Survivor Benefits

Survivor benefits may be available to the beneficiaries of active members, retirees, and accidental disability retirees. The type and amount of the benefit depend on several factors, including:

The member’s creditable service
The member’s salary
The cause of death
Whether the member had already retired
The retirement option selected (if applicable)

There are several types of survivor benefits:

Based on the retirement option selected
For active service member death, pre-retirement
For accidental disability retirees
For certain public safety officials (line-of-duty)

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Survivor Benefit Guides

For detailed statutory guidance, refer to the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) survivor benefit guides listed below:

For members prior to 4/2/2012

For members after 4/2/2012

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Understanding Survivor Benefits

Members Who Die Before Retirement or in Line of Duty

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Learn more about available benefits to the survivors of members who die before retirement or are killed in the line of duty.

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Option Selection-Based Survivor Benefits

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When applying for retirement, members must choose one of the three payment options. This choice determines whether — and to what extent — survivor benefits are provided after the retiree’s death.

Option A

No survivor benefits are payable after the retiree’s death.

Option B

After the retiree’s death, any remaining balance in the annuity savings account is paid in one lump sum to the retiree’s named beneficiaries.
If no balance remains, no payment is made.
Members may name multiple beneficiaries and divide the benefit as desired.

Option C

Known as the Joint and Last Survivor allowance, one named beneficiary will receive a monthly benefit for the rest of their life.
The benefit is equal to ⅔ of the retiree’s monthly allowance at the time of death.

Eligible Option C beneficiaries include a member’s:

Spouse
Former spouse who has not remarried
Child
Parent
Sibling

Option C “Pop-Up” Provision:
If the Option C beneficiary dies before the retiree, the retiree’s allowance “pops up” to the full Option A amount for the remainder of the retiree’s life.

Accidental Disability Retirees

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Survivor benefits may be available to the eligible beneficiaries of a member who retired under an accidental disability retirement if the Retirement Board determines that the retiree’s death was the natural and proximate result of the injury or hazard that caused the disability.

Benefit Amounts

The accidental death survivor benefit is equal to the greater of:

72% of the member's annual rate of regular compensation on the date of injury, or
The member's average annual rate of regular compensation for the 12 month period immediately preceding the date of death.

The amount will never be less than the pension portion of the allowance the member was receiving at the time of death.

For Option B retirees, the survivor benefit also includes a lump-sum payment of any remaining accumulated deductions to the designated beneficiary.

If Death Is Not Found to Be Related to the Injury

If the Board does not find the death to be the direct result of the injury or hazard that caused the accidental disability retirement, the survivor benefits are based on:

The retirement option selected at retirement, and
For members who retired before November 7, 1996, an additional allowance may be available.

Members or beneficiaries should contact our office for individualized guidance.