Sec. 844.003.  EFFECTIVE DATE OF RETIREMENT.  (a)  Except as otherwise provided by this section, the effective date of a member's service retirement is the date the member designates at the time the member applies for retirement under Section 844.101, but the date must be the last day of a calendar month and may not precede the date the member terminates employment with the subdivision from which the member seeks to retire.
(b)  If a member who is an eligible member under Section 844.407 dies before retirement, the member is considered to have retired on the last day of the month before the month in which death occurred.
(b-1)  A vested member who has not retired before the member's required beginning date determined under Section 841.010 is considered to have retired on the last day of the month preceding the member's required beginning date.
(c)  The effective date of a member's disability retirement is the date the member designates at the time the member applies for retirement under Section 844.301, but the date must be the last day of a calendar month and may not precede the later of the date the member became disabled or the date the member terminated employment with all participating subdivisions.
(d)  A member who is eligible for service retirement and who terminates employment with a participating subdivision may apply for and receive a service retirement annuity based on service for that subdivision despite the fact that the member is or becomes an employee of another participating subdivision. 
(e)  Notwithstanding Subsections (a), (b), (b-1), (c), and (f), the effective retirement date of a member may not precede the first anniversary of the effective date of participation of the subdivision.
(f)  The board of trustees by rule may authorize a retiring member to designate an effective service or disability retirement date that is not more than six months before the date the retirement system receives the retirement application.  A rule adopted under this section may not suspend another requirement provided by this section for retirement.
Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 1876, ch. 453, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1981.  Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 63, Sec. 7, eff. May 6, 1987.  Renumbered from Vernon's Ann.Civ.St. Title 110B, Sec. 54.003 and amended by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 179, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989.  Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 175, Sec. 8, eff. Jan. 1, 1994;  Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 536, Sec. 1, Jan. 1, 1994;  Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 245, Sec. 9, eff. Sept. 1, 1995;  Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 309, Sec. 8, 33, eff. Dec. 1, 1997;  Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 65, Sec. 1, eff. May 10, 1999;  Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 427, Sec. 23, eff. Dec. 31, 1999;  Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 122, Sec. 22, eff. Dec. 31, 2001.
Amended by: 
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 506 (H.B. 633), Sec. 17, eff. January 1, 2006.
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 873 (H.B. 1587), Sec. 29, eff. January 1, 2008.
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 300 (H.B. 407), Sec. 16, eff. January 1, 2010.