CT Gen Stat § 5-160 (2020)
2020 Connecticut General Statutes|Title 5 - State Employees|Chapter 66 - State Employees Retirement Act|Section 5-160 - Eligibility.

 (a) Each state employee appointed to the classified service shall become a member on the first day of the pay period following the date he receives a permanent appointment in the classified service except that membership shall not be required of such employees in positions funded in whole or in part by the federal government as part of any public service employment program, on-the-job training program or work experience program.(b) Each officer elected by the people and each appointee of such officer exempt from the classified service may elect to become a member, effective on the first day of the pay period following the date his election is received by the Retirement Commission.(c) Except for such members as elected to remain or be reinstated as members of the state employees retirement system under section 5-166a, members of the judiciary eligible for retirement under the provisions of section 51-50 or 51-50a and members of the Teachers' Retirement Association not in state service are not eligible for membership in the state retirement system.(d) Each other state employee appointed to a position exempt from the classified service, except positions funded in whole or in part by the federal government as part of any public service employment program, on-the-job training program or work experience program, shall become a member on the first day of the pay period following the date he has completed six months in such position, provided he has elected no other Connecticut retirement plan.(e) Each person who has been in state service since September 1, 1939, and who is not a member may elect to become a member, effective on the first day of the pay period following the date his election is received by the Retirement Commission.(f) A temporary, emergency or provisional employee may elect to become a member, effective on the first day of the pay period following the date his election is received by the Retirement Commission. At any time not later than the date six months after his membership becomes mandatory under subsection (a) or (d) of this section, such employee may elect to make retirement contributions for his salary received during the period, not in excess of twelve months, prior to the effective date of his membership, without interest. Such contributions shall be paid within six months after his membership becomes mandatory.(g) Any teacher in state service required as a condition of his employment to hold an appropriate certificate of qualification issued by the State Board of Education under the provisions of section 10-145a and any teacher or professional staff member employed by the Board of Regents for Higher Education or any of the constituent units shall elect membership either in the retirement system or the teachers' retirement system subject to the provisions of section 10-183p, provided on or after October 1, 1975, any such employee who is appointed to a position which makes him eligible for membership in an alternate retirement program as authorized by subsections (u) and (v) of section 5-154, sections 5-156 and 5-158f and this subsection, and who elects such membership, shall not be required to become a member of the state employees retirement system or the Teachers' Retirement Association. Each such teacher shall be notified of the above option when he accepts his employment. If any such teacher shall not have made an election within one month after employment, he shall be deemed to have elected membership in the state employees retirement system. In the administration of this section, the board of trustees of the institution or unit employing the teacher and said board shall each perform, for the persons employed by it, the duties prescribed by chapter 167a for boards of education and the chief administrative officer of such institution, unit or board shall perform those prescribed in said chapter for the superintendent of schools.(h) Transfers between the state employees and teachers' retirement systems will continue to be permitted until the first of the month following three months after June 28, 1985. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter to the contrary, no transfers between the state employees retirement system, and either the Teachers' Retirement Association or an alternate retirement program shall be permitted after such date, except in the case of an employee who has had a bona fide change in employment. Such employee shall be eligible to transfer between systems only if such change is either (1) to a position where participation in the Teachers' Retirement Association or an alternate retirement program is permitted and such employee had not previously made such an election or (2) to a position where participation in the Teachers' Retirement Association or an alternate retirement program is not permitted and such employee was participating in one of those systems. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 5-175b, any such transferee shall receive credit for service rendered which is creditable in the system to which he is transferring as of June 28, 1985, upon payment of the required employee contributions plus required interest as provided in such system.(i) Each state employee who first joins the state employees retirement system after January 1, 1984, shall have his eligibility and membership determined under part V of this chapter. A state employee who rejoins the state employees retirement system after January 1, 1984, shall become a member of tier II if section 5-192e so indicates; otherwise such employee shall become a member of tier I. Any state employee hired on or after July 1, 1982, and on or before July 1, 1984, shall be eligible to make a one-time election for membership in either the tier I or the tier II plan. Such election shall be made by January 2, 1984, or within ninety days after beginning such employment, or by the first of the month following three months after June 28, 1985, whichever is later. Any individual making such an election may receive credit for service on or after July 1, 1982, under terms utilized for other service credits.