Arizona § 38-816 - Redemption of prior service

§ 38-816. Redemption of prior service

A. Except as provided in subsection B of this section, an active elected official who has at least five years of credited service with the plan may elect to redeem up to sixty months of any part of the following prior service or employment by paying into the fund the amounts required under subsection C of this section if the prior service or employment is not on account with any other retirement system or plan:

1. Prior service in this state as an elected official with an employer now covered by the plan before the effective date of participation if the elected official has received a refund from a prior retirement system or plan on termination of employment before the elected official's application for redemption of prior service.

2. Prior service in this state as an elected official with an employer now covered by the plan before the effective date of participation if the elected official was not covered by a retirement system or plan during the elected official's prior elected official service.

3. Prior service as an elected official of this state or a city, town or county of this state if the elected official was not covered by a retirement system or plan during that service whether or not the city, town or county is an employer now covered by the plan.

4. Prior employment with the United States government, a state of the United States or a political subdivision of a state of the United States.

B. An active elected official who became a member of the plan before January 1, 2012 may redeem any amount of eligible prior service as specified in subsection A of this section without having to have accrued any minimum amount of credited service in the plan.

C. An active elected official who elects to redeem any part of the prior service or employment for which the elected official is deemed eligible by the board under this section shall pay into the plan the amounts previously withdrawn by the elected official as a refund of the elected official's accumulated contributions, if any, plus the additional amount, if any, that is computed by the plan's actuary and that is necessary to equal the increase in the actuarial present value of projected benefits resulting from the redemption calculated using the actuarial methods and assumptions that are prescribed by the plan's actuary.

D. On approval by the governing body of an incorporated city or town that executes a joinder agreement under section 38-815, the city or town may pay into the fund all or any part of the amount sufficient to provide retirement benefits for elected officials or former elected officials for the time of service as an elected official of the city or town before the joinder agreement if no retirement benefits were in effect for elected officials during the time of service being redeemed under this section.

E. A member electing to redeem service pursuant to this section may pay for service being redeemed in the form of a lump sum payment to the plan, a trustee-to-trustee transfer or a direct rollover of an eligible distribution from a plan described in section 402(c)(8)(B)(iii), (iv), (v) or (vi) of the internal revenue code or a rollover of an eligible distribution from an individual retirement account or annuity described in section 408(a) or (b) of the internal revenue code.