A. The normal retirement date for a member of the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System shall be as defined in Section 902 of this title, provided members employed on or after January 1, 1983, shall have six (6) or more years of full-time-equivalent employment with a participating employer before receiving any retirement benefits or if the member is a legislative session employee of the Legislature, shall have three (3) or more years of full-time-equivalent employment with a participating employer before receiving any retirement benefits. In no event shall a normal retirement date for a member be before six (6) months after the entry date of the participating employer by whom he or she is employed.
B. A member may be employed beyond the normal retirement date by the appointing authority of the participating employer. However, the member may not receive retirement pay so long as the member continues employment under this act. Any member who has terminated employment with a participating employer prior to the month immediately preceding said member's normal retirement date must elect a vested benefit pursuant to Section 917 of this title before receiving any retirement benefits.
C. Notice for retirement shall be filed through the retirement coordinator for the participating employer in such form and manner as the Board shall prescribe; provided, that such notice for retirement shall be filed with the office of the retirement system at least sixty (60) days prior to the date selected for the member's retirement; provided further, that the Executive Director may waive the sixty-day notice for good cause shown as defined by the Board.
1. The participating employer shall provide the System with the following information for a retiring member, no later than the fifteenth day of the month of retirement: last day physically on the job; last day on payroll; and final unused sick leave balance.
2. Failure to submit this information by the deadline, or errors in submitted information that result in a disqualification of retirement eligibility shall be the responsibility of the participating employer. In cases where the error results in disqualification of retirement eligibility, it is the participating employer's responsibility to reemploy the member, or retain the member on the payroll, for time period required to reach eligibility, not exceeding two (2) months.
D. No retirement benefits shall be payable to any member until the first day of the month following the termination of the member's employment with any participating employer. The type of retirement benefit selected by a member may not be changed on or after the effective date of the member's retirement. Receipt of workers' compensation benefits shall in no respect disqualify the retiree for benefits.
E. If a retiree should be elected or appointed to any position or office for which compensation for service is paid from levies or taxes imposed by the state or any political subdivision thereof, the retiree shall not receive any retirement benefit for any month for which the retiree serves in such position or office after the retiree has received compensation in a sum equal to the amount allowable as wages or earnings by the Social Security Administration in any calendar year. This subsection shall not apply to service rendered by a retiree as a juror, as a witness in any legal proceeding or action, as an election board judge or clerk, or in any other office or position of a similar nature, or to an employer that is not a participating employer. Provided, further, that any participating employer who is employing such a retiree shall make proper written notification to the System informing it of the beginning date of such retiree's employment and the date such retiree reaches the maximum compensation allowed by this section in the calendar year. Any retiree returning to work for a participating employer shall make contributions to the System and the employer shall do likewise. All retirees who have returned to employment and participation in the System following retirement shall have post-retirement benefits calculated on one of the following methods:
1. All service accumulated from date of reemployment shall be computed based on the benefit formula applicable at that time and the additional benefits shall be added to the previous benefits. Such additional benefits shall be calculated each year based upon additional service accrued from July 1 to June 30 of the previous year and the additional benefit, if any, will be added to the retiree's monthly benefit beginning January 1, 2000, and each January 1 thereafter. However, the post-retirement service credit shall be cumulative, beginning with service credit accrued after the date of retirement, provided that the retiree has not received a distribution of the post-retirement contributions.
2. Any retiree who returns to employment with a participating employer may elect not to receive any retirement benefits while so reemployed. If such an election is made and reemployment is for a minimum period of thirty-six (36) consecutive months, all service accumulated from date of reemployment shall be participating service. For purposes of determining the retirement benefits of such a member upon the termination of such reemployment all creditable service of the member shall be computed based on the benefit formula applicable at the time of termination of such reemployment. Provided, a retiree who became reemployed prior to July 1, 1982, and who is reemployed for a minimum of thirty-six (36) consecutive months shall have all the creditable service of such retiree computed based on the benefit formula applicable at the time of termination of such reemployment if the retiree elects not to receive retirement benefits prior to such termination of reemployment. A retiree who has waived receipt of the monthly benefit, but is not reemployed for the full thirty-six (36) consecutive months, shall upon termination of such reemployment have only the additional amount added to his or her benefit as if they had not waived the benefit as provided in paragraph 1 of this subsection.