(j) The provisions of this chapter shall apply to members of collective bargaining units subject to the terms of the collective bargaining pension agreement approved by the General Assembly on June 30, 1982, to members of collective bargaining units adopting such terms in other collective bargaining agreements and to members of the state employees retirement system who are excluded from collective bargaining and to whom such terms have been extended by administrative action. All other persons shall receive those benefits to which they are entitled under the provisions of this chapter, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 1983.(k) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (j) of this section, each state employee collective bargaining unit which has not accepted the terms of such pension agreement before July 7, 1983, shall have its dispute with the state employer over pension issues submitted to the American Arbitration Association for arbitration. The dispute shall be arbitrated by a single member of the association, selected in accordance with the standard procedures of the association. The arbitration proceeding shall be conducted in accordance with the standard procedures of the association which do not conflict with the provisions of this subsection. The arbitrator's decision shall be final and binding on both parties, except that the decision shall be submitted to the legislature for approval or rejection pursuant to the provisions of section 5-278 in the same manner as agreements are submitted under said section. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit the arbitrator from endeavoring to mediate the dispute for which he has been selected. The parties may continue to negotiate the disputed pension issues and may reach an agreement at any time prior to the issuance of the arbitrator's decision. If such an agreement is reached, the arbitration proceedings shall terminate.(1949 Rev., S. 389, 393; 1949, 1955, S. 157d; 1953, S. 160d; 1955, S. 159d; 1957, P.A. 602, S. 1; 1958 Rev., S. 5-110, 5-113, 5-114; 1961, P.A. 234, S. 9; 1963, P.A. 642, S. 88; 1967, P.A. 505; 786, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 297, S. 1; P.A. 73-538, S. 2, 3; P.A. 74-12, S. 2, 3; P.A. 75-636, S. 5; P.A. 77-390, S. 3, 8; 77-573, S. 21, 30; P.A. 78-208, S. 27, 35; 78-277, S. 2, 3, 6; P.A. 82-218, S. 37, 46; P.A. 83-533, S. 7, 54; P.A. 84-241, S. 2, 5; 84-544, S. 4, 8; 84-546, S. 129, 173; P.A. 85-510, S. 23, 35; P.A. 05-288, S. 27; P.A. 11-48, S. 272, 285.)History: 1961 act “restated” state employees retirement act “in a simpler, clearer and more orderly form”; 1963 act amended Subsec. (b) by deleting the words “of the state” after the words “Each officer”; 1967 acts changed provisions in Subsec. (f) for back contributions for period before attaining permanent statute so that election to claim credit and make payments for allowed period must be made within six months of time when membership becomes mandatory and included teachers and professional staff members employed by commission for higher education or its constituent units under provisions of Subsec. (g); 1971 act provided in Subsec. (g) that teachers not electing an option within one month of their employment automatically become members of state employees retirement system; P.A. 73-538 allowed members of judiciary and of teachers' retirement association option of remaining members of state employees retirement system under Subsec. (c); P.A. 74-12 amended Subsec. (c) to allow members of judiciary and teachers' retirement association to choose reinstatement in state employees retirement system; P.A. 75-636 amended Subsec. (g) to exempt members of alternate retirement program for higher education personnel from requirement of membership in state employees or teachers' retirement programs; P.A. 77-390 added exception to Subsec. (d); P.A. 77-573 replaced commission for higher education with board of higher education and replaced reference to repealed Sec. 10-324 with “subsection (d) of section 10-323e” in Subsec. (g); P.A. 78-208 replaced teachers' retirement association with teachers' retirement system and replaced references to repealed Sec. 10-175 and repealed chapter 167 with “section 10-183p” and “chapter 167a”; P.A. 78-277 amended Subsecs. (a) and (d) exempting employees in positions funded wholly or partly by federal government in employment, job-training or work experience programs from membership in retirement system; P.A. 82-218 substituted board of governors for board of higher education in Subsec. (g) pursuant to reorganization of higher education system, effective March 1, 1983; P.A. 83-533 added Subsecs. (h), (i), (j) and (k); P.A. 84-241 added “of higher education” to board's title; P.A. 84-544 amended Subsec. (h) to replace “the alternate retirement program” with “an alternate retirement program”; P.A. 84-546 made technical change to Subsec. (g) deleting reference to repealed Subsec. (d) of Sec. 10a-6; P.A. 85-510 amended Subsec. (h) to extend deadline for transfers between the state employees and teachers' retirement systems from October 1, 1984, to the first of the month following three months after June 28, 1985, and to add provision that notwithstanding Sec. 5-175b, any transferee shall receive credit for service rendered which is creditable in the system to which he is transferring as of June 28, 1985, upon payment of the required employee contributions plus interest and amended Subsec. (i) to extend hiring deadline for employees eligible to make a one-time election for membership in tier I or tier II from January 1, 1984, to July 1, 1984, and to extend deadline for making such election from January 2, 1984, or within 90 days after beginning such employment, to the first of the month following three months after June 28, 1985; P.A. 05-288 made a technical change in Subsec. (f), effective July 13, 2005; P.A. 11-48 amended Subsec. (g) to replace reference to Board of Governors of Higher Education or its constituent units with reference to Board of Regents for Higher Education or the constituent units, effective July 1, 2011.