Section 86.447

Title VII CITIES, TOWNS AND VILLAGES

Chapter 86

Effective - 28 Aug 2003, 4 histories, see footnote   (history) 

  86.447.  Pensions of dependents of deceased retired members — funeral benefit — special consultant, duty, compensation. — 1. Upon receipt of the proper proofs of death of a member in service for any reason whatever or of the death of a member after having been retired and pensioned, there shall be paid, in addition to all other benefits but subject to subsection 7 of this section, the following:

  (1) If a member dies while in service, such member's surviving spouse, if any, shall be paid a base pension equal to forty percent of the final compensation of such member, subject to subsequent adjustments, if any, as provided in section 86.441;

  (2) If a member retires or terminates service after August 28, 1999, and dies after commencement of benefits pursuant to the provisions of sections 86.370 to 86.497, the member's surviving spouse, if any, shall be paid a base pension equal to eighty percent of the pension being received by such member, including cost-of-living adjustments to such pension but excluding supplemental retirement benefits, at the time of such member's death, subject to subsequent adjustments, if any, as provided in section 86.441;

  (3) If a member retired or terminated service on or before August 28, 1999, and died after August 28, 1999, and after commencement of benefits, such member's surviving spouse shall upon application to the retirement board be appointed and employed by the retirement board as a special consultant on the problems of retirement, aging and other matters, and upon request of the retirement board shall give opinions and be available to give opinions in writing or orally in response to such requests, as may be required. For such services, the surviving spouse shall, beginning the later of August 28, 1999, or the time of such appointment under this subsection, be compensated in such amount as shall make the benefits received by such surviving spouse pursuant to this subsection equal to eighty percent of the pension being received by such member, including cost-of-living adjustments to such pension but excluding supplemental retirement benefits, at the time of such member's death, subject to subsequent adjustments, if any, as provided in section 86.441;

  (4) Upon the death of any member who is in service after August 28, 2000, and who either had at least twenty-five years of creditable service or was retired or died as a result of an injury or illness occurring in the line of duty or course of employment pursuant to section 86.450, the surviving spouse's benefit provided pursuant to this subsection, without including any supplemental retirement benefits paid such surviving spouse by this retirement system, shall not be less than six hundred dollars per month. For any member who dies, retires or terminates service on or before August 28, 2000, and who either had at least twenty-five years of creditable service or was retired or died as a result of an injury or illness occurring in the line of duty or course of employment pursuant to section 86.450, the surviving spouse shall upon application to the retirement board be appointed by the retirement board as a special consultant on the problems of retirement, aging and other matters, and upon request of the retirement board shall give opinions and be available to give opinions in writing or orally in response to such requests, as may be required. For such services, the surviving spouse shall, beginning the later of August 28, 2000, or the time the appointment is made pursuant to this subsection, be compensated in an amount which without including supplemental retirement benefits provided by this system shall be not less than six hundred dollars monthly. A pension benefit pursuant to this subdivision shall be paid in lieu of any base pension as increased by cost-of-living adjustments granted pursuant to section 86.441. The benefit pursuant to this subdivision shall not be subject to cost-of-living adjustments, but shall be terminated and replaced by the base pension and cost-of-living adjustments to which such spouse would otherwise be entitled at such time as the total base pension and such adjustments exceed six hundred dollars monthly;

  (5) Such member's child or children under the age of eighteen years at the time of the member's decease shall be paid fifty dollars per month each, subject to adjustments, if any, as provided in section 86.441, until he or she shall attain the age of eighteen years; however, each such child who is or becomes a full-time student at an accredited educational institution shall continue to receive payments hereunder for so long as such child shall remain such a full-time student or shall be in a summer or other vacation period scheduled by the institution with intent by such child, demonstrated to the satisfaction of the retirement board, to return to such full-time student status upon the resumption of the institution's classes following such vacation period, but in no event shall such payments be continued after such child shall attain the age of twenty-one years except as hereinafter provided. Any child eighteen years of age or older, who is physically or mentally incapacitated from wage earning, so long as such incapacity exists as certified by a member of the medical board, shall be entitled to the same benefits as a child under the age of eighteen;

  (6) A funeral benefit of one thousand dollars.

