N.D. Cent. Code § 39-03.1-10.3
Military service under the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act - Member retirement credit
Redline — December 1, 2021 → current.View current text →
Current — March 1, 2022
As of December 1, 2021
A member re-employed under the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act of 1994, as amended [Pub. L. 103-353Pub. L. 103-353; 108 Stat. 3150; 38 U.S.C. 4301-4333], is entitled to receive retirement credit for the period of qualified military service. The required contribution for the credit, including payment for retiree health benefits, must be made in the same manner and by the same party as would have been made had the employee been continuously employed. If the salary the member would have received during the period of service is not reasonably certain, the member’s average rate of compensation during the twelve-month period immediately preceding the member’s period of service or, if shorter, the period of employment immediately preceding that period, times the number of months of credit being purchased must be used. Employees must be allowed up to three times the period of military service or five years, whichever is less, to make any required payments. This provision applies to all qualifying periods of military service since October 1, 1994. Effective for years after December 31, 2008, compensation for purposes of Internal Revenue Code section 415 [26 U.S.C. 415], as amended, includes military differential wage payments, as defined in Internal Revenue Code section 3401(h) [26 U.S.C. 3401(h)], as amended. Any payments made by the member to receive qualifying credit inconsistent with this provision must be refunded. Employees shall make application to the employer for credit and provide a DD Form 214 to verify service. After December 31, 2006, if a participating member dies while performing qualified military service, as defined in section 414(u)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code [26 U.S.C. 414(u)(5)], as amended, the deceased member’s beneficiaries are entitled to any death benefits, other than credit for years of service for purposes of benefits, which would have been provided under the plan if the participating member had resumed employment and then terminated employment on account of death. The period of that member’s qualified military service is treated as vesting service under the plan.
Except as provided in section 39-03.1-10. 3, a contributor whose employment has been terminated for at least thirty days is entitled to a refund of or to repurchase contributions as follows:
(1) If the contributor has less than ten years of service at termination of employment, the refund is payable either on application of the contributor or is automatically payable if within thirty days after termination the contributor has not provided a written statement to the board waiving the refund and requesting the contributor’s account remain in the fund and the contributor has an account balance of less than one thousand dollars.
(2) If the contributor has at least ten years of service at the date of termination, the contributor may apply for a refund of accumulated deductions instead of retirement benefits. By receiving the refund of accumulated deductions under this subdivision, the contributor forfeits all months of service to the date of refund and cannot use those months for any future benefit calculations.
(3) A contributor who was paid a refund under subdivision a of subsection 1 may, upon re-employment, elect to repurchase the forfeited past service for the retirement program and the retiree health benefits program in accordance with the rules adopted by the board.
Official source: North Dakota Legislative Branch. Reproduced from public-domain North Dakota statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.