(a)(1) Those employees whose job descriptions, duties, or functions as of June 30, 1994, included the performance of employment duties or functions which will become employment duties or functions of the personnel of a community service board on July 1, 1994, shall become employees of the applicable community service boards on and after July 1, 1994. Such employees shall be subject to the employment practices and policies of the applicable community service board on and after July 1, 1994. Employees who are subject to the State Merit System of Personnel Administration and who are transferred to a community service board shall retain all existing rights under the State Merit System of Personnel Administration. Retirement rights of such transferred employees existing under the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia or other public retirement systems on June 30, 1994, shall not be impaired or interrupted by the transfer of such employees and membership in any such retirement system shall continue in the same status possessed by the transferred employees on June 30, 1994, without any interruption in membership service and without the loss of any creditable service. For purposes of coverage under the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia, such employees transferred to the community service boards on July 1, 1994, shall be deemed to be state employees. Accrued annual and sick leave possessed by said employees on June 30, 1994, shall be retained by said employees as employees of the community service board. Any person who is granted employment rights and benefits as a member of a community service board pursuant to this subsection and who later becomes employed, without any break in service, by the division, a hospital thereof, another community service board, a county board of health for which such person provides services pursuant to this title, or a regional board shall retain, in that later employment position, all such rights and benefits. Such rights and benefits shall also be retained by any person who is employed on June 30, 1994, by the division, a hospital thereof, a county board of health for which such person provides services pursuant to this title, or a regional board and who later becomes employed, without any break in service, by a community service board.

(2) Classified employees of a community service board under this chapter shall in all instances be employed and dismissed in accordance with rules and regulations of the State Merit System of Personnel Administration.

(3) All rights, credits, and funds in the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia which are possessed by personnel transferred by provisions of this Code section to the community service boards are continued and preserved, it being the intention of the General Assembly that such persons shall not lose any rights, credits, or funds to which they may be entitled prior to becoming employees of the community service boards.

(b) As to those persons employed by the division, a hospital thereof, or a regional board on June 30, 1994, any termination from state employment after that date of any such person who is a member of the classified service shall not result from the anticipated or actual employment or utilization by:

(1) The department; (2) A regional board;

(3) A community service board;

(4) A hospital; or

(5) Any private provider of disability services

of any person who is not an employee of the state or a political subdivision thereof to perform the duties and functions of such terminated state personnel unless such termination and utilization is the result of a reduction in appropriations for such duties or functions or is the result of a reduction in force caused by any other state department or agency which has ceased to contract with the department for the services which had been provided by the terminated state personnel.