A. Members of the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System who are active Lake Patrolmen or Dispatchers of the Grand River Dam Authority on June 30, 2003, may make an irrevocable written election on or before January 1, 2004, to participate in the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System. Such patrolmen and dispatchers who make the election as provided by this section shall be subject to the following:
1. Upon the date the patrolman or dispatcher makes the election pursuant to this section, he or she shall cease accruing benefits in the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System and shall commence accruing benefits in the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System;
2. Prior to the beginning of the month following receipt of the patrolman’s or dispatcher’s election by the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System, the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System shall transfer to the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System all employee contributions and employer contributions including any amounts received by the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System on behalf of a transferring member related to a purchase or transfer of credited service to the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System. The Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System shall also send to the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System the retirement records of the transferring member;
3. To receive service credit accrued by such transferring member prior to the election, or prior to the date as of which the person making the election ceases to be a member of the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System, whichever date occurs last, the member shall make an irrevocable written election. The election shall be to either pay the difference between the amount transferred by the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System to the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System in paragraph 2 of this subsection and the amount determined by the Board of Trustees pursuant to Section 2-307.5 of Title 47 of the Oklahoma Statutes to receive full eligible credit for the years sought to be transferred or receive eligible prorated service credit for only the amount received from the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System pursuant to this subsection. Payments made by such transferring members pursuant to this paragraph shall be made pursuant to subsection B of Section 2-307.5 of Title 47 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
4. Service credit shall only be transferable pursuant to this section if the transferring member is not receiving or eligible to receive service credit or benefits from said service in any other public retirement system and has not received service credit for the same years of service pursuant to Sections 2-307.1, 2-307.3 and 2-307.4 of Title 47 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Provided further, that only transferred credited service related to Lake Patrol service as a patrolman or dispatcher with the Grand River Dam Authority and any other law enforcement related service, including service with the Department of Corrections as a correctional officer or probation and parole officer or any credited service that was purchased or transferred to the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System from the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System or the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System, shall be included in the determination of an officer’s normal retirement date or vesting date in the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System; and
5. All service credit with the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System which is ineligible for transfer to the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System shall be canceled.
B. The Grand River Dam Authority shall be a participating employer in the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System for all Grand River Dam Lake Patrolmen and Dispatchers who participate in the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System pursuant to the provisions of this section.
Added by Laws 2003, c. 459, § 8. Amended by Laws 2016, c. 297, § 23, eff. July 1, 2016.