A participant who shall cease to be an employee except as otherwise hereinbefore provided shall have all interest and rights under this plan limited to those contained in the following sections of this article.
A participant whose employment with the employer shall terminate for any reason other than total and permanent disability prior to attainment of normal retirement age shall be entitled to receive a distribution of accumulated contributions. Upon receipt of such accumulated contributions, said participant and beneficiary shall not be entitled to any further payments from the plan.
A participant who shall have completed at least 12 years of aggregate service and whose employment shall terminate for any reason other than due to death or total and permanent disability prior to attainment of normal retirement age shall be entitled to elect by filing a written notice of the intention to vest with the plan administrator within 90 days of the date employment ceases to receive a deferred retirement benefit in lieu of a distribution of accumulated contributions under § 33-36. Such a deferred retirement benefit shall be equal to the participant’s accrued benefit as of the date employment terminates and shall commence after application pursuant to § 33-16 and not earlier than the date which would be the participant’s normal retirement date under the plan if the participant remained in employment until such date.