For anyone who thinks it's easier to get a handbook answer on this board, or that someone can explain it to you more clearly than the handbook does, or you can't find it in the handbook yourself - please understand you are taking a risk that doesn't hurt anyone here but you, if you rely on things stated here instead of what is in writing by the employer and active at the time of your situation.
People here may answer based on their experience when the rules were different, they may misinform you, you may misinterpret their response, everything they said may be correct but not complete, etc. Sometimes you need the exact wording of what the handbook says, not a summary from someone else in their own words.