Title 19, Title 19

(1) An active or vested member who is eligible to purchase service under this chapter may at any time before retirement apply to purchase the service credit by making payment as provided in this section. (2) Subject to subsection (3), service credit may be purchased by one or a c…

(1) A member who wishes to redeposit, pursuant to 19-20-427, amounts previously withdrawn or who is eligible to purchase service credit pursuant to this part shall make the following series of elections to accomplish the redeposit or purchase: (a) The member may elect a lump-sum …

(1) A legislator who did not elect to continue to participate in the system, as provided under 5-2-304, and who subsequently participates as a member must be awarded creditable service for legislative service if the legislator contributes an amount equal to the member contributio…

(1) A substitute teacher, part-time teacher's aide, or paraprofessional who has filed an irrevocable election not to participate in the retirement system for the first 210 hours of service under 19-20-302 and who later becomes an active member may be awarded creditable service fo…

(1) (a) Subject to 19-20-405, a vested member who has completed 1 full year of active membership in the retirement system subsequent to the member's participation in the university system retirement program pursuant to 19-21-201 and contributes to the retirement system as provide…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (3), in addition to the contributions required under 19-20-602 and 19-20-608, subject to the approval of the retirement board, and to the extent permitted by section 415(k)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, a member may redeposit in the annuity…

The members of the retirement board are the trustees of all money collected for the retirement system, and as trustees, they shall provide for the financial administration of the money as provided in Article VIII, section 15, of the Montana constitution in the following manner: (…

(1) A member of the retirement board or an employee of the board may not: (a) have an interest, directly or indirectly, in the gains or profits of any investment of money of the retirement system, except as provided in this section; (b) directly or indirectly, for the member or e…

(1) A benefit or refund of the member's account balance must be claimed within 5 years after the date of the member's death. (2) If the benefit or refund is not claimed within the time provided in subsection (1), the member's account balance is forfeited and reverts to the pensio…

Upon termination of the retirement system, termination of employment of a substantial number of members which would constitute a partial termination of the retirement system, or complete discontinuance of contributions to the retirement system, the retirement allowance accrued to…

If a provision of this chapter conflicts with a provision of Title 72, chapter 2, part 8, the provision of this chapter supersedes the conflicting provision of Title 72, chapter 2, part 8.

The retirement board shall establish and maintain the funds described in this part, in which all of the assets of the retirement system shall be credited according to the purpose for which the assets are held.

(1) The annuity savings account is an account in which the contributions for the members to provide for their retirement allowance or benefits must be accumulated in individual accounts for each member. (2) (a) The normal contribution rate of each tier one member is 7.15% of the …

(1) (a) An inactive member may apply at any time to withdraw from membership in the retirement system and receive a refund of the member's accumulated contributions. (b) An active member may apply to withdraw from membership in the retirement system and receive a refund of the me…

(Temporary) State contributions -- termination. The state shall contribute monthly from the general fund to the pension trust fund a sum equal to 0.11% of the compensation of members participating in the system on or after July 1, 1999. The contributions are statutorily appropria…

(1) The pension accumulation account is the account in which the reserves for payment of retirement allowances and benefits must be accumulated and from which retirement allowances and benefits must be paid to retirees or their beneficiaries. Employer contributions to the pension…

(1) (a) Each month, the state shall contribute, as a supplemental contribution to the teachers' retirement system, from the general fund to the pension trust fund an amount equal to 2.38% of the total earned compensation of active members of the employers listed in 19-20-605(3) p…

(1) (a) Subject to subsections (1)(b) and (1)(c), a tier one member shall contribute to the retirement system a supplemental amount equal to 1% of the member's earned compensation. (b) The board may decrease the tier one member supplemental contribution if: (i) the average funded…

(1) (a) Subject to subsections (1)(b) through (1)(d), each employer shall contribute to the retirement system a supplemental amount equal to the percentage specified in subsection (1)(b) of total earned compensation of each member employed during the whole or part of the precedin…

(1) Each employer within the university system with employees participating in the university system retirement program under Title 19, chapter 21, shall contribute to the teachers' retirement system a supplemental employer contribution sufficient to amortize, by July 1, 2033, th…

(1) The retirement, disability, and other benefits of the retirement system must be granted on the basis of the provisions of this chapter. A member's written application for benefits must include a statement certifying that there has been a bona fide separation from service, inc…

(1) (a) Until the first payment on account of any benefit becomes normally due, any member may elect to receive one of the allowances described in subsection (2) or (3) in lieu of the normal form retirement allowance. (b) Upon the retirement system's processing of a retired membe…

(1) All retirement allowances must be paid in equal monthly installments. (2) Except as provided in subsection (5), the retirement allowance may commence: (a) no earlier than the first day of the month following the member's termination date or on the first day of the month follo…

