CHAPTER 14.5. Military Service [22850. - 22856.]

Cal. Education Code - EDC 14.5.

in effect

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22850. Section 22850.

(a) The Legislature hereby declares its intent to provide benefits under this part to reemployed members who have been absent from a position of employment subject to coverage under the Defined Benefit Program to perform service in the uniformed services of the United States in accordance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (Chapter 43 (commencing with Section 4301) of Title 38 of the United States Code). (b) The system shall comply with Chapter 43 (commencing with Section 4301) of Title 38 of the United States Code, as that chapter may be amended from time to time. (c) “Service in the uniformed services,” for purposes of determining plan vesting, eligibility for membership, and accrual of benefits, means the performance of duty on a voluntary or involuntary basis in a uniformed service under competent authority and includes active duty, active duty for training, initial active duty for training, inactive duty training, a period for which a member is absent from a position of employment for the purpose of an examination to determine the fitness of the member to perform any duty, and the period of time following the actual service in the uniformed service through the last day a member is eligible to report back to work or to apply for reemployment as specified under Section 1002.259 of Title 20 of the Code of Federal Regulations. (d) “Uniformed services” means the Armed Forces of the United States of America, the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard when engaged in active duty for training, inactive duty training, or full-time National Guard duty, the commissioned corps of the United States Public Health Service, and any other category of persons designated by the President in time of war or emergency. (e) Except as provided in Section 22851, no benefit shall accrue during the period of service in the uniformed services if the member does not return to employment, with the same employer which had employed the member immediately prior to the eligible period of service in the uniformed services, as prescribed in Chapter 43 (commencing with Section 4301) of Title 38 of the United States Code.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22851. Section 22851.

The right to pension benefits under this part of a member who dies or who returns to employment with the same employer which had employed the member immediately prior to the eligible period of service in the uniformed services, and is subject to Chapter 43 (commencing with Section 4301) of Title 38 of the United States Code shall be determined under this section. (a) (1) A reemployed or deceased member shall be treated as not having incurred a break in service by reason of that member’s eligible period or periods of service in the uniformed services. (2) (A) Each eligible period of service served by a member in the uniformed services shall, upon return to employment, with the same employer which had employed the member immediately prior to the eligible period of service in the uniformed services, or upon death, be deemed to constitute service with the employer or employers toward plan vesting and eligibility for membership in the Defined Benefit Program. Service that is deemed to the member pursuant to this subparagraph shall not be used for benefit calculations. (B) In cases of death during qualified military service or if a member fails to remit the member contributions that would have been required in respect of the eligible period of service in the uniformed services, service shall be used exclusively for plan vesting and eligibility for membership purposes. Service that is deemed to the member pursuant to this subparagraph shall not be used for benefit calculations. (3) (A) Each eligible period of service served by a member in the uniformed services shall, upon his or her payment of the member contributions required under this part, be deemed to constitute service for the purposes of accruing benefits in the Defined Benefit Program and the Defined Benefit Supplement Program. (B) A member who returns to employment, with the same employer which had employed the member immediately prior to the eligible period of service in the uniformed services shall not be entitled to any benefits under this part in respect of service in the uniformed services to which the member would not otherwise have been entitled had the member remained continuously employed and not undertaken such service in the uniformed services. (b) For purposes of accruing benefits in the Defined Benefit Program and Defined Benefit Supplement Program, a member who returns to employment with the same employer which had employed the member immediately prior to the eligible period of service in the uniformed services shall be entitled to service credit, compensation earnable, contributions, interest, and additional earnings credits under this part for the eligible period of service in the uniformed services upon his or her payment of the member contributions required under Section 22901 and Section 22901.7, if applicable, that otherwise would have been due for such period of service had the member remained continuously employed and not undertaken such service in the uniformed services. No such payment of member contributions may exceed the amount the member would have been required to contribute under this part had the member not served in the uniformed services and had remained continuously employed by the employer throughout the eligible period of service in the uniformed services. If a member fails to remit the member contributions that would have been required under Section 22901 and Section 22901.7 if applicable, in respect of the eligible period of service in the uniformed services no benefits shall be provided under this part for the period to which the omitted contributions relate. (c) Any payment of member contributions to the Defined Benefit Program or the Defined Benefit Supplement Program in this section shall be made by the member during the period beginning with the date of return to employment and may continue for three times the period of the member’s eligible service in the uniformed services, not to exceed five years. Any payment of member contributions to the Defined Benefit Program in this section by a member who returned to employment prior to January 1, 1997, and qualifies for benefits in accordance with the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (38 U.S.C. Secs. 4301 to 4335, incl.) shall be made by the member during the period beginning with the date of notification of eligibility by the employer to the system and may continue for three times the period of the member’s eligible service in the uniformed services, not to exceed five years. Any subsequent request to purchase service credit for this service shall be subject to the provisions of Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 22800). If all contributions due under this part are not paid to the plan with respect to the Defined Benefit Program within the specified repayment period and in accordance with subdivision (b), the member shall be entitled to the benefits attributable to the contributions received or may request a return of his or her payments. Credited interest on member contributions made for the eligible period of service in the uniformed services shall not be credited under this part until after the contributions due are paid and then only prospectively to the member’s account in accordance with Section 22216. For the Defined Benefit Supplement Program, contributions, interest, and additional earnings credits the member would have earned had the member remained continuously employed during the period of eligible service in the uniformed services shall be credited retroactively after all contributions due are paid.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22852. Section 22852.

