(a)
Members and beneficiaries of any pension or retirement system or other benefits established by the consolidated entities shall continue to have comparable rights, privileges, benefits, obligations, and status with respect to the established systems.
(b)
The consolidated agency and the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) shall enter into an agreement to provide comparable benefits to those persons who were employees, retirees, or beneficiaries of the consolidated entities’ pension and retirement plans at the time of consolidation. Any expense related to this agreement between the consolidated agency and PERS, including retiree coverage, shall be borne by the consolidated agency. The agreement shall be effective as of the date of succession by the consolidated agency.
(c)
Those retired employees of the consolidated entities, including their eligible dependents, who are (1) retired on the effective date of the succession; or (2) an eligible beneficiary of a retired employee on the effective date of succession, and (3) who were eligible for benefits through PERS as provided and paid for by a consolidated entity, shall continue to be eligible for comparable benefits, including health care insurance, under the terms of the contracts between the consolidated entities and PERS in effect on the day prior to the succession. These benefits shall be provided at no cost to the retired employee or eligible beneficiary, except for normal copayments as otherwise provided for in the terms of the contracts between the consolidated entities and PERS in effect on the day prior to the succession.
(d)
Allowances of persons retired from the consolidated entities as of the consolidation date and their beneficiaries and of beneficiaries of deceased members or retired persons who are receiving allowances as of the succession date, shall be continued in at least the amount provided under the contracts between the consolidated entities and PERS in effect on the day prior to the succession. The succession shall not affect the contribution rate of any employee, retiree, or beneficiary or any retirement allowance or other benefit based on service to a consolidated entity being paid on the day prior to succession.
(e)
Notwithstanding Section 20511 of the Government Code, time of service by consolidated entity employees shall be credited as services rendered for the consolidated agency for purposes of calculating retirement benefits. The time of service by consolidated entity employees shall create prior service liabilities against the consolidated agency. Service rendered by consolidated entity employees who become employees of the consolidated agency on the date of succession shall be combined with service rendered by the employee as an employee of the consolidated agency for purposes of calculating retirement benefits. The consolidated agency’s contract with PERS shall contain a provision to bring this section into effect.
