Section 36-27-21.3

Section 36-27-21.3Cost-of-living increases; funding.

(a) There is hereby provided, commencing October 1, 1982, to any person retired prior to October 1, 1981, under the Teachers' Retirement System or Employees' Retirement System of Alabama and who is receiving a retirement allowance therefrom, a cost-of-living increase of $1.00 per month for each year of creditable service attained by said member; provided any person retired under the provisions of Section 36-27-7, or 36-27-7.1 shall receive an increase of $.50 per month for each year of creditable service attained by said member. In addition to the foregoing amount an additional $1.00 per month increase may be granted upon the occurrence of certain conditions set forth in subsection (e) of this section; provided any person retired under the provisions of Section 36-27-7, or 36-27-7.1 may receive an additional $.50 per month increase upon the occurrence of certain conditions pursuant to subsection (e) of this section. Effective October 1, 1983, the full increase of $2.00 per month shall become effective and shall be funded pursuant to subsection (e) of this section; provided any person retired pursuant to Section 36-27-7, or 36-27-7.1 shall receive an increase of $1.00 per month, and said increase shall be funded pursuant to subsection (e) of this section.



(b) Any person retired under the Judicial Retirement Fund of Alabama as provided for in Title 12, Chapter 18, shall not be deemed a retiree of the Teachers' or Employees' Retirement System of Alabama for purposes of this section and shall not be entitled to receive the cost-of-living increase provided.



(c)(1)a. There is hereby appropriated from the Education Trust Fund to the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama $2,858,843.00. In addition to the foregoing amount it is the intent of the Legislature that the sum of $3,290,460.00, said amount being appropriated in excess of the required amount to fund the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama for the 1981-82 fiscal year, be used to fund the provisions of this section. It is further provided that any funds available from the earnings, assets or appropriations to the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama in accordance with subsection (e) of this section are hereby allocated and expended as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.



b. For each fiscal year thereafter, the Board of Control shall determine the cost of benefits under this section as the percentage rate of earnable compensation of members required to be paid to the Teachers' Retirement System. The employers' payments on account of the increases provided in this subdivision shall be paid in the same manner and from the same source of funds as is provided in Section 16-25-21, it being the intent of the Legislature that the costs of providing the increases provided for in this section shall be distributed from all funds in proportion to the salaries paid therefrom for active members.



(2)a. There is hereby appropriated from the Education Trust Fund to the Employees' Retirement System of Alabama $49,750.00 for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 1982, or such amounts as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this section, as they relate to retired employees of local boards of education and state institutions of higher education who are retired under the Employees' Retirement System. In addition, it is further provided that any funds available from the assets of or the appropriation to the Employees' Retirement System of Alabama in accordance with subsection (e) of this section are hereby allocated and expended as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.



b. For each fiscal year thereafter the Board of Control shall determine the amount necessary to fund the cost of benefits provided in this subdivision and the cost thereof shall be collected as provided in paragraph b. of subdivision (1) of subsection (c) above and transferred from the Teachers' Retirement System to the Employees' Retirement System.



(3)a. There is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the Employees' Retirement System of Alabama $1,462,030.00 for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 1982. In addition, it is further provided that any funds available from the earnings, assets or the appropriations to the Employees' Retirement System of Alabama in accordance with subsection (e) of this section are hereby allocated and expended as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.



b. The Board of Control of the Employees' Retirement System of Alabama shall determine annually the amount required to pay the cost of the increased allowances under subsection (a) of this section and shall notify the chief fiscal officer of each employer the per centum rates of earnable compensation of the members required to be paid to the retirement system. Each employer of members of the Employees' Retirement System of Alabama shall pay on account of the increases provided in subsection (a) of this section in the same manner and from the same source of funds as is provided in Section 36-27-24, it being the intent of the Legislature that the cost of providing the increases in subsection (a) of this section shall be distributed from all funds in proportion to the salaries paid therefrom for active members.



(4) Subsequent appropriations to the Teachers' and Employees' Retirement Systems shall be reduced to only the amount necessary to fund the benefit increases herein provided in subsection (a) of this section.



(5) No person whose retirement under the Teachers' or Employees' Retirement System is based on 51 percent or more service as an employee of an employer participating under Section 36-27-6 shall be entitled to the benefits provided in subsection (a) of this section, unless such employer elects to come under the provisions of said subsection. Any employer making such election, except local boards of education and state institutions of higher education for which funding is provided above herein, must bear the cost of cost-of-living increases paid to its former employees pursuant to this section. Any employer participating under Section 36-27-6 may elect to come under the provisions of this subsection at the beginning of any future fiscal year and said employer shall not be required to pay said cost-of-living increase retroactively.



(d) Any person who receives benefits under the Medicaid program and whose eligibility for such benefits would be impaired by the cost-of-living increase provided in subsection (a) of this section shall not be entitled to receive said increase. Any person who shall subsequently apply for benefits under the Medicaid program and such person's eligibility to receive benefits is impaired by the cost-of-living increase provided in subsection (a) of this section, shall not be entitled to receive said increase subsequent to the date the member files application for benefits under the Medicaid program.



(e) It is the intent of the Legislature that the additional cost-of-living increase granted to certain retired persons under the provisions of this section be financed, if possible, from existing funds of the Employees' Retirement System and the Teachers' Retirement System under the following provisions and conditions:



(1)a. If the regular actuarial firm employed by the Boards of Control of the Employees' and Teachers' Retirement Systems finds that the authorized additional cost-of-living increase can be paid for the fiscal year 1982-83 from existing funds of the systems without having serious adverse impact actuarially on the retirement systems, the Boards of Control of the retirement systems are hereby authorized and instructed to pay such additional cost-of-living increase beginning October 1, 1982. It is the intent of this legislation as pertains to future like funding, that such funding shall be made in accordance with Section 16-25-28, as pertains to actuarial soundness.



b. Further provided, if the actuarial report is not received by October 1, 1982, but meets the above condition when it is received during fiscal year 1982-83, then the cost-of-living increase shall be paid retroactively to October 1, 1982.



(2) If the conditions in (1) above are not met, the full cost-of-living increase shall be paid beginning October 1, 1983, and the cost of this benefit shall be included in the amount certified by the Board of Control to be contributed by the state under the provisions of Section 16-25-21 or 36-27-24 or any other applicable provision of law.



The provisions of this subsection shall govern and override any seeming or actual conflicts with other provisions of this section.



(f) The provisions of this section are supplemental. It shall be construed in pari materia with other laws regulating and providing for the payment of retirement benefits to retired members of the Teachers' and Employees' Retirement Systems of Alabama; however, those laws or parts of laws which are in direct conflict or inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed.

(Acts 1982, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 82-659, p. 73, §§1-6; Acts 1995, No. 95-538, p. 1100, §10.)