{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-74-74-917","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 74, § 74-917","heading":"Termination of employment - Payment - Vested benefits","body":"(1) Upon termination of employment with a participating\n\nemployer, not followed by employment with such participating\n\nemployer, or another participating employer, within four (4)\n\ncalendar months, the member shall be paid an amount equal to the\n\namount of money he or she has paid into the System upon the filing\n\nof the proper application with the System. Payment of these\n\naccumulated contributions may be made in less than four (4) calendar\n\nmonths only in the event that a member is not eligible to elect a\n\nvested benefit pursuant to this section and the member is terminally\n\nill, as evidenced by a physician’s certification that the member is\n\nnot expected to live beyond four (4) months.\n\n(2) If such member has completed eight (8) years of credited\n\nservice at date of termination or if the member is a legislative\n\nsession employee of the Legislature or if the employee is a session\n\nemployee employed by the Legislative Service Bureau, four (4) years\n\nof credited service at date of termination, he or she may elect a\n\nvested benefit in lieu of receiving his or her accumulated\n\ncontributions. The amount of the vested benefit shall commence at\n\nthe normal retirement date and shall be paid monthly during the\n\nlifetime of the retirant with the last payment made on the last day\n\nof the month in which death occurs.\n\n(3) Upon death before the normal or early retirement date of a\n\nmember who has elected a vested benefit, his or her accumulated\n\ncontributions shall be paid to his or her beneficiary unless the\n\nspouse of the deceased member elects monthly benefits as provided\n\nfor in Section 918 of this title.\n\n(4) Upon death after the normal or early retirement date of a\n\nretirant who elected a vested benefit without an option, the excess,\n\nif any, of his or her accumulated contributions over the sum of all\n\npayments of the vested benefit made to date of death shall be paid\n\nto his or her beneficiary.\n\n(5) If a former employee, who meets the eligibility\n\nrequirements for membership, returns to employment after the\n\nexpiration of four (4) calendar months following the termination of\n\nhis or her employment and the employee has withdrawn his or her\n\naccumulated contributions, he or she may pay to the System the sum\n\nof the accumulated contributions he or she has withdrawn plus\n\ninterest of not to exceed ten percent (10%), as determined by the\n\nBoard, and shall receive the same benefits as if he or she had never\n\nwithdrawn his or her contributions. No member shall be permitted to\n\ntake advantage of the payback for restoration of creditable service\n\nmore than one time. If a member, who has elected a vested benefit,\n\nor a reemployed member, who has not withdrawn the member’s\n\ncontributions, again becomes an employee of a participating\n\nemployer, the period of absence shall not be counted as a break in\n\nservice; however, the period of absence shall not be credited.\n\n(6) Prior to January 1, 1991, members, who at the time of\n\nemployment were ineligible for membership into the System due to\n\ntheir age, shall receive benefits for the period of ineligibility if\n\nthe employer and employee contributions are paid to the System for\n\nthat ineligible period. No interest shall be paid on a payback of\n\nthis type. However, effective January 1, 1991, to receive benefits,\n\nthe member shall pay the amount determined by the Board pursuant to\n\nSection 913.5 of this title.\nship into the System due to\n\ntheir age, shall receive benefits for the period of ineligibility if\n\nthe employer and employee contributions are paid to the System for\n\nthat ineligible period. No interest shall be paid on a payback of\n\nthis type. However, effective January 1, 1991, to receive benefits,\n\nthe member shall pay the amount determined by the Board pursuant to\n\nSection 913.5 of this title.\n\n(7) When any error in calculation or participation coverage to\n\na prior or current employee exists, it shall be the responsibility\n\nof the participating employer which made the error to pay the amount\n\ndetermined by the Board pursuant to Section 913.5 of this title.\n\nThis obligation of the participating employer to pay the amount due\n\npursuant to this section shall be considered a current obligation of\n\nthe employer until the amount is paid in full, regardless of the\n\ndates of the periods of service. Payment made pursuant to this\n\nparagraph shall not reinstate the membership of a former member of\n\nthe system who withdrew his or her employee contributions pursuant\n\nto paragraph (1) of this section.\n\n(8) Upon application to the Board and payment as determined by\n\nthe Board, a member of the System may receive service credit for\n\nthose years of service that the member was eligible to receive\n\nservice credit from the Teachers’ Retirement System of Oklahoma. To\n\nreceive the service credit, the member shall pay the amount\n\ndetermined by the Board pursuant to Section 913.5 of this title.\n\n(9) Upon the death of a retired member, the benefit payment for\n\nthe month in which the retired member died, if not previously paid,\n\nshall be made to the beneficiary of the member or to the member’s\n\nestate if there is no beneficiary. Such benefit payment shall be\n\nmade in an amount equal to a full monthly benefit payment regardless\n\nof the day of the month in which the retired member died.\n\n(10) Subject to the provisions of Sections 918 and 918.1 of\n\nthis title, if there are two or more beneficiaries designated by the\n\nmember, upon the member’s death, the System shall pay any applicable\n\nbenefits to any of the beneficiaries that have completed all\n\nrequired paperwork regardless of whether or not all beneficiaries\n\nhave completed such paperwork.","path":["OK Code","Title 74"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os74.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"b9f8a52d5edb7689c4346a26f76671028550eebd6be3b9d6806b52e0c6028cd7","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-74-74-916.3v2","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-74-74-918"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}