(1) Account means the bookkeeping account established for a participant by the administrator.

(2) Account balance means, as of any given time, the value of all contributions credited to a participant's account, plus all interest, earnings and gains thereon, and minus all losses, distributions, forfeitures and necessary administrative costs charged thereto.

(3) Administrator means the State Comptroller or, if the Comptroller retains an administrative service agency or financial organization to perform the functions set forth in section 154.10 of this Part, such administrative service agency or financial organization.

(4) Comptroller means the New York State Comptroller.

(5) Participant means a volunteer firefighter who is eligible for a benefit under a State- administered defined contribution volunteer firefighter service award program.

(6) Prior service contribution means a contribution to a defined contribution volunteer firefighter service award program made by the sponsor of the program on behalf of a participant for volunteer firefighter service rendered by the participant during anyone of the five calendar years immediately preceding the adoption of the program. A volunteer firefighter service award program established by a local sponsor prior to June 1, 2007 may, at the option of the local sponsor, provide for prior service contributions for volunteer firefighter service rendered during a period longer than the five calendar years immediately preceding the adoption of the program.

(7) Sponsor means a county, city, town, town on behalf of a fire protection district, village, village on behalf of a fire service area, or fire district which adopts a State-administered defined contribution volunteer firefighter service award program.

(8) State-administered defined contribution volunteer firefighter service award program means a service award program for volunteer firefighters established or maintained as a defined contribution plan for which State administration has been selected pursuant to article 11-A of the General Municipal Law.

(9) Valuation date means the last day of each calendar quarter, and each other day as may be determined by the administrator, as of which the administrator shall determine the value of participants' account balances.