Terms Used In Iowa Code > Chapter 97A - Public Safety Peace Officers' Retirement, Accident, and Disability System

• Actuarial equivalent: shall mean a benefit of equal value, when computed upon the basis of mortality tables adopted by the board of trustees, and interest computed at a rate adopted by the board upon the recommendation of the actuary. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• Amount earned: shall mean the amount of money actually earned by a beneficiary in some definite period of time. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Average final compensation: shall mean the average earnable compensation of the member during the member's highest three years of service as a member of the state department of public safety, or if the member has had less than three years of service, then the average earnable compensation of the member's entire period of service. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Beneficiary: shall mean any person receiving a retirement allowance or other benefit as provided by this chapter. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• Board of trustees: means the board created in section 97A. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• Cancer: means prostate cancer, primary brain cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer, malignant melanoma, leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, bladder cancer, colorectal cancer, multiple myeloma, testicular cancer, and kidney cancer. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• Child: includes only an individual who is under the age of eighteen years, an individual who is under the age of twenty-two and is a full-time student, or an individual who is disabled under the definitions used in section 202 of the Social Security Act as amended if the disability occurred to the individual during the time the individual was under the age of eighteen years and the parent of the individual was an active member of the system. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• clerk: means clerk of the court in which the action or proceeding is brought or is pending; and the words "clerk's office" mean the office of that clerk. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Commissioner: means the commissioner of public safety of this state. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• compensation earnable: shall mean the regular compensation which a member would earn during one year on the basis of the stated compensation for the member's rank or position including compensation for longevity and the daily amount received for meals under section 80. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Department: means the department of public safety of this state. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Infectious disease: means HIV or AIDS as defined in section 141A. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. ^{Source: OCC}
• Internal Revenue Code: means the Internal Revenue Code as defined in section 422. See Iowa Code 97A.5
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Medical board: shall mean the board of physicians provided for in section 97A. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• Membership service: shall mean service as a peace officer in the division of state patrol, the division of criminal investigation, or division of narcotics enforcement in the department of public safety and arson investigators rendered since last becoming a member, or, where membership is regained as provided in this chapter, all of such service. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• month: means a calendar month, and the word "year" and the abbreviation "A. See Iowa Code 4.1
• National Bank: A bank that is subject to the supervision of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department. A national bank can be recognized because it must have "national" or "national association" in its name. ^{Source: OCC}
• Peace officer: means a member, except a non-peace officer member, of the division of state patrol, narcotics enforcement, state fire marshal, or criminal investigation, including but not limited to a gaming enforcement officer, who has passed a satisfactory physical and mental examination and has been duly appointed by the department of public safety in accordance with section 80. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• Pensions: shall mean annual payments for life derived from the appropriations provided by the state of Iowa and from contributions of the members which are deposited in the retirement fund. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• person: means individual, corporation, limited liability company, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, or any other legal entity. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• property: includes personal and real property. See Iowa Code 4.1
• reemployment: means the employment of a person in a position which would otherwise be included as a membership position under subsection 1, after the person has commenced receiving a service retirement allowance under section 97A. See Iowa Code 97A.3
• Retirement allowance: shall mean the pension, or any benefits in lieu thereof, granted to a member upon retirement. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Surviving spouse: shall mean the surviving spouse or former spouse of a marriage solemnized prior to retirement of a deceased member from active service. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• System: shall mean the Iowa department of public safety peace officers' retirement, accident, and disability system as defined in section 97A. See Iowa Code 97A.1
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• United States: includes all the states. See Iowa Code 4.1
• year: means twelve consecutive months. See Iowa Code 4.1