(a)  No employee of a participating municipality whose membership in the retirement system is contingent on his or her own election to join under § 45-21-8(c), shall receive prior service credit unless the employee makes application for membership within one year from the effective date of participation of the municipality by which the employee is employed. Any employee who elects not to join this retirement system, as provided in § 45-21-8(b), may thereafter be admitted to membership, but no employee shall receive credit for prior service unless the employee applies for membership within one year from the effective date of participation of the municipality by which the employee is employed.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 45-21-9

  • board: means the state retirement board created by chapter 8 of Title 36. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-21-2
  • Effective date of participation: means the date on which the provisions of this chapter have become applicable to a municipality accepting the provisions of the chapter in the manner stated in §?45-21-4. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-21-2
  • Employee: means any regular and permanent employee or officer of any municipality, whose business time at a minimum of twenty (20) hours a week is devoted to the service of the municipality, including elective officials and officials and employees of city and town housing authorities. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-21-2
  • Member: means any person included in the membership of the retirement system as provided in §?45-21-8. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-21-2
  • Municipality: means any town or city in the state of Rhode Island, any city or town housing authority, fire, water, sewer district, regional school district, public building authority as established by chapter 14 of Title 37, or any other municipal financed agency to which the retirement board has approved admission in the retirement system. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-21-2
  • Prior service: means service as a member rendered before the effective date of participation as defined in this section, certified on his or her prior service certificate, and allowable as provided in §?45-21-15. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-21-2
  • Regular interest: means interest at the assumed investment rate of return, compounded annually, as may be prescribed from time to time by the retirement board. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-21-2
  • Retirement system: means the "municipal employees' retirement system of the state of Rhode Island" as defined in §?45-21-32. See Rhode Island General Laws 45-21-2
  • Service: means service as an employee of a municipality of the state of Rhode Island as defined in subdivision (7). See Rhode Island General Laws 45-21-2
  • town: may be construed to include city; the words "town council" include city council; the words "town clerk" include city clerk; the words "ward clerk" include clerk of election district; the words "town treasurer" include city treasurer; and the words "town sergeant" include city sergeant. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-9

(b)  Any member who becomes an employee after the effective date of participation by a municipality into the system, has the privilege of purchasing credit for prior service with the city or town of which the employee is now employed. This privilege does not become effective until a member has had at least one year of service following his or her latest reentry into membership with the system, and credit is granted only when the member makes a lump sum payment of six percent (6%) of the rate of compensation in effect on the date of reentry, plus regular interest, compounded annually from that date to the date of purchase. The maximum period of service that may be purchased under this section is ten (10) years. Upon granting prior service under the provisions of this section, the board shall bill the applicable city or town for its share of the total liability for the prior service. Effective July 1, 2012, any purchase requested under this paragraph shall be made by a member at full actuarial cost.

History of Section.
P.L. 1951, ch. 2784, § 6; G.L. 1956, § 41-21-9; P.L. 1966, ch. 166, § 1; P.L. 1981, ch. 133, § 2; P.L. 2011, ch. 408, § 11; P.L. 2011, ch. 409, § 11.