43:15C-7 Insurance benefits under group contract.

7. The benefit under a group contract or contracts providing life insurance shall be in an amount equal to one and one-half the base annual salary of the participant in the retirement program, except that in the event of death after retirement, the amount payable shall equal 3/16 of the participant's base annual salary. "Base annual salary" means the base salary upon which contributions by the participant and the participant's employer to the retirement program were based during the last year of creditable service.

For purposes of this section, a participant shall be deemed to be in service and covered by the group life insurance for a period of official leave of absence without pay when such leave is due to illness or any reason other than illness, with such period to be determined by the Division of Pensions and Benefits, if satisfactory evidence is presented to the division of such official leave of absence. A participant shall be deemed to be on an official leave of absence only if the leave is formally approved by the employer prior to the time the leave commenced and timely notice is filed by the employer with the division. If timely notice is not filed, the employer shall be responsible for the payment of any benefits pursuant to this section if the participant was otherwise eligible for such benefits.

In the event of the death of a participant in active service in the first year of participation as a result of an accident met in the actual performance of duty at some definite time and place, the death benefit payable pursuant to this section shall be computed at the annual rate of base salary.

No beneficiary of a retired participant shall be entitled to receive the death benefits payable in the event of death after retirement pursuant to this section unless the participant either: had at least 25 years of credited participation in the retirement program established pursuant to this act; or had at least 10 years of such credited participation and had attained 60 years of age and was an actively employed participant in the program in the year immediately preceding initial receipt of a retirement annuity. For a member who is a participant pursuant to paragraph (5) of subsection a. of section 2 of P.L.2007, c.92 (C.43:15C-2) as amended by section 12 of P.L.2007, c.103 and section 7 of P.L.2010, c.1, service credit in the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund, Police and Firemen's Retirement System, State Police Retirement System, or the Public Employees' Retirement System shall also be considered in determining if the participant met the requirements of this paragraph.

L.2007, c.92, s.7; amended 2007, c.103, s.13; 2010, c.1, s.14.