18A:66-103 - Withdrawal of contributions by veteran members; service credits required; liquidation of certain service credits
18A:66-103. Withdrawal of contributions by veteran members; service credits required; liquidation of certain service credits
a. Each public employee veteran member of a pension fund in existence and established on June 26, 1962 under article 16 of chapter 5 of Title 18 of the Revised Statutes shall have returned to him the contributions made by him as of July 1, 1962 with simple interest at 2% per annum to such date. All service rendered in office, position or employment of this State or of a county, municipality, school district or board of education or service rendered for the State University of New Jersey, an instrumentality of this State, after April 16, 1945, and the New Jersey State Agricultural Experiment Station established by an act approved March 10, 1880 (P.L.1880, c. 106 and continued pursuant to chapter 16 of Title 4 of the Revised Statutes), an instrumentality of this State, excluding service rendered as county extension service farm and home demonstration agents, by such service of such veteran member previous to June 26, 1962, and excluding credits for prior veteran covering employment which is vested in another governmental body or pension fund, for which evidence satisfactory to the board of trustees was presented prior to June 27, 1963, shall be credited to him as a member and such credit shall be known as prior service credit and the obligation of the board of education employing such veteran member on account of such credit shall be known as the accrued liability on behalf of such veteran member, and the board of education which employed such veteran member as of June 26, 1962 shall liquidate said accrued liability by annual payments for a period of 30 years commencing July 1, 1963, the amount of these payments to be computed by the actuary and certified by the board of trustees.
b. In the event that a public employee veteran who prior to June 26, 1962 rendered service in office, position or employment of this State, including such service rendered for any instrumentality enumerated in subsection a. of this section, or of a county, municipality, or school district or board of education, shall be a member of the pension fund on or after said date, such public employee veteran shall receive prior service credit for such service for which evidence satisfactory to the board of trustees is presented in the same manner as received by other public employee veteran members. The employer of such public employee veteran on the date of his becoming a member shall liquidate the accrued liability for such prior service by annual payments over the remainder of the 30-year period specified in subsection a. of this section, the amount of these payments to be computed by the actuary and certified by the board of trustees.
L.1967, c.271; amended by L.1968, c. 364, s. 2, eff. Dec. 26, 1968.
18A:66-104.Definition of "veteran"
18A:66-104. "Veteran" means any honorably discharged officer, soldier, sailor, airman, marine or nurse who served in any army, air force or navy of the allies of the United States in World War I, between July 14, 1914, and November 11, 1918, or who served in any army, air force or navy of the allies of the United States in World War II, between September 1, 1939, and September 2, 1945, and who was inducted into such service through voluntary enlistment, and was a citizen of the United States at the time of such enlistment, and who did not, during or by reason of such service, renounce or lose his United States citizenship, and any officer, soldier, sailor, marine, airman, nurse or army field clerk, who has served in the active military or naval service of the United States and has or shall be discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable, in any of the following wars, uprisings, insurrections, expeditions, or emergencies, and who has presented to the board of trustees evidence of such record of service in form and content satisfactory to said board of trustees:
(a) The Indian wars and uprisings during any of the periods recognized by the war department of the United States as periods of active hostility;
(b) The Spanish-American war between April 20, 1898, and April 11, 1899;
(c) The Philippine insurrections and expeditions during the periods recognized by the war department of the United States as of active hostility from February 4, 1899, to the end of 1913;
(d) The Peking relief expedition between June 20, 1900, and May 27, 1902;
(e) The army of Cuban occupation between July 18, 1898, and May 20, 1902;
(f) The army of Cuban pacification between October 6, 1906, and April 1, 1909;
(g) The Mexican punitive expedition between March 14, 1916, and February 7, 1917;
(h) The Mexican border patrol, having actually participated in engagements against Mexicans between April 12, 1911, and June 16, 1919;
(i) World War I, between April 6, 1917, and November 11, 1918;
(j) World War II, between September 16, 1940, and September 2, 1945, who shall have served at least 90 days in such active service, exclusive of any period he was assigned (1) for a course of education or training under the Army Specialized Training Program or the Navy College Training Program which course was a continuation of his civilian course and was pursued to completion, or (2) as a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies any part of which 90 days was served between said dates; provided, that any person receiving an actual service incurred injury or disability shall be classed as a veteran whether or not he has completed the 90-day service as herein provided;
(k) Korean conflict, on or after June 23, 1950, and on or prior to January 31, 1955, who shall have served at least 90 days in such active service, exclusive of any period he was assigned (1) for a course of education or training under the Army Specialized Training Program or the Navy College Training Program which course was a continuation of his civilian course and was pursued to completion, or (2) as a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies, any part of which 90 days was served between said dates; provided, that any person receiving an actual service incurred injury or disability shall be classed as a veteran whether or not he has completed the 90-day service as herein provided; and provided further, that any member classed as a veteran pursuant to this subparagraph prior to August 1, 1966, shall continue to be classed as a veteran whether or not he completed the 90-day service between said dates as herein provided;
(l) Vietnam conflict, on or after December 31, 1960, and on or prior to May 7, 1975, who shall have served at least 90 days in such active service, exclusive of any period he was assigned (1) for a course of education or training under the Army Specialized Training Program or the Navy College Training Program, which course was a continuation of his civilian course and was pursued to completion, or (2) as a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies, any part of which 90 days was served between said dates; and exclusive of any service performed pursuant to the provisions of section 511(d) of Title 10, United States Code, pursuant to an enlistment in the Army National Guard or as a reserve for service in the Army Reserve, Naval Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, or Coast Guard Reserve; provided, that any person receiving an actual service incurred injury or disability shall be classed as a veteran whether or not he has completed the 90 days service as herein provided.
"Veteran" also means any honorably discharged member of the American Merchant Marine who served during World War II and is declared by the United States Department of Defense to be eligible for federal veterans' benefits.
L.1967, c.271; amended 1991,c.389,s.5; 1995,c.240,s.1.