§18-7C-12 Minimum guarantees.
§18-7C-12. Minimum guarantees.
(a) Any member of the Defined Contribution Retirement System who has made a contribution to the State Teachers Retirement System after the date of merger is guaranteed a minimum benefit equal to his or her member contributions plus the vested portion of employer contributions made on his or her behalf to the Defined Contribution Retirement System as of the thirtieth day of June, two thousand six, plus any earnings thereon, as stated by the board or the board's professional contractor.
(b) A member of the Defined Contribution Retirement System who has made contributions to the State Teachers Retirement System after the thirtieth day of June, two thousand six, where the Defined Contribution Retirement System has been merged into the State Teachers Retirement System, upon eligibility to receive a distribution under article seven-a of this chapter, shall have at a minimum the following three options:
(1) The right to receive an annuity from the State Teachers Retirement System based upon the provisions of article seven-a of this chapter;
(2) The right to withdraw from the State Teachers Retirement System and receive his or her member accumulated contributions in the State Teachers Retirement System, plus regular interest thereon, as set forth in article seven-a of this chapter; or
(3) The right to withdraw and receive his or her member contributions plus the vested portion of employer contributions made on his or her behalf to the Defined Contribution Retirement System, plus any earnings thereon as of the date of the merger, as determined by the board or its professional third-party benefits administrator pursuant to the vesting provisions of section twelve of this article. This amount may be distributed in a lump sum or in periodic payments as elected by the member.
(c) Any member of the Defined Contribution Retirement System who makes no contribution to the State Teachers Retirement System following approval of the merger and following the date of merger is guaranteed the receipt of the amount in his or her total vested account in the Defined Contribution Retirement System on the date of merger, plus interest thereon, at four percent accruing from the date of merger. This amount may be distributed in a lump sum or in periodic payments as elected by the member.