(a) As used in this Code section, the term:

(1) "Department" means the Department of Juvenile Justice.

(2) "Local retirement system" means a retirement or pension system maintained by a county which includes as members thereof county probation and intake employees who become employees of the department as a result of the county probation and intake services' being transferred to the department pursuant to the provisions of Code Section 15-11-24.3, and the term includes any such retirement or pension system created by law or created by ordinance or resolution of the county under the home rule provisions of the Constitution of Georgia.

(3) "Probation and intake employee" means a probation and intake employee as such term is defined in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Code Section 15-11-24.3.

(b) Any person becoming an employee of the department at any time on or after July 1, 1993, as a result of a transfer of county probation and intake services to the department pursuant to the provisions of Code Section 15-11-24.3 shall have the options and rights provided for by this Code section. The options available to any such employee under this Code section must be exercised within 18 months after the date the applicable county probation and intake services are transferred to the department. Any such option shall be exercised by such employee notifying, in writing, the Board of Trustees of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia, the governing authority of the applicable county, and, when applicable, the board of trustees or other managing body of any local retirement system of which the employee is a member. If the employee is a member of a local retirement system, such membership shall continue pending the exercise of an option provided by this Code section. The choice made by an employee in selecting an option provided by this Code section shall be irrevocable and may not at any time thereafter be rescinded or modified.

(c) If an employee subject to this Code section was a member of a local retirement system at the time the applicable county probation and intake services were transferred to the department, such employee may either continue active membership in the local retirement system as provided in this subsection or become a member of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia and transfer creditable service as an employee of the local retirement system to the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia as provided in subsection (d) of this Code section. An employee electing to continue membership in a local retirement system shall have the right to continue such membership and the salary received by such employee as an employee of the department shall be the salary of such employee for all purposes under the local retirement system. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection for the use of certain employer contributions to offset required employee contributions, such employee shall continue to pay the employee contributions required under the local retirement system; and, for such purposes, the department may enter into an agreement with the board of trustees or other managing body of the local retirement system whereby the department may deduct such employee contributions from the compensation of the employee and pay the amount deducted to the local retirement system. Employer contributions for continued membership in the local retirement system shall be computed at the same percentage rate applicable to all other state employees on the basis of the state salary paid to such employees electing to continue membership in the local retirement system and shall be paid by the department when applicable to the local retirement system; provided, however, that, if the employer contributions paid by the department exceed the employer contributions applicable to all other employees of the local retirement system, the difference between the percentage rate of employer contributions paid by the department and the percentage rate of employer contributions applicable to all other employees of the local retirement system shall be applied to offset the percentage rate of employee contributions required of such state employees remaining in the local retirement system; provided, further, that, if the employer contributions to be paid by the department under this subsection would exceed the total employee and employer contributions required under the local retirement system, the department shall only be required to pay the total amount of such employee and employer contributions required under the local retirement system. An employee continuing membership under a local retirement system under this subsection shall retain all rights, benefits, and privileges under the local retirement system in the same manner and to the same extent as if the employee remained an employee of the county; provided, however, that such employee shall not be entitled to health and life insurance benefits available to county employees. An employee electing to continue membership in a local retirement system shall not be and may not become a member of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia.

(d) An employee who was a member of a local retirement system as provided in subsection (c) of this Code section may elect to become a member of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia. Any such employee so electing shall receive creditable service under the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia for all accredited service previously rendered as an employee of the applicable local retirement system. For each employee so electing, the governing authority of the applicable county or the board of trustees or other managing body of the applicable local retirement system, within 30 days after receiving the notice provided for in subsection (b) of this Code section, shall pay to the Board of Trustees of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia the total employee and employer contributions plus interest made by or on behalf of the employee to the local retirement system, together with accumulated interest thereon; provided, however, that the amount so transferred shall not exceed the amount necessary to grant the creditable service under the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia authorized by this subsection without creating any unfunded accrued liability, as a result of granting such creditable service, against the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia.

(e) If an employee subject to this Code section was not a member of a local retirement system at the time the applicable county juvenile detention system became a part of the state-wide juvenile detention system, such employee shall become a member of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia effective on the date the county probation and intake services are transferred to the department. Any such member may purchase as creditable service under the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia all or any portion of previous actual service rendered by the member as an employee of the applicable county probation and intake system, except in those instances in which such member has retired or is receiving benefits from a local retirement system. Such creditable service may be purchased by the member's paying to the board of trustees all employee and employer contributions which would have been made if the employee had been a member of this retirement system, plus regular interest thereon. The time limitation for exercising options provided for in subsection (b) of this Code section shall not apply to the purchase of creditable service under this subsection. Any eligible member may purchase such creditable service at any time during the first five years of membership in the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia. No service for which credit is granted pursuant to this subsection shall be used for credit in any local retirement system.

(f) To the extent this Code section conflicts with or is inconsistent with the provisions of a local retirement or pension system affected by this Code section, whether such local retirement or pension system was created by law or by local ordinance, the provisions of this Code section shall control.