(a) An employer reemploying a member of the Defined Benefit Program with service subject to the requirements of Chapter 43 (commencing with Section 4301) of Title 38 of the United States Code shall be liable to the plan for the employer contributions under this part, provided that employer was the last employer employing the member immediately prior to the period served by the member in the uniformed services. (b) For purposes of determining the amount of that liability under this part and any obligation to the plan with respect to the Defined Benefit Program, interest shall not be included in the liability to the plan. (c) Subject to subdivision (e), the employer shall pay the employer contributions for the eligible period of service in the uniformed services that would have been required under Sections 22950, 22950.5, and 22951 had the member remained continuously employed during that period of eligible service in the uniformed services. (d) In addition to any amount required pursuant to subdivision (c), the employer shall pay the full cost of any interest and additional earnings credits credited to the member’s Defined Benefit Supplement account pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 22851. (e) The employer shall not be liable for employer contributions under this part for the eligible period of service in the uniformed services to the extent that the member fails to remit the member contributions for that period. (f) The employer shall provide information regarding the reemployment of a member who is subject to Chapter 43 (commencing with Section 4301) of Title 38 of the United States Code on a form prescribed by the system within 30 days of the date of reemployment. (g) Employers shall remit to the plan with respect to the Defined Benefit Program and the Defined Benefit Supplement Program, the employer contributions required under subdivisions (c) and (d) within 60 working days of the date the system notifies the employer of the amount of contributions due with respect to the member who elects to remit the member contributions for the eligible period of service in the uniformed services. (h) If the employee does not comply with subdivision (b) of Section 22851 within the time period specified, the employer contributions that were remitted for that period shall be adjusted pursuant to Section 23008.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22853. Section 22853.

For purposes of this chapter, creditable compensation during the period of service in the uniformed services shall be computed as follows: (a) The creditable compensation the member would have received for the eligible period of service had the member remained continuously employed. (b) In the event the creditable compensation is not reasonably certain, creditable compensation shall be based on the member’s average creditable compensation during the 12-month period immediately preceding the eligible period of service in the uniformed services or, if shorter, the period of employment immediately preceding that period of service.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22853.5. Section 22853.5.

For purposes of this chapter, compensation earnable during the period of service in the uniformed services shall be computed as follows: (a) The compensation earnable that would have been applicable for the eligible period of service had the member remained continuously employed. (b) In the event the compensation earnable that would have been applicable is not reasonably certain, compensation earnable shall be based on the member’s compensation earnable earned during the 12-month period immediately preceding the eligible period of service in the uniformed services or, if shorter, the period of employment immediately preceding that period of service prorated over the period of service in the uniformed services.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22854. Section 22854.

A reemployed member who has been absent from a position of employment subject to coverage under the Defined Benefit Program to perform service in the uniformed services, pursuant to Section 22850, for a period in excess of five years shall not be entitled to benefits or credit for plan vesting or eligibility for membership purposes under this chapter for an amount exceeding five years, except where the service in the uniformed services has exceeded five years for the following reasons: (a) The member is required to serve beyond five years to complete an initial period of obligated service. (b) The member was unable to obtain orders releasing the member from a period of service in the uniformed services before the expiration of the five-year period and that inability was through no fault of the member. (c) The member served in the uniformed services as required pursuant to Section 270 of Title 10 of the United States Code, Section 502(a) or 503 of Title 32 of the United States Code, or to fulfill additional training requirements determined and certified in writing by the Secretary of Defense, to be necessary for professional development, or for completion of skill training or retraining. (d) The member is ordered to do any of the following: (1) Ordered to or retained on active duty under Section 672(a), 672(g), 673, 673(b), 673(c), or 688 of Title 10 of the United States Code or under Section 331, 332, 359, 360, 367, or 712 of Title 14 of the United States Code. (2) Ordered to or retained on active duty, other than for training, under any provision of law during a war or during a national emergency declared by the President or the Congress. (3) Ordered to active duty, other than for training, in support, as determined by the secretary concerned, of an operational mission for which personnel have been ordered to active duty under Section 673(b) of Title 10 of the United States Code. (4) Ordered to active duty in support, as determined by the secretary concerned, of a critical mission or requirement of the uniformed services. (5) Called into federal service as a member of the National Guard under Chapter 15 (commencing with Section 331) of Title 10 of the United States Code or under Section 3500 or 8500 of Title 10 of the United States Code.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22855. Section 22855.

A member of the Defined Benefit Program shall have no right to the benefits under this part otherwise accorded under this chapter in respect of service in the uniformed services upon the occurrence of any of the following events: (a) A separation of the member from the uniformed service with a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge. (b) A separation of the member from the uniformed service under other than honorable conditions, as characterized pursuant to regulations prescribed by the secretary concerned. (c) A dismissal of the member permitted under Section 1161(a) of Title 10 of the United States Code. (d) A dropping of the member from the rolls pursuant to Section 1161(b) of Title 10 of the United States Code.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22856. Section 22856.

No provision of this chapter shall apply to the extent it would require any action to be taken that would cause the plan or its members under this part to incur adverse tax consequences under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Title 26 of the United States Code).

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026