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Survivor Benefits for Accidental Disability Retirees

Retirement Guide for Members Prior to April 2, 2012

Table of Contents

Survivor Benefits for Accidental Disability Retirees

What if an Accidental Disability Retiree Dies Following Retirement? What Benefits, if Any, are Payable in That Case?

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.

How is the Amount of the Accidental Death Benefit Determined?

An accidental death benefit is the greater of 72% of compensation received on the date of injury or compensation for the last 12 months, but it will never be less than 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 adjustments, 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.

Will Accidental Death Pension Payments be Made to Other Family Members if a Retiree Dies and Leaves No Eligible Spouse or Eligible Children?

As is the case in regard to an in-service death, if an accidental disability retiree dies as the natural and proximate result of the cause for which he or she retired, leaving no eligible spouse, pension payments will be made to the retiree's eligible children. If there are no eligible children, the pension benefit will be paid to the member's dependent father or mother or both. 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 the unmarried or widowed sibling 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.

Would the Balance of a Retiree's Accumulated Deductions be Paid Out if the Retiree Dies as the Result of the Cause for Which He or She Retired?

Beneficiaries would not be entitled to a return of accumulated deductions unless the retiree had elected Option B on retirement. If the retiree did pick Option B upon retirement, the balance of accumulated deductions and related interest that remained on the retiree's death would be paid to the beneficiary or beneficiaries designated under Option B. No payment of any amounts in the annuity account would be payable if the retiree picked either Option A or Option C.

Date published: July 1, 2015

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