Any employee of the Office of Child Support Enforcement who was formerly employed by a public contractor with a contract in effect as of January 1, 1998, with the office and who moved from employment with the public contractor to employment with the office without a break in service shall be entitled to credit for service for the time he or she was employed by the contractor for the purpose of establishing eligibility for annual leave accrual and career service awards to the same extent as regular state employees.