§ 24-11-825 — Pensions for volunteer firefighters

(a) Upon termination of volunteer firefighter service with all Arkansas fire departments, a firefighter whose covered volunteer employment has been with more than one (1) Arkansas fire department shall receive a pension based upon the volunteer service if all of the following conditions are satisfied: (1) His or her volunteer service with his or her last employing fire department was for five (5) or more consecutive years and ended with his or her retirement; (2) Previous volunteer service with each other fire department shall have been: (A) For five (5) or more consecutive years; (B) Covered by a local fire pension plan established by this subchapter; and (C) Requested in writing for service credit by the retiring firefighter; (3) Upon receipt of the request pursuant to subdivision (a)(2) of this section, each previous employing fire department shall certify the amount of the previous volunteer service to the local fire pension plan of the last employing fire department. The last local fire pension plan shall then cause to have performed at its expense an actuarial valuation to determine the single sum present value of the previous volunteer service being credited, based upon the benefit program the previous local fire pension plan had in effect at the time the firefighter terminated such previous service. The actuarial valuation shall be performed by the actuary of the Arkansas Fire and Police Pension Review Board. The dollar amount of the present value shall be promptly certified to the previous plan, which shall promptly pay that amount to the last pension plan; (4) No more than one (1) year of service shall be credited any firefighter for all covered employment rendered by him or her in any one (1) year, nor shall any firefighter be given credited service for any time he or she was not an active firefighter; (5) The firefighter shall cause to be transferred from each previous pension plan to the last pension plan the amount of his or her accumulated employee contributions with each previous pension plan; and (6) The total of all service to be credited as described in this subsection must be at least twenty (20) years. (b) The pension payable from the last pension plan shall be based upon the benefit program in effect for the last employing fire department. However, any pension fund that did not meet the actuarial standards for soundness as determined by the most recent actuarial valuation performed on the fund by the Arkansas Fire and Police Pension Review Board shall not transfer assets to another local pension fund for prior service of a former volunteer member, nor shall any volunteer member be given credited service time for which no transfer of assets is made. (c) Upon a member's termination of volunteer firefighter service with all Arkansas departments for a period of not less than ninety (90) days, the member may return to volunteer service with an employer covered by a firemen's relief and pension fund and may continue to draw the retiree's pension if the retiree desires to return to volunteer service with an employer covered by a pension fund and voluntarily agrees to sign a waiver to earning any further service credit in any firefighter-related pension fund.

Legislative History

Acts 1987, No. 111, § 1; 2003, No. 1733, § 2.