Award of service credit

1. A veteran with eligible time may receive up to sixty months' credit upon proper application. A veteran eligible to receive service credit for military time must apply for and, if required to pay any portion of the employee contribution, purchase that time within the lesser of three times the length of active duty or five years from the date of the veteran's return to covered employment. Service credit will not be awarded until all required documentation is received by the North Dakota public employees retirement system. If payment of required employer and employee contributions is made, the service will be recognized for both benefit eligibility and benefit calculation purposes. If payment of required employer and employee contributions is not made, then the veteran's application for service will be recognized and credit will be used for benefit eligibility purposes only. 2. For persons employed by a political subdivision who will or have returned from an interruption of employment, the following applies: a. If the employing political subdivision is not a participating employer in the North Dakota public employees retirement system and does not become one, no credit will be granted. b. If the employing political subdivision joins the North Dakota public employees retirement system at a date later than the interruption of employment, and purchases prior service credit for its employees while the applicant is still employed, service will be granted as provided in subsection 1 of section 71-02-11-02. c. If the employing political subdivision joins the North Dakota public employees retirement system while the applicant is still employed, and prior service is not purchased on behalf of the employees, no credit will be given. d. If a political subdivision joins the North Dakota public employees retirement system after an employee has terminated, no credit may be granted to said employee for interruption of employment.