Subd. 1. Service credit purchase authorized.

1. (a) A teacher who has at least three years of allowable service credit with one of the retirement fund associations under this chapter and who rendered out-of-state teaching service for an educational institution established and operated by another governmental entity specified in paragraph (b) is entitled to purchase up to ten years of allowable service credit for that out-of-state service by making payment under section 356.55, provided the teacher is not entitled to receive a current or deferred age and service retirement annuity or disability benefit and has not purchased service credit from another defined benefit public employee pension plan for that out-of-state teaching service. Payment must be made before the teacher's effective date of retirement.

2. (b) An eligible governmental entity for purposes of paragraph (a) is:

   1. (1) another state of the United States;
   2. (2) a governmental subdivision of another state of the United States;
   3. (3) the federal government;
   4. (4) a federally recognized American Indian tribe; or
   5. (5) a public education institution in a foreign country.

Subd. 2. Application and documentation.

A teacher who desires to purchase service credit under subdivision 1 must apply with the executive director or secretary of the respective teachers retirement fund association to make the purchase. The application must include all necessary documentation of the teacher's qualifications to make the purchase, signed written permission to allow the executive director or secretary to request and receive necessary verification of applicable facts and eligibility requirements, and any other relevant information that the executive director or secretary may require.

Subd. 3. Service credit grant.

Allowable service credit for the purchase period must be granted by the applicable teachers retirement fund association to the purchasing teacher on receipt of the purchase payment amount.

* NOTE: This section, as added by Laws 1999, chapter 222, *article 16, section 8, is repealed effective May 16, 2002. Laws *1999, chapter 222, article 16, section 16.