Any member of this retirement system or of any county retirement system referred to in section seven of this act and merged into this retirement system by this act, who, heretofore and subsequent to July first, one thousand nine hundred and forty, entered, or hereafter, in time of war, shall enter the active military or naval service of the United States or the active service of the Merchant Marine or the active service of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, the Women’s Reserve of the Naval Reserve or any similar organization authorized by the United States to serve with the army or navy including any member of this system while serving in the foreign service of the American Red Cross outside continental United States, shall not suffer the loss or impairment of any of the rights, benefits or privileges accorded by the provisions of this act; provided, however, that in the event of the death or disability of such person while in such service the pension to be paid such person or his or her dependents shall be based upon the salary which such person would have been entitled to receive at the time of his or her death or disability had he or she continued in county employment up to the time of his or her death or disability. The benefits granted hereunder to any such person who dies or is disabled while he or she is in any of the services described in this section shall not be reduced or affected by the payment of any Federal pension, compensation or insurance to such person or his or her beneficiaries.

During the period beginning with the time of the entry of such person into such service and ending at the earliest of (a) three months after the time of such person’s discharge from such service or (b) the time such person resumes such county employment or (c) the time of such person’s death or disability while in such service, the proper officer of the county shall contribute or cause to be contributed to the pension fund provided hereunder the amount required by the terms of this act based upon the amount of compensation received by such person prior to his or her entry into such service and during the period first mentioned in this paragraph any such person receiving compensation from the county shall continue to contribute the amount required by this act to be paid by members of this retirement system and during the period first mentioned in this paragraph any such person not receiving compensation from the county shall not be required to contribute the amount required by this act to be paid by members of this retirement system but said amount shall be contributed for such person by the county.

L.1948, c. 310, p. 1253, s. 20.