Tennessee Code Title 8. Public Officers and Employees § 8-36-309

(a) A correctional officer who is a member of the retirement system, regardless of the correctional officer's participation in the legacy pension plan, the hybrid plan, or any other alternative plan, is eligible for early service retirement after attaining twenty-five (25) years of creditable service. The retirement allowance must be computed as the actuarial equivalent of the benefit that would have been payable under a service retirement allowance.

(b) Subsection (a) does not require a correctional officer to retire. Subsection (a) applies only to a correctional officer who retires on or after January 1, 2021, and does not constitute a change in formula under § 8-36-702.

(c) A correctional officer who chooses to retire pursuant to subsection (a) is entitled to any insurance coverage otherwise provided to a member who is one hundred percent (100%) vested in the member's service retirement benefit pursuant to § 8-36-201 on the date that the correctional officer would have become one hundred percent (100%) vested in the service retirement benefit pursuant to § 8-36-201.

(d) As used in this section, “correctional officer” means a person who: