(a) Any Group 1 member who retires on a serviceretirement allowance with creditable service in a Group 1 position covered by the mandatory retirement provisions of § 8-36-205(a)(1) shall receive, in addition to that member’s service retirement allowance, a supplemental bridge benefit calculated as follows:
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 8-36-211
Average final compensation: means the average annual earnable compensation of a member during the five (5) consecutive years of the member's creditable service affording the highest such average, or during all of the years in the member's creditable service if less than five (5) years. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
Creditable service: means prior service plus membership service, as provided in part 6 of this chapter. 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
Retirement: means withdrawal from membership with a retirement allowance granted under chapters 34-37 of this title. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
Retirement allowance: means the sum of the member annuity and the state annuity. 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
Service retirement date: means the date on which a member first becomes eligible for a service retirement allowance, or would first become eligible for a service retirement allowance if the member were to remain in service until such date, as provided in §. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
(1) For any such member retiring on a service retirement allowance pursuant to § 8-36-201, the supplemental bridge benefit shall be equal to three fourths of one percent (0.75%) of the member’s average final compensation, multiplied by the member’s years of creditable service established while the member was in a Group 1 position covered by the mandatory retirement provisions of § 8-36-205(a)(1); or(2) For any such member retiring on an early service retirement allowance pursuant to § 8-36-301, the supplemental bridge benefit shall be computed in accordance with subdivision (a)(1), but shall be reduced by four tenths of one percent (0.4%) for each month by which the member’s date of early service retirement precedes the member’s service retirement date.(b) A supplemental bridge benefit shall further be paid to any Group 1 member who retires on a service retirement allowance with creditable service in a Group 1 position covered by the mandatory retirement provisions of § 8-36-205(a)(2), if the political subdivision for which the service was rendered adopts a mandatory retirement age requirement pursuant to § 8-36-205. The supplemental benefit shall only be paid if the mandatory retirement age requirement adopted by the political subdivision is sixty (60) years of age or older, but less than the age requirement for receipt of old age and survivors benefits under Title II of the Federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 401 et seq.). The supplemental benefit shall be calculated as follows:
(1) For any such member retiring on a service retirement allowance pursuant to § 8-36-201, the supplemental bridge benefit shall be equal to three fourths of one percent (0.75%) of the member’s average final compensation, multiplied by the member’s years of creditable service established while the member was in a Group 1 position covered by the mandatory retirement provisions of § 8-36-205(a)(2); or(2) For any such member retiring on an early service retirement allowance pursuant to § 8-36-301, the supplemental bridge benefit shall be computed in accordance with subdivision (b)(1), but shall be reduced by four tenths of one percent (0.4%) for each month by which the member’s date of early service retirement precedes the member’s service retirement date.(c) Notwithstanding subsection (a) or (b), the supplemental bridge benefit shall not exceed twenty-two and one-half percent (22.5%) of the member’s average final compensation. Such limit shall not apply to any cost-of-living increases to which the member is entitled under subsection (d).(d) Any retired member covered by this section shall be entitled to receive an adjustment in the retiree’s supplemental bridge benefit pursuant to § 8-36-701. Any such adjustment to the bridge benefit shall be computed separately from the member’s service retirement allowance.(e) Sections 8-36-102 and 8-36-208(a) shall not be construed to reduce or eliminate the supplemental bridge benefit provided by this section, nor shall the supplemental benefit be reduced as a result of any optional retirement allowance selected by the member pursuant to § 8-36-601.(f) The supplemental bridge benefit shall commence and end as follows:
(1) The supplemental bridge benefit shall commence on the member’s effective date of retirement or on the first day of the month following the month the member reaches age sixty (60), whichever is later;(2) Effective July 1, 2007, the supplemental bridge benefit shall commence on the member’s effective date of retirement or on the first day of the month following the month the member reaches age fifty-five (55), whichever is later; provided, that this subdivision (f)(2) shall not apply to any member who is eligible for the supplemental bridge benefit based solely on creditable service rendered pursuant to § 8-36-205(a)(2), unless the chief governing body of the political subdivision passes a resolution accepting the associated liability and cost to provide those benefits; and(3) The supplemental bridge benefit and any cost-of-living adjustments attributable to that benefit shall cease on the first day of the month following the month in which the member dies, or on the first day of the month following the month in which the member reaches the age requirement for receipt of old age and survivors benefits under Title II of the federal Social Security Act, whichever occurs first.(g) The supplemental bridge benefit provided by this section shall apply to all current and future retired members; provided, that the benefit shall not be paid retroactively. Subdivision (f)(1) shall become effective on July 1, 1998, for service covered under subsection (a), or upon the effective date of the mandatory retirement age provision for service covered under subsection (b). Subdivision (f)(2) shall become effective on July 1, 2007, for service covered under subsection (a), or upon the effective date of the resolution adopted pursuant to subdivision (f)(2) for service covered under subsection (b).(h) All costs associated with providing the supplemental bridge benefit shall be paid by the respective state agencies and political subdivisions for which the service covered by this section was rendered.
