Title 16, Title 16 Title 16

(a) Upon the passage of this chapter the department of elementary and secondary education shall apportion the retirement grant into monthly benefits and shall disburse monthly benefits to all eligible retired teachers under this law. (b) The state controller is authorized and dir…

(a) The following words and phrases used in this chapter, unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context, have the following meanings: (1) “Active member” means any teacher as defined in this section for whom the retirement system is currently receiving regular con…

(a) The benefits payable to teachers under this chapter shall be those benefits provided in chapter 10 of title 36 and as provided in this chapter with and subject, however, to the conditions and modifications set forth in §§ 16-16-12 through 16-16-14, and also the benefits provi…

Retirement of a member on a service retirement allowance shall be made by the retirement board as follows: (a)(i) Any member may retire upon his or her written application to the retirement board as of the first day of the calendar month in which the application was filed, provid…

(a)(1)(i) For teachers eligible to retire on or before September 30, 2009, upon retirement from service under § 16-16-12 a teacher whose membership commenced before July 1, 2005, and who has completed at least ten (10) years of contributory service on or before July 1, 2005, shal…

In the case of any teacher who is a member of the employees’ retirement system of the state created by chapter 8 of title 36 who, at the time of retirement, has had at least thirty (30) years or more of total service, the teacher shall receive an annual retirement allowance of no…

(a) Application for ordinary disability may be made by a teacher, his or her department head, or a person acting in the teacher’s behalf, while in active service or on leave of absence for illness, provided that the teacher has had five (5) or more years of total service of which…

Upon retirement for ordinary disability under § 16-16-14, a teacher shall receive a benefit equal to the rate prescribed for service retirement under § 16-16-13 subject to the provisions of § 16-16-20; provided, however, that no teacher retiring with less than ten (10) years of t…

(a) Medical examination of an active teacher for accidental disability, and investigation of all statements and certificates by him or her or in his or her behalf in connection with the accidental disability, shall be made upon the application of the head of the department in whi…

(a) For disability applications submitted on or before September 30, 2009, upon retirement for accidental disability under § 16-16-16 a teacher shall receive a benefit that shall be equal to sixty-six and two-thirds percent (662/3%) of his or her annual compensation at the time o…

Notwithstanding any of the provisions of chapters 3 and 4 of title 36, and/or any existing regulations of the director of administration or the state retirement board, the state retirement board shall accord to a teacher, so entitled under present existing regulations, the minimu…

Once each year the retirement board may, and upon his or her application shall, require any disability beneficiary under the minimum age of service retirement to undergo a medical examination, the examination to be made at the place of residence of the beneficiary, or other place…

Membership in the retirement system for teachers began on July 1, 1949, and shall consist of: (1) All teachers as defined in this chapter who were in service on that date, and (2) All persons who become teachers on or after that date, which teachers shall become members of the sy…

Any amount paid or payable under the provisions of any workers’ compensation law, exclusive of Medicare set aside allocations, specific compensation benefits or any benefits due pursuant to the terms of a collective bargaining agreement or as the result of any action for damages …

(a) Prior to July 1, 2012, each teacher shall contribute into the system nine and one-half percent (9.5%) of compensation as his or her share of the cost of annuities, benefits, and allowances. Effective July 1, 2012, each teacher shall contribute an amount equal to three and thr…

(a) Each city or town, pursuant to the provisions of § 414(h)(2) of the United States Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. § 414(h)(2), may, pursuant to appropriate local action by the city or town, pick up and pay the contributions that would be payable by the employees as teacher m…

Except as specifically provided otherwise in this chapter, all provisions of chapters 8 — 10 of title 36 shall extend and apply to the persons made members of the retirement system by the provisions of this chapter.

(a) Any teacher or athletic coach certified pursuant to chapter 11.1 of this title, who has retired under the provisions of any law of this state, may substitute as a teacher at state schools and in the public schools of this state for a period of no more than ninety (90) days in…

(a) Notwithstanding any public or general law, or rule or regulation to the contrary, any teacher, administrator, or staff member who has retired under the provisions of title 16, 36, or 45 may, as part of the public health crisis caused by COVID-19, exceed the ninety-day (90) ca…

(a) Notwithstanding any public or general law, or rule or regulation to the contrary, any teacher, administrator, or staff member who has retired under the provisions of title 16, 36, or 45 may exceed the ninety-day (90) cap on post-retirement employment upon: (1) A determination…

(a) Notwithstanding any public or general law, or rule or regulation to the contrary, and except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, any teacher member who has retired under the provisions of this title (“education”) may exceed the ninety-day (90) cap on post-retiremen…

A member’s dependents or survivors shall be eligible to receive the benefits provided in §§ 16-16-25 through 16-16-38 if the member shall have made regular contributions to the teachers’ survivors benefit fund as provided in § 16-16-34 for a period of at least six (6) consecutive…

(a) Spouse’s, former spouse divorced, and domestic partner’s benefits are payable following the decease of a member as provided in §§ 16-16-25 — 16-16-38. (b) The spouse, former spouse divorced, or domestic partner shall be entitled to benefits upon attaining the age of sixty (60…

