[Ord. 1924, 2/2/2009]
This amended and restated plan is made effective as of January 1, 2016, except as provided otherwise in § 1-1102.d(2), by the Borough of State College, a governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
• | A cafeteria plan (excludable under IRC Section 125 and as provided in Section 1108.a(5)(c)); |
• | A tax sheltered annuity (excludable under IRC Section 403(b)); or |
• | A deferred compensation plan (excludable under IRC Section 457). |
Picked-up contributions under IRC Section 414(h)(2) shall be included in the participant's compensation. |
Any reference in this plan to compensation shall be a reference to the definition in this section 1102.c, unless the plan reference specifies a modification to this definition. The plan administrator shall take into account only compensation actually paid by the employer for the relevant period. A compensation payment includes compensation by the employer through another person under the common paymaster provisions in IRC Sections 3121 and 3306. Compensation from a related employer that is not a participating employer under this plan shall be excluded. |
• | Unused vacation, personal day, and sick pay paid on account of termination of employment |
• | Any lump sum payment made upon termination of employment |
(1) | (a) | Year of Vesting Service. For purposes of determining the nonforfeitable interest in the participant's accrued benefit, the employee shall receive credit for the aggregate of all time periods commencing with the employee's first day of employment or re-employment as a police officer and ending on the date a break in service begins, except for periods of service disregarded below. The first day of employment or re-employment is the first day the employee performs an hour of service. Fractional periods of a year will be expressed in terms of days. One year of vesting service shall be credited for each three-hundred-sixty-five-day period. | |
(b) | Break in Service Rules. | ||
(i) | Vested Participant. A former participant who had a nonforfeitable right to all or a portion of his accrued benefit derived from employer contributions at the time of his termination from service and who did not receive a distribution of his accumulated contributions shall retain credit for all years of vesting service prior to a break in service. | ||
(ii) | Nonvested Participant or Employee. In the case of a former participant or employee who did not have any nonforfeitable right to his accrued benefit derived from employer contributions at the time of his termination from service or who received a distribution of his accumulated contributions, years of vesting service before a break in service shall not be taken into account in computing service, except as provided in Section 1106.c. | ||
(2) | Year of Benefit Service. For the purpose of determining the participant's benefit under the pension benefit formula, the participant shall receive credit for the aggregate of all time periods commencing with the participant's first day of active participation or active reparticipation and ending on the date a break in service begins or the participant is no longer a member of an eligible class of employees, except for periods of service disregarded herein. One year of benefit service shall be credited for each three-hundred-sixty-five-day period. Any years of service disregarded under Section 1106.c Accumulated Contribution Distribution and Restoration shall be disregarded for this purpose. | ||
(1) | (a) | Normal Retirement Age. The normal retirement age of each participant shall be the day on which he satisfies both of the following requirements: | |
(i) | He attains age 50; and | ||
(ii) | He completes 25 years of vesting service. | ||
However, in the case of a participant who was employed prior to January 1, 2001, his normal retirement age shall be the day on which he satisfies both of the following requirements: | |||
(i) | He attains age 50; and | ||
(ii) | He completes 20 years of vesting service. | ||
Provided further, in the case of a participant hired on or after January 1, 2016, his normal retirement age shall be the day on which he satisfies both of the following requirements: | |||
(i) | He attains age 55; and | ||
(ii) | He completes 25 years of vesting service. | ||
An actively employed participant's right to his normal retirement benefit shall be 100% vested and nonforfeitable upon attainment of the normal retirement age, notwithstanding the plan's vesting schedule. | |||
Retired participants shall be subject to service, from time to time, as a police reserve, in cases of riot, tumult, or preservation of public peace until unfitted for such service, when they may be finally discharged by reason of age or disability. | |||
(b) | Normal Retirement Date. The normal retirement date of each participant shall be the first day of the month coincident with or next following the day on which he attains his normal retirement age as defined in § 1-1104.b(1)(a). | ||
(2) | (a) | Normal Retirement Benefit. The normal retirement benefit of each participant shall not be less than the largest periodic benefit that would have been payable to the participant upon separation from service at or prior to his normal retirement date under the plan exclusive of social security supplements, premiums on disability or term insurance, and the value of disability benefits not in excess of the normal retirement benefit, but taking into account any decrease in average monthly compensation. | |
(b) | Normal Form of Payment. The normal form of retirement benefit for each participant shall be a level monthly pension payable during the participant's lifetime, with payments commencing on his normal retirement date, and continuing after the participant's death during the lifetime of his spouse, if any, at the rate of 50% of the amount payable to the participant. | ||
(3) | Pension Benefit Formula. Each eligible participant shall receive a monthly benefit payable at his normal retirement date equal to 50% of average monthly compensation. | ||
(4) | Social Security Offset for Officers Hired On or After January 1, 2016. Benefits distributed under this Plan to officers hired on or after January 1, 2016 shall be offset by 75% of the Social Security normal retirement benefit for which they are eligible to receive based on their employment with the Borough. Such offset will occur on the participant's Social Security normal retirement date. | ||
(5) | Service Increment Benefit. Each eligible participant shall receive a service increment benefit of $20 per month for each completed year of benefit service in excess of 25. The total service increment benefit shall not exceed $100 per month. This benefit shall be payable in addition to the monthly benefit payable under the pension benefit formula, provided the participant is eligible. | ||
However, in the case of a participant who was employed prior to January 1, 2001, the service increment benefit shall be equal to 2.0% of average monthly compensation for each completed year of benefit service in excess of 20. The total service increment benefit shall not exceed 20.0% of average monthly compensation. | |||
Provided further, participants hired on or after January 1, 2016 shall not receive a service increment benefit in addition to their normal retirement benefit. | |||
(6) | IRC Section 415 Limitation on Benefits. Notwithstanding the benefits set forth in this section, the annual benefit otherwise payable to a participant under this plan at any time shall be limited as provided in § 1-1108.a. | ||
• | The specific reasons for denial; |
• | Reference to provisions on which the denial is based; |
• | A description of and reason for any additional information needed to process the claim; and |
• | An explanation of the claims procedure. |
• | Request a review of the participant's case in writing to the employer; |
• | Review pertinent documents; |
• | Submit issues and comments in writing. |
The written request for review must be submitted no later than 60 days after receiving written notification of denial of benefits. |