  2. For the purposes of this section, "commencement of benefits" shall begin, for any benefit, at such time as all requirements have been met entitling the member to a payment of such benefit at the next following payment date, disregarding advance notice periods required by any paying agent for physical preparation of the payment, so that a member who dies between the date all such requirements are met and the date when the system would have delivered such member's initial payment shall be deemed to have commenced such benefit.

  3. If there is no person qualified to receive a pension as a surviving spouse or if a surviving spouse dies, the total amount which would be received by a qualified surviving spouse or which is being received by the surviving spouse at the date of death of such surviving spouse shall be added to the amounts received by and shall be divided among the children under the age of eighteen years and the incapacitated children in equal shares. As each child attains the age of eighteen years or has such incapacity removed, the total of the surviving spouse's pension shall then be added to and divided among the remaining children, and when there is only one child under the age of eighteen years or incapacitated, whether such child is the sole surviving child of the member or the youngest child of several children, the total amount of the surviving spouse's pension shall be paid to the child until such child reaches the age of eighteen years or such incapacity is removed.

  4. (1) The surviving spouse of a member who retired or died prior to August 28, 1997, shall not be entitled to receive benefits or the payment of a pension pursuant to sections 86.370 to 86.497 unless marriage to the member occurred at least two years before the member's retirement or at least two years before the death of the member while in service; provided, that no benefits shall be denied pursuant to this subsection to the surviving spouse of a member whose death occurred in the line of duty or from an occupational disease arising out of and in the course of the member's employment.

  (2) No surviving spouse of a member who retired or died while in service after August 28, 1997, and before August 28, 2000, shall be entitled to receive any benefits pursuant to this section unless such spouse was married to the member at the time of the member's retirement or death while in service.

  (3) Any surviving spouse who would qualify for benefits pursuant to subdivision (1) or (2) of this subsection and who has not remarried prior to August 28, 2000, but remarries thereafter, shall upon application to the retirement board be appointed by the retirement board as a special consultant on the problems of retirement, aging and other matters, and upon request of the retirement board shall give opinions and be available to give opinions in writing or orally in response to such requests, as may be required. For such services, such surviving spouse shall be compensated in an amount equal to the benefits such spouse would have received pursuant to sections 86.370 to 86.497 in the absence of such remarriage.

  (4) No surviving spouse of a member who retires or dies in service after August 28, 2000, shall be entitled to receive any benefits pursuant to sections 86.370 to 86.497 unless such spouse was married to the member at the time of the member's retirement or death in service. Any surviving spouse who was married to such a member at the time of the member's retirement or death in service shall be entitled to all benefits for surviving spouses pursuant to sections 86.370 to 86.497 for the life of such surviving spouse without regard to remarriage.

  5. If no benefits are otherwise payable to a surviving spouse or child of a deceased member, the member's accumulated contributions, to any extent not fully paid to such member prior to the member's death or to the surviving spouse or child of such member, shall be paid in one lump sum to the member's named beneficiary or, if none, to the member's estate.

  6. For purposes of this section, a determination of whether a child of a member is physically or mentally incapacitated from wage earning so that the child is entitled to benefits under this section shall be made at the time of the member's death. If a child becomes incapacitated after the member's death, or if a child's incapacity existing at the member's death is removed and such child later becomes incapacitated again, such child shall not be entitled to benefits as an incapacitated child under the provisions of this section. A child shall be deemed incapacitated only for so long as the incapacity existing at the time of the member's death continues.

  7. Any beneficiary of benefits pursuant to sections 86.370 to 86.497 who becomes the surviving spouse of more than one member shall be paid all benefits due a surviving spouse of that member whose entitlements produce the largest surviving spouse benefits for such beneficiary but shall not be paid surviving spouse benefits as the surviving spouse of more than one member.

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(L. 1945 p. 1367 § 6, A.L. 1947 V. I p. 422, A.L. 1951 p. 342, A.L. 1955 p. 293, A.L. 1957 p. 285, A.L. 1972 H.B. 1309, A.L. 1985 S.B. 337, et al., A.L. 1987 H.B. 496 & 568, A.L. 1990 H.B. 1270, A.L. 1997 H.B. 331, A.L. 1999 S.B. 197, A.L. 2000 H.B. 1808, A.L. 2001 S.B. 290, A.L. 2003 H.B. 152 & 180 merged with S.B. 212 & 220)