Out of US for 1 year after H1b

I applied for H1b in 2014 but I went back to India in 2015 January and was there for more than 1 year.

I came back to US in 2016 on H4 visa. Is my H1b still valid? Can I get it transferred to my current employer?

I read somewhere that if someone is out of US for 1 year H1b needs to applied again.