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OHIO HIGHWAY PATROL RETIREMENT SYSTEM
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Membership

Eligibility

All sworn officers, cadets in training at the academy and members of the radio division hired prior to November 2, 1989, are required to become members of the Highway Patrol Retirement System (HPRS).

Contributions

Members of HPRS are required to make contributions to the system through payroll deductions.  The current contribution rate is 14.0 per cent of earnable salary.  Earnable salary includes the member's base salary plus shift differential, hazard duty, longevity, and professional achievement pay.  All other compensation is excluded as earnable salary.  These retirement deductions are credited to their savings accounts.

The employer, the State of Ohio, is required to make contributions to HPRS on the basis of a percentage of reportable payrolls.  The employer contribution rate is set by the HPRS retirement board and certified to the state every two years.  Currently, the employer rate is 26.5 per cent.

Refunds

Upon termination of service, a member may withdraw his/her accumulated employee contributions.  Contributions made prior to January 1985 are non-taxable since they were taxed when the contributions were originally earned.  All contributions after January 1985 are subject to IRS tax regulations.

If a member dies before retirement and there are no eligible survivors to receive a benefit, accumulated contributions are paid to a designated beneficiary.

Service Credit

Total service credit is the total years of contributing service, including granted, purchased or transferred service credit.  A member cannot receive more than one year of service credit for any calendar year.  All credit must be full-time service.  In addition to contributing service credit, a member may purchase prior service in a lump sum payment, select a payment plan through payroll deduction, or transfer credit for other types of service.  The following qualify for additional service credit:

  • Prior withdrawn State Highway Patrol service
  • Interrupted service with another state agency when such employment was requested by the governor
  • Military service (Interrupted and prior)
  • Granted service for the time receiving worker's compensation
  • Service credit for prior full-time employment as a member of another state retirement system

All service must be purchased or granted prior to retirement.  Any service purchased or transferred from another system, including military service, can be refunded if not used to increase a benefit calculation upon retirement or death.  The calculation of the cost to purchase credit varies and the member should contact HPRS for a computed cost.

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