired, the consultant shall give opinions or be available to give opinions in writing or orally in response to such request. As compensation for such services, the consultant shall be eligible, prior to retirement, to make a one-time transfer of creditable service as provided in this section.