(a) Anything in chapters 34-37 of this title to the contrary notwithstanding, if any member‘s creditable service includes a period or periods of service in an employment classification other than such member’s classification at the time of separation from service for which the benefit provisions of chapters 34-37 of this title differ from those for such member’s classification at the time of such member’s separation from service, the following provisions shall be applicable in determining any retirement allowance or other benefit payable on such member’s account.
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 8-36-110
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
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to the date of membership in the retirement system for which credit was given under the terms of one (1) or more of the superseded systems as provided in part 6 of this chapter.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 allowance: means the sum of the member annuity and the state annuity. 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
Superseded system: means , where applicable, the Tennessee state retirement system, the Tennessee teachers' retirement system, the Tennessee judges' retirement system, the retirement system for county paid judges of Tennessee, the attorneys general retirement system of Tennessee, the public service commissioners' retirement system, and the Tennessee retirement system for county officials, any one (1) of them, or any combination thereof. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
(b) The rate of benefit with respect to the period of creditable service in each classification shall be the rate of benefit provided under chapters 34-37 of this title for such classification.(c)(1) Any flat minimum benefit shall be determined separately with respect to each such period of creditable service, but the determination as to whether the benefit based on average final compensation or the flat minimum benefit is larger shall be made with respect to the member’s total creditable service.(2) Any benefit for service as a member of the general assembly shall be computed independently of benefits for other creditable service.(d) Eligibility for any benefit payable on account of a member’s death prior to retirement shall be determined on the basis of the member’s most recent employment classification prior to death.(e) Upon separation from service for reasons other than death, eligibility for a retirement allowance shall be determined on the basis of the member’s total creditable service, but such determination shall be made separately with respect to benefits for the period of service in each classification on the basis of the applicable eligibility requirements provided by chapters 34-37 of this title.(f) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any member shall have rendered a period of prior service in an employment classification for which the rate of benefit is lower than the rate for such member’s classification on June 30, 1972, and if under the superseded system of which such member shall have been a member, such period would have been treated as service in such member’s classification in effect on June 30, 1972, such period of prior service shall be considered for the purpose of this section to be service in the classification in effect on June 30, 1972.(g) Any member, upon retiring, shall be eligible to use the aggregate number of years in all systems to qualify for retirement. Such member’s benefits shall be computed under the applicable provisions of each superseded system based on the aggregate number of years in each superseded system or the Tennessee consolidated retirement system to determine such member’s total benefits. The retirement allowance payable to such member shall not be less than the benefit determined on total years of service under Group 1.(h) Anything to the contrary notwithstanding, the spouse of any member or former member of the superseded Tennessee county officials’ retirement system who died while in office but who had not attained the minimum number of years for retirement, but who was at least fifty-five (55) years of age at the time of death, may be eligible for a benefit under the applicable provisions of this system.
