Survivor Benefits

Retired Member - Service Retirement/ Nonservice-Connected Disability

  1. A surviving spouse or domestic partner may receive 60% of the Unmodified service retirement allowance or 60% of the nonservice-connected disability retirement allowance the member was receiving at the time of death. If there is no surviving spouse or domestic partner, these benefits may be payable to the member’s minor children under the age of 18, or through age 21 if they remain unmarried and are regularly enrolled as full time students in an accredited school. To be eligible for this monthly allowance, the surviving spouse must have been:
    1. named as the beneficiary, and
    2. married to the member at least one year prior to the effective date of retirement.

If an optional retirement allowance was elected by the member at the time of retirement, the benefit payable to a surviving spouse or domestic partner will be contingent on the option chosen.

  1. If there is no surviving spouse or domestic partner, or minor children, the benefits payable at the time of the member’s death will be contingent upon the retirement option elected by the member at the time of retirement.
  2. Upon the death of any member after retirement, a death benefit of $5,000 shall be paid to his/her beneficiary or estate, unless a reciprocal system pays this benefit.

Retired Member - Service-Connected Disability

  1. A surviving spouse or domestic partner may receive 100% of the service-connected disability allowance the member was receiving at the time of death. If there is no surviving spouse or domestic partner, these benefits may be payable to the member’s minor children under the age of 18, or through age 21, if they remain unmarried and are regularly enrolled in an accredited school. To be eligible for this monthly allowance the surviving spouse or domestic partner must have been named as the beneficiary and must have been married to the member at the time of retirement.
  2. If there is no surviving spouse or domestic partner, or minor children, the benefits payable at the time of the member’s death will be contingent upon the retirement option elected by the member at the time of retirement.
  3. Upon the death of any member after retirement, a death benefit of $5,000 shall be paid to his/her beneficiary or estate, unless a reciprocal system pays this benefit.