18A:64G-20. Payment of retirement, death or other benefits to former municipal hospital employees

No retirement, death, or other benefits shall be payable by the State or the university to such former municipal employees, except that the board of trustees is hereby authorized and permitted to pay death benefits on behalf of certain former municipal employees of the hospital who continue as employees of the university as specified below, and to include in the annual budgets of the university such amounts as the board of trustees expects may be required to pay such benefits.

Upon death prior to retirement, the board of trustees may pay death benefits on behalf of former municipal employees of the hospital who, following the acquisition of the hospital by the university, have continued as employees of the university and, with respect to whom, no death benefit is payable either (a) under section 23 of P.L.1954, c. 218, as amended and supplemented (C. 43:13-22.25) or (b) under section 41, 45, 46, 48 or 49 of P.L.1954, c. 84 as amended and supplemented (C. 43:15A-41, 43:15A-45, 43:15A-46, 43:15A-48 and 43:15A-49).

The amount of benefits provided for each person specified above shall not exceed an amount equal to such person's annual salary as the employee of the university received at the time of death. If the Employees' Retirement System of the city of Newark, established pursuant to said P.L.1954, c. 218, as amended and supplemented from time to time, provides any other death benefit with respect to any employee of the university, exclusive of a return of contributions, the amount of death benefit pursuant to this provision shall be reduced by the amount of such other death benefit provided with respect to such employee under said system. Any person on behalf of whom the board of trustees may provide such death benefit may designate a beneficiary and may from time to time change his designation, by filing written notice thereof, over his signature, with the board of trustees. If at the death of a person with respect to whom a death benefit is payable there be no surviving designated beneficiary as to all, or any part of his death benefit then the amount of death benefit payable for which there is no surviving designated beneficiary shall be payable to the person or persons listed below surviving as of the date of his death in the following order of precedence: (1) to the widow or widower of such person; (2) if neither of the aforementioned, to the child or children of the person, in equal shares, and descendants of deceased children by representation; (3) if none of the aforementioned, to the parents of such person, in equal shares or the survivor of them; (4) if none of the aforementioned, to the duly appointed executor or administrator of the estate of such person; (5) if none of the aforementioned, to other next of kin of such person as may be determined by the board of trustees to be entitled under the laws of the domicile of such person at the time of his death.

L.1970, c. 102, s. 20. Amended by L.1973, c. 85, s. 1, eff. April 24, 1973; L.1981, c. 325, s. 16, eff. Dec. 10, 1981.