3. All post-retirement additional benefits shall be calculated using actual hours worked as well as the actual compensation received and upon which contributions are paid. Post-retirement service is not subject to the partial year round-up provisions of subsection C of Section 913 of this title.
4. A retired member who returns to work for a participating employer pursuant to this section shall be bound by the election made pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection A of Section 915 of this title if the member had made such election prior to retirement. If the member had not made such election prior to retirement, the member may do so during the member's reemployment with a participating employer pursuant to this section. A retired member may not be rehired by their former employer, nor may the retired member be permitted to enter into an employment contract of any kind with a former employer, for a period of one (1) year after the retired member ended his or her employment with the former employer unless the retired member waives his or her benefit under paragraph 2 of this subsection and returns as a bona fide employee.
F. Except as otherwise provided by subsection G of this section, any member may elect to retire before his or her normal retirement date on the first day of any month coinciding with or following the attainment of age fifty-five (55), provided such member has completed ten (10) years of participating service, but in no event before six (6) months after the entry date. Any member who shall retire before the normal retirement date shall receive an annual retirement benefit adjusted in accordance with the following percentage schedule:
Percentage of Normal
AgeRetirement Benefit
62100.00%
6193.33%
6086.67%
5980.00%
5873.33%
5766.67%
5663.33%
5560.00%
G. Any member whose first participating service occurs on or after November 1, 2011, may elect to retire before his or her normal retirement date on the first day of any month coinciding with or following the attainment of age sixty (60), provided such member has completed ten (10) years of participating service, but in no event before six (6) months after the entry date. Any member who shall retire before the normal retirement date shall receive an annual retirement benefit adjusted in accordance with the following percentage schedule:
Percentage of Normal
AgeRetirement Benefit
65100.00%
6493.33%
6386.67%
6280.00%
6173.33%
6066.67%
Added by Laws 1963, c. 50, § 14, emerg. eff. May 6, 1963. Amended by Laws 1965, c. 432, § 4, emerg. eff. July 9, 1965; Laws 1968, c. 158, § 1, emerg. eff. April 11, 1968; Laws 1973, c. 279, § 6, emerg. eff. May 30, 1973; Laws 1974, c. 139, § 1, emerg. eff. May 3, 1974; Laws 1976, c. 207, § 4, emerg. eff. June 7, 1976; Laws 1979, c. 285, § 8, eff. July 1, 1979; Laws 1980, c. 6, § 1, emerg. eff. Feb. 25, 1980; Laws 1980, c. 317, § 5, eff. July 1, 1980; Laws 1982, c. 319, § 5, operative July 1, 1982; Laws 1989, c. 327, § 6, eff. July 1, 1989; Laws 1990, c. 341, § 4, eff. July 1, 1990; Laws 1993, c. 19, § 1, emerg. eff. March 26, 1993; Laws 1993, c. 322, § 23, emerg. eff. June 7, 1993; Laws 1994, c. 381, § 5, eff. July 1, 1994; Laws 1997, c. 255, § 2, eff. July 1, 1997; Laws 1999, c. 257, § 37, eff. July 1, 1999; Laws 2003, c. 486, § 6, eff. Jan. 1, 2004; Laws 2007, c. 367, § 1, eff. July 1, 2007; Laws 2008, c. 415, § 9, eff. July 1, 2008; Laws 2010, c. 435, § 3, eff. July 1, 2010; Laws 2011, c. 206, § 3, eff. Nov. 1, 2011; Laws 2013, c. 159, § 2, eff. July 1, 2013.
NOTE: Laws 1974, c. 100, § 1 repealed by Laws 1976, c. 207, § 9, emerg. eff. June 7, 1976.