Adm 95.06(1)(e) (e) If a participating municipality ceases to exist or ceases its participation in a program, it shall pay the balance owed on any account for contributions made for prior service no later than under the schedule of payments set forth in its agreement with the program administrator.

Adm 95.06(2) (2) If a municipality’s records are insufficient to establish eligibility for the purchase of prior service for a VFF-EMT, the municipality shall conduct a thorough investigation and, using the standards for determining the service required to qualify for annual contributions under s. Adm 95.04 (3), shall make a decision based upon good faith belief and the best information available as to the prior service claimed.

Adm 95.06 History History: CR 01-123: cr. Register May 2002 No. 557, eff. 6-1-02; CR 08-033: am. (1) (a) Register June 2009 No. 642, eff. 7-1-09; correction in (1) (d) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 6., Stats., corrections in (1) (d), (2) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register December 2015 No. 720.

Adm 95.07 Adm 95.07 Vesting and receipt of length of service award. A VFF-EMT is required to provide 10 years of service for which credit has been given before the VFF-EMT may receive any benefits under the program.

Adm 95.07(1) (1) Full vesting.

Adm 95.07(1)(a) (a) A VFF-EMT who has provided 15 years of service for credit to a participating municipality shall be fully vested and paid a length of service award upon reaching age 60.

Adm 95.07(1)(b) (b) A VFF-EMT may elect to receive their length of service award under this subsection by notifying the program administrator and the participating municipality within the time period required by the program administrator or the applicable program. A VFF-EMT receiving an award under this subsection shall receive the full net asset value of their account.

Adm 95.07(1)(c) (c) Upon receiving payment of a length of service award, a fully vested VFF-EMT age 60 or older may continue to provide service for credit toward a length of service award under a new account, but shall be paid any subsequent contributions made on the VFF-EMT’s behalf by the participating municipality or the department immediately after they are received by the program administrator.

Adm 95.07(2) (2) Partial vesting.

Adm 95.07(2)(a) (a) A VFF-EMT who has discontinued providing eligible service after performing a minimum of 10 years of service for credit shall be partially vested and may elect to receive a partial length of service award under this subsection at any time after reaching age 53, by notifying the program administrator and the participating municipality within the time period required by the program administrator or the applicable program.

Adm 95.07(2)(b) (b) A VFF-EMT electing to receive a partial length of service award under this subsection shall be entitled to receive the award in the next calendar year following the date of the election. The VFF-EMT shall receive 50% of the net asset value of their account as of the date of the election for the first 10 years of service for credit performed. For each year of service for credit more than 10, but less than 15, performed by the VFF-EMT, ten percent of the net asset value of the account as of the date of the election shall be added. A VFF-EMT who has reached the age of 53 but has not reached the age of 60 and who has 15 or more years of service shall receive 95% of the net asset value of the account as of the date of the election. The amounts not paid to a VFF-EMT under this subsection shall be forfeited and equally distributed among all other open VFF-EMT accounts sponsored by that municipality at the time of the forfeiture.

Adm 95.07(2)(c) (c) A VFF-EMT who has reached age 53 but is not fully vested may continue to perform service for credit toward a length of service award.

Adm 95.07(2)(d) (d) A VFF-EMT who has discontinued providing eligible service after performing a minimum of 15 years of service for credit and who has not elected to receive a partial length of service award under this subsection may instead elect to receive their length of service award under sub. (1) upon reaching age 60.

Adm 95.07(3) (3) New accounts. At any time a VFF-EMT receives a length of service award associated with an account, they may discontinue providing eligible service and accruing service credit under that account, and begin providing eligible service under a new account.

Adm 95.07(4) (4) Prior service credit. For vesting purposes under this section and s. 16.25, Stats., credit for service performed by a VFF-EMT may include prior service for credit under s. Adm 95.06 (1) (a).

Adm 95.07(5) (5) Form of benefit distribution. A VFF-EMT may receive their length of service award payment either in a lump sum or by any other method offered by the program administrator and approved by the department. The form of benefit distribution shall be determined by the program administrator and approved by the department. The chosen form shall be stated in the specific plan documents provided by the program administrator.

Adm 95.07(6) (6) Simultaneous service. For purposes of determining vesting under this section and s. 16.25, Stats., if a VFF-EMT simultaneously renders service to 2 or more municipalities, or two or more separate and distinct services for a single municipality, only one year of service may be credited toward any length of service award in any calendar year the VFF-EMT provided multiple service.

Adm 95.07 History History: CR 01-123: cr. Register May 2002 No. 557, eff. 6-1-02; CR 08-033: am. (6) Register June 2009 No. 642, eff. 7-1-09; corrections in (1) (c), (5) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 6., Stats., correction in (4) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register December 2015 No. 720; CR 18-011: am. (1) (a), (b), r. and recr. (2) (a), am. (2) (b), (c), cr. (2) (d) Register June 2018 No. 750, eff. 7-1-18.

Adm 95.08 Adm 95.08 Non-vested account closure and leaves of absence.

Adm 95.08(1) (1) Non-vested forfeiture. The account of a VFF-EMT who has performed less than 10 years of service under a program shall be closed if the VFF-EMT ceases to perform creditable service for a period of 12 months or more and fails to meet any other program requirement established by the municipality, unless a supervisor has granted the VFF-EMT a leave of absence for that period.

Adm 95.08(2) (2) Leaves of absence. A participating municipality may determine the conditions under which a leave of absence shall be granted. A participating municipality shall grant a leave of absence in writing on or before December 31 of the calendar year in which it is to take effect.

Adm 95.08(3) (3) Closed account distribution. A forfeited account shall be equally distributed among all other open VFF-EMT accounts sponsored by a participating municipality at the time of the forfeiture. Forfeitures may not be distributed to an account frozen under s. Adm 95.09 (1).

Adm 95.08(4) (4) Notice upon transfer of service. For vesting purposes under s. Adm 95.07, upon joining or exiting a program, a VFF-EMT shall notify the new program administrator and any previous program administrator before forfeiture is to occur in order to qualify for transfer of their service years.

Adm 95.08 History History: CR 01-123: cr. Register May 2002 No. 557, eff. 6-1-02; CR 08-033: am. (title), (1) and (3) (title) Register June 2009 No. 642, eff. 7-1-09; corrections in (3), (4) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register December 2015 No. 720; CR 18-011: am. (1) Register June 2018 No. 750, eff. 7-1-18.

Adm 95.09 Adm 95.09 Transfer of service to a different program administrator.

Adm 95.09(1) (1) Frozen accounts. When a VFF-EMT ceases performing service for one participating municipality and begins performing service for another that utilizes a different program administrator, their account shall be frozen. No contributions or forfeiture distributions may be made to a frozen account, but a frozen account shall continue to accrue earnings.

Adm 95.09(2) (2) Service transfer. Any service credited to a VFF-EMT associated with a frozen account shall count toward vesting under s. Adm 95.07, provided the VFF-EMT meets the notice requirements of this section, and either of the following occurs:

Adm 95.09(2)(a) (a) If the VFF-EMT has accumulated less than 10 years of service, the participating municipality, for which the service was provided and the account opened, has granted the VFF-EMT a leave of absence, or

Adm 95.09(2)(b) (b) The VFF-EMT begins performing creditable service for a subsequent participating municipality within 12 months of ceasing to perform creditable service for the VFF-EMT’s former participating municipality.