16 Pa. Stat. § 4701
The following words and phrases as used in this article shall be construed to have the following meaning:
"Board," county employes' retirement board.
"Compensation,"
"Contributions," pickup contributions and the amount paid into the retirement fund.
"County employe," any person employed by the county, including all elected or appointed county officers, and agricultural extension association, county institutions district, county prison, any county correctional institution, law library and county retirement board, employes whose compensation is paid out of county funds, and any person employed by an authority formed after January 1, 1998, or any such other second class county entity when approved by the board and the county commissioners and whose compensation is paid by an authority or such other entity, except employes employed by any board of trustees of a community college of which the county is a local sponsor pursuant to the act of August 24, 1963 (P.L. 1132, No. 484), known as the "Community College Act of 1963," as amended, county institution district funds or county retirement system funds or any department created by the office of the county commissioners, and any person receiving compensation for accidental injuries in accordance with the provisions of The Pennsylvania Workmen's Compensation Act: Provided, That the injured county employe during the period of his or her disability shall pay each month a sum equal to the last monthly contribution paid into the retirement fund when said county employe was in employment and shall not include any participant in on-the-job training, work experience or public service employment whose employment with the county is funded in whole or in part by the Federal "Comprehensive Employment and Training Act," as amended, unless the retirement board has provided for the membership of such participants in accordance with the provisions of section 1710.1. It shall not include any time spent by a county employe on furlough or leave of absence without compensation, a person reemployed as a county employe subsequent to the thirty-first day of May, one thousand nine hundred fifty-three, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) of section 1712, except such county employes who may be in active military service in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of section 1710 and former county employes whose monthly contributions are paid into the retirement fund in accordance with the provisions of section 1713. In all cases of doubt the board shall determine who is an employe within the meaning of this article.
"Early Retirement," reduced retirement benefits at age fifty-five with completion of the minimum number of years of service specified in subsection (a) of section 1710 depending upon the service requirements for normal retirement.
"Interest," a determined rate, payable upon refund of contributions, compounded annually.
"Monthly," calendar month.
"Per Annum," twelve calendar months.
"Pickup contributions," regular contributions which are made by the county on behalf of county employes for current service in accordance with subsection (a.1) of section 1708.
"Reemployed," any former county employe who is reemployed as such, shall thereupon assume the status of a new or future county employe and may, if eligible, receive credit for previous service in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of section 1715. It shall not include any person reemployed subsequent to the thirty-first day of May, one thousand nine hundred fifty-three, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) of section 1712, nor any county employe who may be in active military service in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of section 1710.
"Retirement Allowance," the amount to which a county employe is eligible to receive upon retirement from active service not including the amount he or she is eligible to receive as a service increment.
"Retirement fund or system," fund or system created by this article.
"Service Increment," the amount a county employe is eligible to receive in addition to his or her retirement allowance by reason of his or her extra years of service.
"Survivor's Benefit Allowance," a portion of a retirement allowance, plus a service increment, if any, to be paid to a surviving spouse of a deceased county employe.
"Vested Interest," future county employes including persons who are reemployed as such, except as hereinafter provided, whose contributions as paid into the retirement fund have been retained therein, or have been refunded by the board, who have fulfilled all conditions required to qualify such county employes for a retirement allowance plus a service increment, if any. It shall not include persons who are reemployed as county employes in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) of section 1712.
"Year or service year," twelve calendar months including an official term year beginning the first Monday of January of a given year to the first Monday of January of the year following or twenty-six pay periods if payment is made bi-weekly.
16 P.S. § 4701