(a) In the case of any employee of this State who is called to the service of or voluntarily enters the armed forces of the United States or the National Guard of the State, when in continuous active service, the state agency, board, department or other employing officer or agency of this State employing such employee shall grant to such employee a leave of absence which shall cover the entire period of such employee's service, not exceeding 5 years or until the term of service to which such employee has been called or volunteered has been terminated. Upon the completion of such leave of absence and service, such employee shall be reinstated in the position held at the time that such leave of absence was granted, and such employee shall be continued in employment under the same terms and conditions as if such employee had been in the continuous service of such employing agency during the period of the leave of absence. (b) Any employee of the State taking a leave of absence authorized by subsection (a) of this section who, as a member of the Delaware National Guard or a United States military reserve organization, has been ordered to active duty to augment active forces for any operational mission, shall continue to receive that employee's own state compensation during the initial period of active duty prescribed by the military, to be reduced by any military compensation received. While on such leave of absence, for a period not to exceed 2 years, the employee and the employee's dependents shall continue to receive benefits provided under the State's group health insurance plan, provided that the employee continues to pay any employee-share premium for such plan. The Department of Human Resources shall develop any rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this subsection. These rules shall make it the responsibility of the employee to initiate the claim and supply the required military pay information. The State shall be responsible for collecting information relating to State compensation. Claims shall be filed within 90 days of release from active duty or passage of this legislation, whichever is later. (c) For the purpose of subsection (b) of this section state compensation shall be limited to base salary. Military compensation shall include base salary, basic allowance for quarters (BAQ), basic allowance for subsistence (BAS), hazardous duty pay and all other supplemental compensation. (d) In the event that any state employee who shall have entered the armed services under a leave authorized by subsection (a) of this section shall have been employed in any agency of the state government having a pension plan for employees or which shall come under any pension plan enacted or to be enacted by the General Assembly of the State, the time spent by such employee in the armed services shall accrue to such employee's benefit in establishing such employee's right to a pension. If during the time any such employee shall be in the armed services the total time spent actually as an employee plus the time spent in the armed services shall equal that period of time necessary to establish the right to retirement and to a pension, such employee shall upon application to the proper agency having jurisdiction be entitled to retirement and the pension prescribed by the rules of that agency in the same manner and with the same effect as if such employee had spent all of the required time in the actual employment of that agency. (e) This section shall be retroactive to protect the rights of any employee who shall have qualified as provided in this section prior to April 24, 1945, and such employee shall be entitled to all such pension money as shall have accrued since the time of having so qualified. Any person who may be appointed to replace any employee referred to in subsections (a)-(e) of this section shall be appointed only for the period covered by the leave of absence granted pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.
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