§ 43:15A-8 — Restoration of members discontinued from service; conditions

a. If a member of the retirement system has been discontinued from service without personal fault or through leave of absence granted by an employer or permitted by any law of this State and has not withdrawn the accumulated member's contributions from the retirement system, the membership of that member may continue, notwithstanding any provisions of this act if the member returns to service within a period of 10 years from the date of discontinuance from service. No credit for pension purposes shall be allowed to the member covering the period of the discontinuance, unless leave of absence shall have been granted by the employer and the board, as provided for in section 39 of this act. b. If an employee who has withdrawn the accumulated member's contributions from the former "State Employees' Retirement System" or the retirement system as provided in section 41 of this act is re-enrolled as a member of the retirement system, that member may purchase credit for all of the previous membership service by paying into the annuity savings fund the amount required by applying the factor, supplied by the actuary as being applicable to the member's age at the time of the purchase, to the member's salary at that time, or to the highest annual compensation for service in this State for which contributions shall have been made during any fiscal year of membership or to the highest annual compensation for service in this State during any fiscal year for which credit is purchased, whichever is highest. The purchase may be made in regular installments, equal to at least one-half the full normal contribution to the retirement system, over a maximum period of 10 years. Any member electing to purchase service credit hereunder who retires prior to completing the payments as agreed with the retirement system will receive pro rata credit for service purchased prior to the date of retirement, but if the member so elects at the time of retirement, the member may make the additional lump-sum payment required at that time to provide full credit. L.1954,c.84,s.8; amended 1966,c.217,s.3; 1985,c.532; 1991,c.138,s.6.