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<section article="gsp" article_name="State Personnel and Pensions" number="23-308" title_number="23" title_name="Employees' and Teachers' Pension Systems" subtitle_number="3" subtitle_name="Service Credit">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In the year of retirement, a member of the Teachers’ Pension System may purchase credit for eligibility service for periods of employment described in subsection (f) of this section for which the member is not otherwise entitled to service credit.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>Except as provided in § 23–308.2 of this subtitle, to purchase service credit under this section, a member must:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>complete and file a claim for the service credit with the Board of Trustees on the form that the Board of Trustees provides; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>pay to the Board of Trustees an amount equal to the annuity reserve and pension reserve required to fund the additional allowance.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>A member may pay the amount required by subsection (b) of this section by transferring, on written request to the Board of Trustees, any prior contributions to a voluntary retirement benefit, less any costs of administering that benefit.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>A member who elects to make payments under subsection (c) of this section and who retires before completing the payments required to purchase this service credit:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>is entitled to receive the service credit purchased before the date of retirement; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>may pay at the time of retirement the amount necessary to receive full credit.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>The surviving spouse of a member who elects to make payments under subsection (c) of this section may pay for the appropriate final adjustment if:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>the member dies while actively employed as a member; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>the deceased member’s service qualifies for a death benefit under § 29–206 of this article.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>A member may only purchase service credit under this section for employment:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>with an out–of–state public school;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>with the federal government;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>with a nonpublic school;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>with a political subdivision;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>as a postsecondary teacher;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>with the State;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>with a public school as a teacher; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="8">
      <text>as a Baltimore City teacher on or before December 31, 1970, on verified leave of absence of not more than 2 years that is similar in all respects to leaves of absence approved by the Board of Trustees.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <level label="1">
      <text>Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, the total amount of service credit in the Teachers’ Retirement System or Teachers’ Pension System that a member may purchase under this section and § 23–308.2 of this subtitle may not exceed 10 years.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>A member who purchases service credit under this subsection may not purchase more than 5 years of service credit in the Teachers’ Pension System for employment as a postsecondary school teacher.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
