A person who was employed by the former Workers’ Compensation Commission upon its termination or was laid off by the employers’ mutual insurance company created in this article on or before June 30, 2008, is entitled to be placed on an appropriate reemployment list maintained by the Department of Personnel and to be allowed a preference on that list. The Department of Personnel shall maintain such an employee on the reemployment list indefinitely, or until the employee has declined three offers of employment at a paygrade substantially similar to that of his or her position upon termination of the former Workers’ Compensation Commission, or until he or she is reemployed by the executive branch of state government, whichever occurs earlier.