39-03.1-14.1. Multiple plan membership - Eligibility for benefits - Amount of benefits

39-03.1-14.1. Multiple plan membership - Eligibility for benefits - Amount of benefits 1. For the purpose of determining eligibility for benefits under this chapter, a member's years of service is the total of the years of service earned under this chapter and the years of service employment or years of service credit earned in any number of the following, the total of which may not exceed twelve months of credit per year: a. The public employees retirement system. b. The teachers' fund for retirement. c. The teachers' insurance and annuity association of America - college retirement equities fund (TIAA-CREF), for service credit earned while employed by North Dakota institutions of higher education. 2. If a member terminates eligible employment under this chapter, if that member has not received a refund of the member's accumulated deductions, and if that member begins eligible employment in a plan described in subdivision a or b of subsection 1, that member may elect to remain an inactive member of the system without refund of the member's accumulated deductions. The election must be made within ninety days after beginning the eligible employment. The board shall terminate the inactive status of a member under this subsection if the member gains eligible employment under this chapter or if the member terminates eligible employment under a plan described in subdivision a or b of subsection 1. 3. Pursuant to rules adopted by the board, a member who has service credit in the system and in any of the alternate plans described in subdivision a or b of subsection 1 is entitled to benefits under this chapter. The employee may elect to have benefits calculated using the benefit formula in section 39-03.1-11 under either of the following calculation methods: a. By using the final average salary as calculated in section 39-03.1-11. If the participating member has worked for less than thirty-six months at retirement, the final average salary is the average salary for the total months of employment. b. Using the final average salary as calculated in section 39-03.1-11, with service credit not to exceed one month in any month when combined with the service credit earned in the alternate retirement system. The board shall calculate benefits for an employee under this subsection by using only those years of service employment earned under this chapter.