(a) Any retired member or any member who completes one (1) year or more of current membership service in the Tennessee consolidated retirement system shall be entitled to establish retirement credit for time during which such member was employed by a political subdivision if the following conditions are met:
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 8-35-236
Employer: means : (A) The state or any department, commission, institution, board or agency of the state government by which a member is paid, with respect to members in its employ. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
Member: means any person included in the membership of the retirement system, as provided in chapter 35, part 1 of this title. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
Membership service: means service rendered while a member of the retirement system. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
Prior service: means service rendered prior to the date of membership in the retirement system for which credit was given under the terms of one (1) or more of the superseded systems as provided in part 6 of this chapter. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
Retirement: means withdrawal from membership with a retirement allowance granted under chapters 34-37 of this title. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
Retirement system: means the Tennessee consolidated retirement system as defined in §. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
Service: means service as a general employee, a teacher, a state police officer, a wildlife officer, a firefighter, a police officer, a state judge, a county judge, an attorney general, a commissioner or a county official which is paid for by an employer, and also includes service for which a former member of the general assembly is entitled to under former §. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
(1) The political subdivision is a participating employer in the Tennessee consolidated retirement system;(2) The political subdivision’s legislative body passes a resolution authorizing an actuarial study to determine the liability associated with such prior service, and accepting responsibility for the costs of such study;(3) The member or retired member files with the political subdivision, within sixty (60) days of the passage of the resolution authorizing the study, a notice of the member’s intention to establish such prior service. Any member or retired member who fails to file the notice of election within the sixty-day period shall not later be eligible to establish such prior service;(4) Following receipt of the actuarial study, the political subdivision’s legislative body by a two-thirds (2/3) vote adopts a resolution authorizing prior service for such members and accepting the liability therefor; provided, that the political subdivision may only authorize credit for such periods of previous service as authorized for other employees of the political subdivision; and(5) Any person establishing such prior service must make a lump sum payment equal to the member contributions the member or retired member would have made had such person been a member of the retirement system during the period claimed, plus interest at the rate provided in § 8-37-214.(b) The retirement system shall not be liable for the payment of retirement allowances or other benefits on account of such member or the member’s beneficiaries for which reserves have not been previously created from funds contributed by the political subdivision and/or by or on behalf of such member.(c) It is the legislative intent that the state shall realize no increased cost as a result of this section. All costs associated with retirement coverage, including administrative costs, shall be the responsibility of the political subdivision’s legislative body.
