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 death or total and permanent disability prior to early retirement date shall be entitled to receive a refund of accumulated contributions. Upon receipt of such accumulated contributions, said participant and beneficiary shall not be entitled to any further payments from the plan.
In lieu of receiving a refund of accumulated contributions, a participant who shall have completed 10 years of aggregate service with the employer and who ceases to be an employee of the employer for any reason other than death, retirement or total and permanent disability may elect to vest retirement benefits under the plan by filing a written notice of the intention to vest with the plan administrator within 90 days of the date employment ceases. A participant who exercises such an option shall be eligible, upon attainment of what would have been normal retirement date, for a vested retirement benefit equal to the accrued benefit, determined as of the date on which employment ceased. If a participant elects to vest a benefit but dies prior to the commencement thereof, the beneficiary shall be entitled to a refund of the participant's accumulated contributions in accordance with the terms of §§ 47-92 and 47-95.