[§87D-9]  State and county contributions tothe trust; retired employees.  (a)  Any individual who becomes a retiree onor after the establishment of a voluntary employees' beneficiary associationtrust, and who, immediately prior to retirement, was a member of the bargainingunit of the sponsoring employee organization, shall be enrolled in thatvoluntary employees' beneficiary association trust.  Upon the establishment ofa voluntary employees' beneficiary association trust, the State, through thedepartment of budget and finance, and the counties through their respectivedepartments of finance, shall pay to the trust for each retiree who retires onor after July 1, 2005, a monthly contribution pursuant to the applicablecollective bargaining agreement that shall not exceed the base monthlycontributions or the specific contribution limits set forth in chapter 87A.

(b)  Any retiree who, immediately prior toretirement, was a member of an employee organization prior to the establishmentof a voluntary employees' beneficiary association trust by the employeeorganization, and who was previously covered by a collective bargainingagreement, shall be given a one-time option to transfer participation from theHawaii employer-union health benefits trust fund established under chapter 87Ato the organization's voluntary employees' beneficiary association trust oncethe latter is established.  Upon the establishment of the voluntary employees'beneficiary association trust, the State, through the department of budget andfinance[,] and the counties, through their respective departments of finance,shall pay to the trust for each retiree who opts to transfer into a voluntaryemployees' beneficiary association trust, a monthly contribution equal to thecontribution paid on behalf of a similarly situated retiree under the Hawaiiemployer-union health benefits trust fund.

(c)  Medicare part B reimbursements establishedpursuant to section 87A-23(2) shall be directly disbursed by the State, throughthe department of budget and finance, and the counties, through theirrespective departments of finance, to those retirees and their beneficiarieswho qualify and are covered by a voluntary employees' beneficiary associationtrust to the same extent retirees and their beneficiaries under the Hawaiiemployer-union health benefits trust fund receive those reimbursements.

(d)  For the purposes of this chapter, acollective bargaining agreement shall include provisions specifyingcontributions to a voluntary employees' beneficiary association trust. [L 2005,c 245, pt of §2]