Employees of Public Defender Service

(a) Continuation of Federal benefits for employees Any individual who, as of the day before the date of the retrocession under section 102, is an employee of the District of Columbia Public Defender Service and who, pursuant to section 305(c) of the District of Columbia Court Reform and Criminal Procedure Act of 1970 (sec. 2–1605(c), D.C. Official Code), is treated as an employee of the Federal Government for purposes of receiving benefits under any chapter of subpart G of part III of title 5, United States Code, shall continue to be treated as an employee of the Federal Government for such purposes, but only in the case of an individual who serves as an employee of the public defender service of the State of Maryland (or, if applicable, a jurisdiction of the State of Maryland which operates a public defender service in the territory ceded and relinquished to the State of Maryland pursuant to such retrocession) on or after the date of such retrocession. (b) Responsibility for employer contribution The Federal Government shall be treated as the employing agency with respect to the benefits described in subsection (a) which are provided to an individual who, for purposes of receiving such benefits, is continued to be treated as an employee of the Federal Government under such paragraph.