§12-18-8.3. Restoration of prior creditable service; participation in other public retirement systems.

Notwithstanding any other provisions in this chapter, any judge who is currently a member of the Judicial Retirement Fund or who becomes a member of the Judicial Retirement Fund at a future date, who had previously withdrawn his or her funds from the Judicial Retirement Fund or whose account had been terminated due to a five-year absence shall have restored to him or her all creditable service if the judge completes two years of contributing membership service after he or she again becomes a member of the retirement fund and subsequently repays to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Judicial Retirement Fund the amount previously returned to him or her including compounded interest of eight percent to the date of repayment, prior to the date of retirement of the member.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, any member who elects to purchase credit for withdrawn service shall be eligible to purchase the credit only to the extent that the member does not have credit established with any other public retirement system for the period of service. Should any member have established part credit with another public retirement system for any period of withdrawn service, then the member shall only be eligible to purchase that portion of the withdrawn service for which the member does not otherwise have credit. In determining credit with other public retirement systems, coverage under the federal Social Security program shall not be considered. The provisions of this section that allow creditable service to be restored for previously withdrawn service shall terminate February 1, 1998, and no one shall be eligible to utilize any of the options granted herein if not fully exercised and paid prior to February 1, 1998.

(Acts 1997, No. 97-670, p. 1293, §1.)