Creditable service begins on the day you were sworn in as a police officer, and continues until resignation or retirement. If you are suspended for less than thirty consecutive days, you are not required to "make up" those lost days. If they fall during your last three years of service they could have a slight impact on your final average compensation and therefore your retirement benefit.

If you are absent without pay for any reason, through discipline, furlough without pay or family leave, and that period is more than thirty consecutive days, you will not be given creditable service for that entire period from the day your status without pay began until you return to paid status. If you have less than twenty years of service without the missing time, or have not reached age 55, you will be required to make up the time in order to qualify for service retirement.

If you have your service "restored" with back pay, the lump payment given you upon return to duty will have the practical effect of evening out your salary missed during the period of leave, and your service will be added.

If you resign from the department your "accumulated contributions" will be refunded within sixty days. If you join the department again at a later time, you will not be given credit for your prior service until you have re-purchased the prior service. You will be required to come to the pension office and complete an application to repurchase your prior service. The System's actuary will then compute the dollar value of your prior service. Once you pay for the prior service, your old service will be added.

There is no time limit to re-purchase prior service, but the longer you wait, the more expensive it is.

Section 105.691 allows a member to "transfer" your service with a prior public sector employer within the state. In order to make the transfer, you must qualify for service retirement, that is, have five years of service with the receiving plan. You must then make an application to the board of trustees, who would approve or deny then transfer of service from another agency.

An officer is eligible for service retirement upon the completion of 20 years of creditable service OR reaching the age of 55. If an officer reaches age 55, but does not have a full 20 years of service, the officer is still eligible for service retirement, but at a reduced rate.

Any officer who is eligible for service retirement can enter the DROP program.

If you suffer a career ending injury on the job while you are in DROP, you have the option to apply for service connected disability retirement or service retirement. It is important to understand that if you ask for and are granted an accidental disability pension you will forfeit all the money in your DROP account. In addition, unless you are totally (100%) disabled you will also lose your lump sum contributions.

If you die while still in service, your DROP account and your lump sum contributions are paid to your surviving spouse. If you have no surviving spouse, then your DROP account is paid to your dependent children. If you have no surviving spouse or dependent children, then your DROP account will be paid to your dependent mother or father. If none of these apply, your DROP account and your accumulated contributions (contributions and the interest credited to your account) are paid to your designated beneficiary. If you have not named a beneficiary, or the named beneficiary is deceased, your DROP account and accumulated contributions will be paid to your estate. If you die in the line of duty, your DROP account will be paid to your surviving spouse or beneficiaries in the form a tax exempt annuity.