19-6-801. Election to qualify military service. (1) A member with 15 years or more of service credit with the Montana highway patrol may, at any time prior to retirement, make a written election with the board to qualify all or any portion of the member's active service in the armed forces of the United States for the purpose of calculating retirement benefits, up to a maximum of 5 years, if the member is not otherwise eligible to receive service credit for this same service pursuant to 19-2-707.
     (2) To qualify this service:
     (a) a member not covered by 19-6-710 shall contribute to the account the amount determined by the board to be due based on the member's compensation and regular contribution rate as of the member's 16th year and as many succeeding years as are required to qualify this service, with interest from the date the member becomes eligible for this benefit to the date the member contributes. The member may not qualify more of this service than the member has service with the Montana highway patrol in excess of 15 years.
     (b) a member covered by 19-6-710 shall contribute the actuarial cost of the service credit based on the most recent actuarial valuation of the system.

     History: En. Sec. 23, Ch. 37, L. 1945; amd. Sec. 13, Ch. 243, L. 1955; amd. Sec. 11, Ch. 326, L. 1974; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 361, L. 1974; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 65, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 31-223(2); amd. Sec. 118, Ch. 265, L. 1993; Sec. , MCA 1991; redes. by Code Commissioner, 1993; amd. Sec. 22, Ch. 287, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 28, Ch. 58, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 52, Ch. 562, L. 1999.