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Hypothetical situation:

Firm A cut compensation due to COVID by 15% on April 1. On July 31, the firm announces it is restoring compensation back to normal levels again, effective immediately. The firm will also retroactively pay its associates the compensation lost during April 1 - August 1.

An associate laterals to another firm before the retroactive pay has been distributed. Should the associate be entitled to the money they lost although they left the firm before it was returned?

Of course not. It's no different than a bonus; if you leave before the date the bonus is distributed you don't get the bonus.

Absolutely you should get that. If it were me, I would storm in (no mask of course), demand my former employer give me that retroactive pay or be outed to TLS and ATL, where they will suffer a 10 point prestige deduction.

Ah, TLS. Always a great place to ask questions without worrying people will be snarky and condescending.

I assumed that it would be unlikely to get the compensation back, but thought maybe someone had heard otherwise.

Its ultimately a question of how the cut was phrased to begin with and how the "retroactive pay" is phrased. If its a bonus, then I doubt you'll get it if you're not there at time of disbursement. If it was phrased as a wage, then you'd likely get it. (at least for CA)