(a) Family benefits shall be payable upon the decease of the member as provided in §§ 16-16-25 through 16-16-38 if at the time of the member’s death the surviving spouse or domestic partner: (1) Has in his or her care a child of the deceased member entitled to child benefits; (2)…

(a) Children’s benefits are payable to the child, including a stepchild or adopted child of a deceased member, if: (1) The child is unmarried and under the age of eighteen (18) years or twenty-three (23) years and a full time student, and was dependent upon the member at the time…

(a) Parent’s benefits are payable to the parent or parents of a deceased member if the member did not leave a widow, widower, or child who could ever qualify for monthly benefits on the member’s wages and the parent: (1) Has reached the age of sixty (60) years; (2) Has not remarr…

A member withdrawing from service prior to retirement shall be entitled to a refund equal to the total amount contributed by him or her to the teachers’ survivors benefit fund, without interest.

A member at the date of retirement in lieu of the survivors benefits provided in §§ 16-16-25 — 16-16-38 may elect to receive a lump sum payment equal to his or her contributions to the teachers’ survivors benefit fund, plus interest. Any member who retired prior to the effective …

(a) In the case of any member who dies while in service leaving no dependents or survivors as defined in §§ 16-16-1, 16-16-11, and 16-16-25 through 16-16-38, his or her accumulated contributions to the teachers’ survivors benefit fund plus interest shall be payable to the person …

(a) The cost of the benefits provided in §§ 16-16-25 — 16-16-38 shall be two percent (2%) of the member’s annual salary up to but not exceeding an annual salary of eleven thousand five hundred dollars ($11,500); one-half (½) of the cost shall be contributed by the member by deduc…

There shall be established by the retirement board a special reserve account to be designated as the “teachers’ survivors benefit fund” and all contributions made and other money received under §§ 16-16-25 through 16-16-38 shall be credited to and all payments for benefits shall …

(a) The retirement board shall administer and carry out the provisions of §§ 16-16-25 — 16-16-38, and shall fix the rate of regular interest payable under §§ 16-16-25 — 16-16-38 to be changed from time to time, based upon the amount of interest earned by the teachers’ survivors b…

Sections 16-16-25 through 16-16-38 shall not apply to teachers of any city, town, or regional school district who have elected coverage under the federal Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 301 et seq., under the provisions of chapter 7 of title 36.

The provisions of this chapter are severable and if any of its provisions are adjudged to be invalid or unconstitutional this shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions.

Every certified nurse teacher employed in the respective public schools of the several cities and towns of this state and every person who, prior to any certification as a nurse teacher, has been regularly employed by any city or town as a school nurse in the respective public sc…

(a) All teachers and all beneficiaries of teachers receiving any service retirement or ordinary or accidental disability retirement allowance pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and chapter 17 of this title, on or before December 31, 1967, shall receive a cost of living re…

(a) All teachers and the beneficiaries of teachers who retired during the calendar year 1979 shall receive an additional eight percent (8%) to their original retirement allowance. (b) All teachers and the beneficiaries of teachers who retired during calendar year 1978 shall recei…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any member who, at the time of retirement from service, has in effect life insurance provided for as a benefit of his or her employment shall, after retirement, be entitled to keep the policy of life insurance in effect …

Notwithstanding any other provisions of the retirement law or rulings of the retirement board in accordance with the powers vested in the board, no teacher shall be allowed to purchase service credits for time while incarcerated in prison, including, but not limited to, work rele…

(a) In calculating “service”, “prior service”, or “total service” as defined in § 16-16-1, every teacher shall be given credit for a year of service for each year in which he or she shall have served as a teacher; provided, that any teacher who through illness or leave of absence…

In determining the creditable service of any teacher employed in any city or town for the purposes of retirement there may be added to, and included in, total service as defined in this chapter not more than five (5) years of service as a teacher or in a capacity essentially simi…

(a) In determining the creditable service of any teacher employed in any city or town for the purpose of retirement, there may be added to, and included in, total service as defined in this chapter not more than five (5) years of service as a teacher in the public school outside …

(a) In determining the creditable service of any vocational education teacher employed in any city or town or by the state for the purpose of retirement or a service retirement allowance (not including a deferred retirement allowance), there may be added to, and included in, tota…

(a) In determining the creditable service of any certified nurse teacher employed by the state or by any city or town for the purpose of retirement or a service retirement allowance (not including a deferred retirement allowance), there may be added to, and included in, total ser…

Any teacher who has been granted or shall be granted an official leave of absence by his or her superiors to enter the armed services of the United States shall have his or her service counted in his or her years of teaching, and his or her leave of absence shall in no way interr…

(a) Any active teacher who served on active duty in the armed service of the United States or in the merchant marine service of the United States as defined in § 2 of Chapter 1721 of the Public Laws, 1946, may purchase credit for that service up to a maximum of four (4) years; pr…