2012 Minnesota Statutes

353G.09 RETIREMENT BENEFIT ELIGIBILITY.

Subdivision 1.Entitlement.

Except as provided in subdivision 3, an active member of the retirement plan is entitled to a lump-sum service pension from the retirement plan if the person:

(1) has separated from active service with the fire department for at least 30 days;

(2) has attained the age of at least 50 years;

(3) has completed at least five years of good time service credit as a member of the retirement plan; and

(4) applies in a manner prescribed by the executive director for the service pension.

Subd. 2.Vesting schedule; nonforfeitable portion of service pension.

If an active member has completed less than 20 years of good time service credit, the person's entitlement is to the nonforfeitable percentage of the applicable service pension amount, as follows:

	Completed years of good time service credit		Nonforfeitable percentage of the service pension
		5		40 percent
		6		44 percent
		7		48 percent
		8		52 percent
		9		56 percent
		10		60 percent
		11		64 percent
		12		68 percent
		13		72 percent
		14		76 percent
		15		80 percent
		16		84 percent
		17		88 percent
		18		92 percent
		19		96 percent
		20 and thereafter		100 percent

Subd. 3.Alternative pension eligibility and computation.

(a) An active member of the retirement plan is entitled to an alternative lump-sum service pension from the retirement plan if the person:

(1) has separated from active service with the fire department for at least 30 days;

(2) has attained the age of at least 50 years or the age for receipt of a service pension under the benefit plan of the applicable former volunteer firefighters' relief association as of the date immediately prior to the election of the retirement coverage change, whichever is later;

(3) has completed at least five years of active service with the fire department and at least five years in total as a member of the applicable former volunteer firefighters' relief association or of the retirement plan, but has not rendered at least five years of good time service credit as a member of the retirement plan; and

(4) applies in a manner prescribed by the executive director for the service pension.

(b) If retirement coverage prior to statewide retirement plan coverage was provided by a defined benefit plan volunteer firefighters relief association, the alternative lump-sum service pension is the service pension amount specified in the bylaws of the applicable former volunteer firefighters' relief association either as of the date immediately prior to the election of the retirement coverage change or as of the date immediately before the termination of firefighting services, whichever is earlier, multiplied by the total number of years of service as a member of that volunteer firefighters' relief association and as a member of the retirement plan. If retirement coverage prior to statewide retirement plan coverage was provided by a defined contribution plan volunteer firefighters relief association, the alternative lump-sum service pension is an amount equal to the person's account balance as of the date immediately prior to the date on which statewide retirement plan coverage was first provided to the person plus six percent annual compound interest from that date until the date immediately prior to the date of retirement.

History:

2009 c 169 art 9 s 18; 2010 c 359 art 6 s 5