Section 45-18-7. Retiring employees, spouses, and dependents; eligibility of employees of state-wide probation system to continue coverage upon retirement from local retirement system

   (a) The contract or contracts shall provide for health insurance for retiring state employees and their spouses and dependent children, as defined by the regulations of the board, on such terms as the board may deem appropriate; and the board may authorize the inclusion in the plan of the employees and retiring employees of state authorities covered by the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia and their spouses and dependent children, as defined by the regulations of the board. Any state authority participating in the plan shall be required to pay the same rate of contribution paid by the state. The board shall adopt regulations prescribing the conditions under which an employee or retiring employee may elect to participate in or withdraw from the plan.

(b) Employees of the state-wide probation system administered by the Department of Corrections who were employees of a county probation system of a county having a population of 800,000 or more according to the United States decennial census of 2000 or any future such census and who were members of a local retirement system and had ten or more years of creditable service under the local retirement system at the time the county probation system became a part of the state-wide probation system shall be eligible to continue coverage under the health insurance plan for the state employees upon retirement from a local retirement system by paying a premium set by the board. Such retired persons shall be eligible to enroll their spouses and eligible dependents in accordance with the regulations of the board. Such retirees shall be treated in the same manner as other retirees eligible to continue coverage under the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia. The board may promulgate and adopt rules and regulations governing continuance and discontinuance of coverage for such retired persons and their spouses and eligible dependents.

Ga. L. 1961, p. 147, § 7; Ga. L. 1987, p. 1005, § 1; Ga. L. 2002, p. 1473, § 1.