Except as provided in 19-20-305 and 19-20-306, the retirement allowances or any other benefits accrued or accruing to any person under the provisions of the retirement system and the accumulated contributions and cash and securities in the various funds of the retirement system a…

A monthly benefit paid under the retirement system provided for in this chapter may not exceed the annual limits on benefits as specified in section 415 of the Internal Revenue Code as adjusted for cost-of-living increases for calendar years 1988 and succeeding years. However, be…

Compensation in excess of the limitations set forth in section 401(a)(17) of the Internal Revenue Code as adjusted for cost-of-living increases must be disregarded for individuals who are not eligible employees. The limitation on compensation for eligible employees may not be les…

(1) If a member terminates and receives termination pay at the time of retirement, the member shall select, subject to subsections (4) and (5), one of the following options: (a) Option 1--The member may use the total termination pay in the calculation of the member's average fina…

(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the board may modify a request by a participant to make a contribution to the system required under part 4 or 6 of this chapter that would exceed the limits in section 415(c) or 415(n) of the Internal Revenue Code by…

(1) On January 1 of each year, the retirement allowance payable to each tier one member or benefit recipient of a tier one member who is eligible under subsection (3) must be increased by 1.5%. (2) On January 1 of each year, the retirement allowance payable to each tier two membe…

As required by section 401(a)(31) of the Internal Revenue Code, the retirement system shall advise an eligible recipient of any payment from the retirement system that constitutes an eligible rollover distribution of the recipient's rights to roll over the distribution and shall …

(Temporary) Postretirement employment limitations -- cancellation and recalculation of benefits -- reporting obligation of retired member. (1) (a) Except as provided in 19-20-732 or as otherwise provided in this section, a retired member may be employed in a position that is repo…

(Temporary) Reemployment of certain retired teachers, specialists, and administrators -- procedure -- definitions. (1) Subject to the provisions of this section: (a) a teacher, specialist, or administrator who has been receiving a retirement allowance for no less than 2 months, e…

Except as provided in 19-20-732, and subject to 19-20-734, the following provisions apply: (1) If a retired member returns to employment in a position covered by the retirement system and becomes an active contributing member, benefits must be suspended until the member terminate…

(Temporary) Break-in-service requirements. (1) Except as provided in 19-20-732 and subsection (2) of this section, a retired member who first applies for retirement benefits or applies for resumed or recalculated retirement benefits pursuant to 19-20-733: (a) based on a date of t…

(Temporary) Reemployment of certain retirees by superintendent of public instruction -- procedure -- definitions. (1) Subject to the provisions of this section: (a) a retired member of the teachers' retirement system who has been receiving a retirement allowance for no less than …

(1) A tier one member is eligible to receive a service retirement allowance calculated under 19-20-804(1) if the member: (a) has been credited with at least 5 full years of creditable service and has attained the age of 60; or (b) has been credited with full-time or part-time cre…

(1) (a) A vested tier one member who is not eligible for service retirement but has attained the age of 50 is eligible for an early retirement allowance. (b) A vested tier two member who is not eligible for service retirement but has attained the age of 55 is eligible for an earl…

(1) Upon termination, a tier one or tier two member who qualifies for benefits pursuant to 19-20-801(1) or (2) must receive a retirement allowance equal to one-sixtieth of the member's average final compensation, as limited by 19-20-715, multiplied by the sum of the number of yea…

(1) Except as limited by this section, average final compensation is calculated by averaging the earned compensation paid to: (a) a tier one member in 3 consecutive fiscal years of full-time service that yields the highest average; or (b) a tier two member in 5 consecutive fiscal…

(1) A member shall terminate employment in all positions reportable to the retirement system to be eligible for service retirement under 19-20-801, early retirement under 19-20-802, disability retirement under 19-20-901, or withdrawal under 19-20-603. (2) Except as provided in su…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (5), upon the application of a member or of the member's employer for a disability retirement allowance, any member who has 5 or more years of creditable service and who has become disabled while being an active member may be retired by the re…

(1) Upon retirement for disability, a member must receive a disability retirement allowance equal to the greater of: (a) one-sixtieth of the member's average final compensation multiplied by the sum of the number of years of creditable service, including service transferred under…

(1) Once each year during the first 5 years following the retirement of a member on a disability retirement allowance and once in every 3-year period afterward, the retirement board may require a disability benefit recipient who has not yet attained the age of 60 to undergo a med…

(1) (a) Except as provided by subsection (1)(b), if a retiree receiving a disability retirement allowance is engaged in or is able to engage in a gainful occupation paying more than the difference between the retiree's retirement allowance and the retiree's average final compensa…

(1) If a disabled retiree is employed in a position reportable to the retirement system and earns compensation in any calendar year in excess of the limitation provided in 19-20-904, the retiree's retirement allowance must cease and the retiree must again become an active member …