NATCHEZ — Former Natchez Regional Medical Center employees whose state retirement funds have been in limbo since the hospital’s 2014 bankruptcy may soon gain access to their funds.

The Mississippi Public Employee Retirement System has received approximately $450,000 it was owed by the hospital.

Adams County Board of Supervisors Attorney Scott Slover said County Administrator Joe Murray delivered the approximately $448,000 check to the Jackson office Wednesday. Within three to four business days. Slover said the benefits should be processed as if Natchez Regional Medical Center paid the benefits during a timely manner.

Of the $448,160.38, $310,000 in funding comes from a bankruptcy escrow account that closed in mid-October. The remaining $138,160.38 came from the county’s general fund.

The approximately $138,000 is part of approximately $200,000 the supervisors saved in refinancing the $3 million loan taken out to keep the hospital operational two years ago.

While employees continued to make contributions toward PERS, from November 2013 until the bankruptcy filing, the hospital did not pay the employer portion of the payments. Under PERS, employers make a 15.75-percent match to employee contributions.

The former county-owned hospital filed for bankruptcy protection in March 2014, after losing millions of dollars. The bankruptcy ended in October 2014 when the hospital was sold to Community Health Systems for $10 million.

During the sales process, an escrow account of $4 million was created to cover any remaining clawbacks from Medicaid and Medicare. Administrative claims, secured creditors and unsecured creditors will also have access to the account.

The county obtained legislative permission to purchase the PERS liability.

Slover said the county could receive up to the entirety of the claim, but said it is highly unlikely for a creditor to receive its full claim during bankruptcy.