§1523. Survivor benefits

A. Upon the death of any actively contributing member who has credit for less than five years service, the amount of his accumulated employee contributions shall be paid to such person as he shall have nominated by written designation, duly executed and filed with the board or, if none, to his estate.

B. Upon the death of any actively contributing member who has credit for five or more years service, the surviving spouse shall be paid either:

(1) An automatic option number 2 benefit with monthly payments commencing on the date the member would have first become eligible for a regular retirement assuming continued service until that time but based on the member's service credit and monthly average final compensation as they were on the date of his death and using the option number 2 factors based on the ages of the member and surviving spouse as they would be on the date the member would have first become eligible for normal retirement; or

(2) A benefit with monthly payments commencing on the member's date of death in an amount computed pursuant to (1) above but reduced by one quarter of one percent for each month or fraction thereof by which payments commence in advance of the member's earliest normal retirement age.

(3) In order to select (2) above, a surviving spouse must notify the board of such selection within ninety days of the death of the member and such selection shall be final and irrevocable and shall be in lieu of eligibility for (1) above.

C. Upon the death of any actively contributing member who has credit for five or more years service, if there is no surviving spouse, the legal guardian of any surviving minor child or children shall be paid a monthly benefit in an amount equal to one-half of the member's accrued benefit based on the member's service credit and monthly average final compensation as they were on the date of his death, divided equally among all minor children.

D. Upon the death of any former member who has credit for less than twelve years service and who has neither retired nor received a refund of his accumulated employee contributions, the amount of his accumulated employee contributions shall be paid to such person as he shall have nominated by written designation, duly executed and filed with the board or, if none, to his estate.

E. Upon the death of any former member who has credit for twelve or more years service and who has neither retired nor received a refund of his accumulated employee contributions, the surviving spouse shall be paid an automatic option number 2 benefit with monthly payments commencing on the date the member would have first become eligible for a deferred regular retirement benefit based on the member's service credit and monthly average final compensation as they were on the date of the member's termination of covered employment but using the option number 2 factors based on the ages of the member and surviving spouse as they would be on the date the member would have first become eligible for a deferred regular retirement.

F. Any survivor of a member or former member who is eligible for a monthly survivor benefit may apply for and receive a refund of the member's accumulated employee contributions in lieu of monthly survivor benefits by notifying the board in writing and executing a waiver of all survivor benefits.

G. When a minor child applies for survivor benefits based upon having a disability, the issues of disability and continuation of disability shall be determined as if the application were for disability benefits.

Acts 1990, No. 354, §1; Redesignated from R.S. 13:944 by Acts 1991, No. 74, §3, eff. June 25, 1991; Acts 2014, No. 811, §4, eff. June 23, 2014.

NOTE: Acts 2014, No. 811 changed terminology referring to persons with disabilities throughout the La. Revised Statutes and codes of law, and included a listing of terms that were deleted and their respective successor terms (See Acts 2014, No. 811, §36). The Act provides that it is not the intent of the legislature that changes in terminology effected therein alter or affect in any way the substance, interpretation, or application of any law or administrative rule; further provides that nothing in the Act shall be construed to expand or diminish any right of or benefit for any person provided by any law or administrative rule (See Acts 2014, No. 811, §35(C) and (D)).