In order to become a member of the Sheriffs' Retirement Fund of Georgia, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

(1) He must be a duly qualified and commissioned sheriff of a county of the State of Georgia, serving as sheriff of the superior court of that county at the time he files his application;

(2) He must file his application for membership with the secretary-treasurer within one year from the date he begins service as a sheriff or within the time limits set forth in Code Section 47-16-41;

(3) He must set out in the application for membership his correct date of birth;

(4) He must list in his application for membership all periods of prior service, including credit under Code Section 47-16-80 for services in the armed forces of the United States or as a peace officer, for which service he intends to ask credit as basis for his future retirement, or shall forever be barred from claiming credit for services not so listed;

(5) The member must tender with the application, within 12 months from the date of that application, or at such other time as the board may provide, a sum equal to the total of $37.50 per month for credit claimed by the member under paragraph (4) of this Code section for past service from and including January 1, 1961, to the date of application; or if such amount is not paid by the due date, the member shall be conclusively deemed to have waived his or her claim or right for credit for such period of time; or

(6) He must also furnish to the board such other information and proof of pertinent facts set out in the application for membership or relative to it as may be required by the board; and failure to do so shall constitute grounds for denial of the application for membership by the board.