MAKING A CHOICE

What factors should influence a member’s choice of option?

• Factors to Consider
  Your health and age at retirement, income from other sources, financial obligations, and the need to provide for others that may survive you are some of the factors that you should consider carefully. Your decision should not be made on the basis of what options are the most popular, or the one chosen by a friend or acquaintance. It should be based on your own personal needs.

Are there any restrictions on my election of an option?

• Unrestricted Selection
  There are no restrictions. Any member is free to select either Option A, Option B, or Option C upon retirement.

When must I make my option selection?

• Selection Deadline
  You must choose an option before the date your allowance becomes effective Retirement board staffers are available to thoroughly discuss options with you prior to that date. If you refuse or fail to select an option before the date your retirement becomes effective, the law provides that you shall be retired under Option B.

May I change my option choice?

• Changing Your Mind
  You are not permitted to change your option selection after your retirement becomes effective.

SPOUSAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Must my spouse acknowledge my option election?

• Making an Informed Decision
  Retirement boards must provide members and their spouses with detailed information regarding benefit options to help them make informed decisions.
  
  A married member’s Choice of Retirement Option Form at Retirement must be signed by the member’s spouse to acknowledge the spouse understands the option chosen. If a married member files a Choice of Retirement Option Form at Retirement that has not been acknowledged by his or her spouse, the retirement board is required to notify the member’s spouse of the option selected within ftfteen days by registered mail.
  
  Thirty days after the member’s spouse has been notified as provided above, the option would take effect The effective date of the member’s retirement will not be affected by the requirement that spousal acknowledgment must be requested.

OPTIONS AVAILABLE AT RETIREMENT

OPTION A

• Benefits Paid to Member Only
  Election of Option A means that you will receive your full retirement allowance in monthly payments as long as you live. All allowance payments will cease upon your death and no benefits will be provided for your survivors.

OPTION B

• Potential Benefit for Beneficiaries
  Option B provides you with a lifetime allowance which is approximately 1% to 3% less per month than Option A. The annuity portion of your allowance is reduced to allow a potential benefit for your beneficiary(ies). Upon your death, your surviving beneficiary(ies) of record, or if there is no beneficiary living, the person or persons appearing in the judgment of your retirement board to be entitled thereto will be paid the unexpended balance of your accumulated total deductions, if any, from the annuity reserve account.

How soon would my contributions be depleted?

• Depletion of Your Accumulated Deductions
  Although your retirement allowance is not reduced because of the depletion of your accumulated deductions, it is generally the case that your deductions are used up within eight to twelve years of your retirement, depending upon your age at retirement. Any remaining balance is to be paid to your beneficiary(ies) in the event of your death.

Is my choice of beneficiary limited under Option B? Can I change beneficiaries?

• Wide Choice
  Under Option B, you may designate any person(s) or charity or institution as your beneficiary You may, at any time after retirement, change your Option B beneficiary (but not your option selection).
  

OPTION C

• Joint and Last Survivor Allowance
  Option C is also known as the joint and last survivor allowance. Selecting this option means that the allowance payments that you would receive during your lifetime would be approximately 10% less than those you would receive under Option A. Upon your death, your designated beneficiary will be paid a monthly allowance for the remainder of his or her lifetime. That allowance will be equal to two-thirds of the allowance which was being paid to you at the time of your death.

What determines the monthly payments of an allowance payable under Option C?

• Life Expectancy Factors
  The monthly allowance you receive under Option C depends upon life expectancy factors for you and your designated beneficiary

Who may I name as a beneficiary under Option C?

• Eligible Beneficiaries
  You may name only one beneficiary under Option C. The eligible beneficiaries are limited to your spouse, your former spouse (provided he or she has not remarried at the time the Option C benefit becomes payable to you), your child, your parent, or your sibling.

May I change my Option C beneficiary?

• Changing Your Designation
  You may not change your Option C beneficiary after your retirement becomes effective

If my spouse dies after receiving allowance payments under Option C, will benefits then be payable to our children?

• Benefits Payable for Children
  Each child would be eligible to receive an equal share of the allowance his/her parent/your spouse had been receiving.
  
  Payments would be made to the legal guardian of each child and would cease upon the child’s 18th birthday, or upon the child's 22nd birthday if he or she is a full-time student at an accredited educational institution.

OPTION C "POP UP"

How does my allowance change under Option C if my beneficiary dies before I do?

• Application Filed on or After January 12, 1988
  If your allowance is the result of a retirement application led on or after January 12, 1988, and your Option C beneficiary dies on or after that date and before you die, you will thereafter be paid the full retirement allowance you would have received had you elected Option A at the time your retirement allowance became effective You cannot select a new Option C beneficiary or a different Option. (This conversion is commonly referred to as the Option C “Pop-Up”.) Any cost-of-living increases that have been granted since your Option C retirement became effective will be reflected in your newly established Option A allowance. All payments will cease upon your death.
  
  
• Retirement Before January 12, 1988
  For retirees whose retirement became effective before January 12, 1988, and who chose Option C and who are predeceased by their beneficiaries, extension of the Option C “Pop-Up” benefit is determined by their respective retirement board’s (and relevant “legislative body’s”) acceptance of Section 288 of Chapter 194 of the Acts of 1998. Under Section 288, such adjustments must be made prospectively from July 1, 1998. No payment can be made relative to the period, if any, from the date of the death of the beneficiary to July 1, 1998.

EFFECT OF DIVORCE ON OPTION C BENEFICIARY

Does divorce following retirement change the status of my former spouse as my Option C beneficiary?

She/he will continue to be your Option C beneficiary even if you are divorced after retirement.