2023 Texas Statutes › Vernon's Civil Statutes › Title 109 - Pensions › Article 6243a-1. Pension System for Police Officers and Firefighters in Certain Cities › Part 5. Membership › Section 5.09. Non-Uniformed Leave of Absence

Sec. 5.09.  NON-UNIFORMED LEAVE OF ABSENCE.  (a)  An "authorized non-uniformed leave of absence" means any leave of absence that meets one of the following requirements:
(1)  the leave of absence was unpaid and granted by the member's department in accordance with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. Section 2601 et seq.); or
(2)  the leave of absence was unpaid and was an official leave authorized and certified by the chief of the member's department as being beneficial to the department.
(b)  Subject to the requirements of this section and any procedures adopted by the board, a member may receive pension service for time spent away from the member's department on an authorized non-uniformed leave of absence.  To receive pension service under this section, the member must file with the executive director a written application to pay to the fund both:
(1)  the member contributions the member would have made to the fund had the member remained on active service and had there been no change in the member's position or hours of work during the period of the authorized non-uniformed leave of absence; and
(2)  the contributions the city would have made to the fund on the member's behalf had the member remained on active service and had there been no change in the member's position or hours of work during the period of the authorized non-uniformed leave of absence.
(b-1)  Contributions made under Subsection (b)(2) of this section may not be refunded to the member.
(b-2)  The written application described by Subsection (b) of this section must be filed before the member's authorized non-uniformed leave of absence begins, unless the pension system determines that it would not be reasonable to expect the member to file the application before the authorized non-uniformed leave of absence begins, in which case the application must be filed as soon as circumstances permit, as determined by the pension system.
(b-3)  To receive pension service under this section, the following additional conditions must also be met:
(1)  if the member's contribution rate, the city's contribution rate, or both the member's and city's contribution rates change before the end of the member's authorized non-uniformed leave of absence, the percentage required to be paid by the member also changes, so that the amount paid by the member in accordance with this section always equals the amount that would have been contributed by the member, and by the city on the member's behalf had the member remained on active service;
(2)  payment of contributions as set forth in Subsection (b) of this section shall begin coincident with the beginning of the applicable authorized non-uniformed leave of absence and shall be made monthly to the executive director for deposit in the fund, unless the board authorizes the deferment of the payments, in which case the payments must include interest calculated in accordance with Subsection (b-4) of this section;
(3)  no pension service will be granted to the member until the member returns to active service, and if the member does not return to active service, the contributions paid, including any interest paid, will be returned to the member except as provided by Subsection (c) of this section;
(4)  if the board authorizes the deferment of the payments under Subdivision (2) of this subsection, the payment must be made either by authorizing the deduction of pro rata portions of the total amount due from the member's salary over a one-year period, or by cash payment made to the executive director within one year after the date of the member's return to active service, except that the board may approve a longer period for making the payment if it finds that the one-year limit would work a financial hardship on the member;
(5)  the member must return to active service within 90 days after the date the member's authorized non-uniformed leave of absence expires, or if the member's authorized non-uniformed leave of absence does not have a fixed expiration date, within a reasonable time to be determined by the board, or the member forfeits the right to pay for the leave time; and
(6)  no member may ever be allowed to pay leave of absence contributions under this section for any time in excess of the time actually spent on an authorized non-uniformed leave of absence.
(b-4)  For purposes of Subsection (b-3)(2) of this section, interest is calculated from the date the member's payment was first due, at the interest rate from time to time used in the pension system's actuarial rate of return assumptions, compounded annually until the date the principal and accrued interest are repaid in full.
(c)(1)  If a member of the combined pension plan is disabled or dies while on an authorized non-uniformed leave of absence, the member or the member's designee is entitled to a refund of contributions pursuant to Section 4.04 of this article or the member or the member's qualified survivors are entitled to benefits under the provisions of this article, to the extent applicable.
(2)  A member who is disabled or dies while on an authorized non-uniformed leave of absence pursuant to this section may receive no pension service for any portion of the period of the leave,  except that if the member had, before the member's disability or death, paid for contributions while on an authorized non-uniformed leave of absence in accordance with this section, the member shall receive pension service for the leave time actually paid for at the time of the member's disability or death.  The member may receive no pension service for any portion of the period of leave for which contributions were not paid to the executive director for deposit in the fund.