OPTIONAL ELIGIBILITY PROVISIONS FOR SERVICE RETIREMENT.

(a) In accordance with this subtitle, a subdivision may adopt any optional service retirement eligibility provision described by this section or authorized by the board of trustees.

(b) A subdivision may not revoke its adoption of an optional service retirement eligibility provision described by this section. A subdivision may adopt an optional service retirement eligibility provision providing less restrictive eligibility requirements.

(c) An optional service retirement eligibility provision may provide that a member who has at least 10 years of credited service is eligible to apply for retirement if the member has attained age 60 or an age at which the sum of the member's credited service and attained age equals or exceeds the number 75.

(d) An optional service retirement eligibility provision may provide that a member who has at least eight years of credited service is eligible to apply for retirement if the member has attained age 60.

(e) An optional service retirement eligibility provision may provide that a member who has at least five years of credited service is eligible to apply for retirement if the member has attained age 60.

(f) An optional service retirement eligibility provision may provide that a member who has at least 20 years of credited service is eligible to apply for retirement.

(g) The board of trustees may authorize additional optional service retirement eligibility provisions for adoption by participating subdivisions.

(h) The board of trustees shall establish rules for recognizing and combining a member's service credited under dissimilar retirement eligibility provisions for purposes of meeting the retirement eligibility provisions of the respective subdivisions.