Veterans' rights

A member may be entitled to eligibility service credit for military service under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) [Pub. L. 103-353; 108 Stat. 3150; 38 U.S.C. 4301 et seq.] provided that the member received an honorable discharge and had the member's North Dakota teaching service interrupted by military duty after December 31, 1994. Interruption of service requires the member to enter military service within ninety days of leaving covered teaching employment and reenter covered employment within ninety days of the member's honorable discharge. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, effective for deaths occurring on or after January 1, 2007, if a member dies while performing qualified military service (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code section 414(u)(5)), the fund shall provide all applicable benefits required in accordance with Internal Revenue Code section 401(a)(37), as if the member had resumed covered employment on the day preceding death and terminated employment as of the actual date of death. For benefit calculation purposes, the fund will treat a member who dies or becomes disabled (as defined under the terms of the fund) while performing qualified military service as if the member resumed employment in accordance with the member's reemployment rights under USERRA on the day preceding death or disability and terminated employment on the actual date of death or disablitity. A member eligible to receive military credit under USERRA will have the service credit recognized for vesting and benefit eligibility purposes. In addition to having the service credit recognized for vesting and benefit eligibility purposes, at the member's option, a member eligible to receive military credit under USERRA may pay an amount calculated by the fund to allow the credit to be used for benefit calculation purposes. A member may purchase up to five years of military credit and must apply for and complete the purchase prior to retirement. The member must provide a copy of the member's military discharge papers (DD214) as proof of eligibility. The time frame to purchase military service under USERRA begins with reemployment and is equal to three times the length of the military service but may not exceed five years. The cost to purchase USERRA military credit for benefit calculation purposes is the member and employer contributions required under North Dakota Century Code section 15-39.1-09 had the member's employment not been interrupted by military service. The member contributions must be applied to the member's annual salary at the time of the military leave. The member contributions must be paid by the member if the employer is withholding contributions under a salary reduction plan. If the employer is paying all of the member contributions as a salary supplement, the employer is responsible for payment of any member contributions owed. If the employer is paying a portion of the member contributions as a salary supplement, both the member and employer are responsible for payment of the member contributions. The employer is required to pay the employer contributions. No interest is charged if the credit is purchased within the time frame allowed under USERRA. Effective January 1, 2009, compensation shall include military differential wage payments, as defined in Internal Revenue Code section 3401(h), for purposes of calculation of contributions and benefits. If the credit is not purchased within the USERRA time frame, the cost becomes the responsibility of the member and six percent interest is charged beginning with the date the USERRA time frame elapsed.