Death Related To Accidental Disability Retirement

Is a member’s beneficiary eligible to receive an accidental death benefit if the member’s death, after retirement, is directly related to the member’s accidental disability retirement?

     If the member’s death, after retirement, is found by the retirement board to be the natural and proximate result of the injury or hazard which was the basis of the member’s accidental disability retirement, the member’s spouse, or if there is no spouse, an eligible family member, may petition the retirement board for an accidental death benefit.

Pension Benefit

How is the amount of the accidental death benefit determined?

     An accidental death benefit involves continued payment of the pension portion of the allowance the member had been receiving at the time of death, taking into account such factors such as allowances for eligible children, cost-of-living raises, and any retroactive collective bargaining raises that the member may have received after retirement. It will also include payment of any remaining accumulated deductions in one sum to the designated beneficiary if the member retired under Option B.

     However, please note that if the member retired under Option A or C, his/her beneficiary would not be entitled to receive the member’s remaining balance from the Annuity Savings Fund.

Is the accidental death benefit affected by amounts received from Workers’ Compensation?

     Amounts received under Workers’ Compensation offset and therefore reduce the pension portion of the accidental death benefit. They do not affect the payment of remaining accumulated deductions.

Eligibility of Other Family Members

Will pension payments be made to other family members if a member leaves no eligible spouse or eligible children?

     If a member leaves no eligible spouse, pension payments will be made to the member’s eligible children. If there are no eligible children, the pension benefit will be paid to the member’s dependent father or mother. If the parents are deceased or were not totally financially dependent upon the member, pension payments will be paid to any totally financially dependent unmarried or widowed sibling if the member was living with him/her at the time of death. Pension payments will continue as long as the beneficiary or beneficiaries survive, do not marry or remarry and remain unable to support themselves.

Return of Accumulated Deductions

After a member’s death, who is eligible to receive the balance of his/her accumulated deductions?

     If the member selected Option B on retirement, the member’s beneficiaries are entitled to a return of the member’s accumulated deductions and related interest as of the member’s date of death. The beneficiaries who receive the accumulated deductions are not necessarily the same individuals as the beneficiaries who are eligible to receive the pension portion of the accidental death benefit.

Death Unrelated To Cause of Accidental Disability Retirement

Allowance

What benefits are payable if a member’s death, after retirement, is NOT found to be a direct result of the injury or hazard that caused the member’s accidental disability retirement?

     If such a member retired before November 7, 1996, his/her spouse is entitled to receive an allowance of $6,000 per year as long as the spouse does not remarry. However, if such a member retires on or after November 7, 1996, the member is permitted to select Option C upon retirement to provide an allowance for his/her spouse and as a result, the $6,000 allowance is not available .

Are surviving spouses of other deceased retirees also eligible to receive this benefit?

     The surviving spouses of ordinary disability retirees who retired before December 30, 1971 and who die after January 1, 1973 are entitled to receive an allowance of $6,000 per year. If a member retires for ordinary disability on or after December 30, 1971, the member is permitted to select Option C to provide an allowance for his/her spouse and as a result, the $6,000 is not available.

Return of Accumulated Deductions

Who would be eligible to receive the balance of a member’s accumulated deductions?

     Beneficiaries would not be entitled to a return of accumulated deductions unless the member had elected Option B on retirement. If the member did, the balance of accumulated deductions and related interest that remained on the member’s death would be paid to the beneficiary or beneficiaries designated under Option B.