PARTICIPATION ELIGIBILITY: RETIREES.

(a) An individual who retires in a manner described by this section and who meets the requirements of Subsection (f) is eligible to participate, subject to Section 1601.1045, as a retired employee in the uniform program.

(b) An individual is eligible to participate in the uniform program as provided by Subsection (a) if:

(1) the individual has at least 10 years of service with a system for which the individual was eligible to participate in the uniform program under Section 1601.101;

(2) the individual's last state employment before retirement was with that system; and

(3) the individual retires under the jurisdiction of:

(A) the Teacher Retirement System of Texas under Subtitle C, Title 8, Government Code;

(B) the Employees Retirement System of Texas; or

(C) subject to Subsection (c):

(i) the optional retirement program established by Chapter 830, Government Code; or

(ii) any other federal or state statutory retirement program to which the system has made employer contributions.

(c) An individual retiring in the manner described by Subsection (b)(3)(C) is a retired employee only if the individual meets all applicable requirements for retirement, including service and age requirements, adopted by the system comparable to the requirements for retirement under the Teachers Retirement System of Texas.

(d) An individual is eligible to participate in the uniform program as provided by Subsection (a) if the individual:

(1) meets the minimum requirements under Subsection (b) except that the last state employment before retirement is not at the employing system; and

(2) does not meet the requirements for an annuitant under Section 1551.102.

(d-1) An individual is eligible to participate in the uniform program as provided by Subsection (a) if:

(1) the individual meets the minimum requirements under Subsection (b) except that the individual does not have at least 10 years of service as described by Subsection (b)(1);

(2) the individual has at least 10 years of combined service in a position for which the individual was eligible to participate in the uniform program or in the group benefits program under Section 1551.101; and

(3) either:

(A) the individual's greatest number of years of state employment was in a position for which the individual was eligible to participate in the uniform program; or

(B) if the individual's years of employment in positions eligible to participate in the uniform program and the group benefits program are equal, the individual's last state employment before retirement was in a position for which the individual was eligible to participate in the uniform program.

(e) An individual is eligible to participate in the uniform program as provided by Subsection (a) if the individual retired under Subtitle C, Title 8, Government Code, before September 1, 1991, with at least five and less than 10 years of service.

(f) Notwithstanding Subsections (b)-(d), an individual is eligible to participate in the uniform program only if the individual:

(1) has at least 10 years of service credit and the sum of the person's age and amount of service credit, including months of age and credit, equals or exceeds the number 80; or

(2) is at least 65 years old and has at least 10 years of service credit.

(g) A person eligible to participate and participating in the uniform program as an annuitant on September 1, 2003, may continue to participate in the program as an annuitant if a lapse in coverage has not occurred.

(h) Notwithstanding Subsection (b), an individual to whom this subsection applies is eligible to participate in the uniform program as provided by Subsection (a) if:

(1) the individual has at least three years of service with a system for which the individual was eligible to participate in the uniform program under Section 1601.101;

(2) the individual's last state employment before retirement was with that system; and

(3) the individual retires under the jurisdiction of:

(A) the Teacher Retirement System of Texas under Subtitle C, Title 8, Government Code;

(B) the Employees Retirement System of Texas; or

(C) subject to Subsection (c):

(i) the optional retirement program established by Chapter 830, Government Code; or

(ii) any other federal or state statutory retirement program to which the system has made employer contributions.

(i) Subsection (h) applies only to a person who, on August 31, 2003:

(1) was eligible to participate in the uniform program as an employee under Section 1601.101; or

(2) was eligible to participate in the uniform program as a retired employee under this section as this section existed on January 1, 2003.