§87-4.6 State and county contributions to fund; employees hired after June 30, 1996, and retired with fewer than twenty-five years of service. [1997 amendment retroactive to June 30, 1996. L 1997, c 266, §3.] (a) This section shall apply to state and county contributions to the fund for employees who were hired after June 30, 1996, and who retire with fewer than twenty-five years of credited service, excluding sick leave; provided that this section shall not apply if an employee is hired prior to July 1, 1996, and transfers employment after June 30, 1996 nor to any employee who has at least ten years of credited service and who has suffered a break in service. For purposes of this section "transfer" means to leave state or county employment and return to state or county employment within ninety calendar days.

(b) For purposes of this section, if an employee leaves state or county employment and returns to state or county employment after June 30, 1996, when the employee retires, the employee's years of service shall be computed in the same manner as set forth in chapter 88.

(c) The State, through the department of budget and finance and the several counties through their respective departments of finance, shall pay to the fund a monthly contribution equal to one-half of the retired employee's monthly medicare or nonmedicare premium for the following benefits for retired employees with ten or more years but fewer than fifteen years of service; seventy-five per cent of the retired employee's monthly medicare or nonmedicare premium for the following benefits for retired employees with at least fifteen but fewer than twenty-five years of service:

If both husband and wife are employee-beneficiaries, the total contribution by the State or the appropriate county, after an employee's retirement pursuant to this section, shall not exceed the monthly contribution of a family plan for both of them.

(d) The State, through the department of budget and finance and the several counties through their respective departments of finance, after an employee's retirement pursuant to this section, shall pay to the fund a monthly contribution equal to the total monthly premium for each child who has not attained the age of nineteen of all employee-beneficiaries who are enrolled in the fund's dental plan for children under this section.

(e) The State, through the department of budget and finance and the several counties through their respective departments of finance, shall pay to the fund a monthly contribution equal to the total monthly premium for each retired employee enrolled in the fund's group life insurance benefits plan under this section.

(f) For the purpose of this section, the retired employee's monthly medicare and nonmedicare premiums for the hospital, medical, and surgical plan, the prescription drug plan, the vision care plan, and the adult dental plan shall be established annually by the board and shall be equal to the retired employee's medicare and nonmedicare premiums for the hospital, medical, and surgical plan, the prescription drug plan, the vision care plan, and the adult dental plan contracted by the fund with the largest enrollments.

(g) The State, through the department of budget and finance and the several counties through their respective departments of finance, shall advance the amount of their respective employee-beneficiaries' contributions to the fund on or before the first day of each month.

(h) Contributions made by the State or the several counties shall not be considered as wages or salary of an employee-beneficiary, and no employee-beneficiary shall have any vested right in or be entitled to receive any part of any contribution made to the fund. [L 1995, c 217, §2; am L 1996, c 269, §3; am L 1997, c 266, §1]