Rule 3309-1-29 | Purchase of service credit; out-of-state and other.
(A) All service in public or private schools, colleges and universities or public service with another state or the United States government which is to be purchased shall be subject to the following requirements, governing eligibility and cost:
(1) To be eligible to purchase service under this rule, after termination of the service to be purchased, a member must have one year of Ohio service in a year as defined in division (R) of section 3309.01 of the Revised Code.
(2) The service credit must be properly certified by the official employer or custodian of records on a form acceptable to the retirement board. The certification should be taken from a legitimate source of documentation such as payroll or retirement records. When records have been destroyed, affidavits may be used, but only in conjunction with other documented evidence as proof of service.
(3) Accrued interest shall be calculated from the date of membership in the school employees retirement system of Ohio following service to be purchased to the date of payment.
(4) The member will be entitled to purchase any portion of the service credit under this rule not to exceed five years, or the total accumulated number of years of Ohio contributing service credit, whichever is less.
(5) Service credit to be purchased shall be granted in accordance with the law and policy of the school employees retirement board current at the time each portion of service to be purchased was performed.
(6) School service purchased under this rule shall receive .125 per cent of a year service credit per month of service rendered prior to July 1, 1955, and .111 per cent of a year service credit per month of service rendered after June 30, 1955 and before July 1, 1977. School service performed after June 30, 1977 shall be determined by dividing the number of days paid by one hundred eighty, if the employee worked less than one hundred twenty days in the partial year to be purchased. All service other than school service purchased under this rule shall receive .083 per cent of a year service credit per month of service rendered.
(7) The Ohio service used for the purpose of establishing the purchase price of service under this rule shall be the first year of continuous full-time Ohio service following termination of the service to be purchased.
(8) No more than one year of service credit may be granted for any twelve-month period.
(B) The following types of service may be purchased under this rule:
(1) Employment in a public or private school, college or university, located in or out of Ohio and service in any school operated by or for the United States government, provided any such school, college or university is recognized by an accrediting association approved by:
(a) The U.S. office of education;
(b) The appropriate state department of education; or
(c) The appropriate state department of higher education, and acceptable to the retirement board.
(2) Employment with a public governmental entity of a state or of the United States government which would have been covered by the school employees retirement system, state teachers retirement system, Ohio police and fire pension fund, state highway patrol retirement system, or the public employees retirement system, if served in a comparable position in Ohio; and
(3) Except as provided in division (C) of section 3309.31 of the Revised Code, service for which contributions were made to a municipal retirement system in Ohio.
(C) For purposes of section 3309.31 of the Revised Code and this rule, "Ohio contributing service" and "Ohio service" means contributing service in this retirement system.
Last updated April 3, 2024 at 1:24 PM
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