Missouri Laws 50.1110 – Options in lieu of normal annuity, election — survivorship benefit
1. The normal annuity of a member shall be paid to a member during his or her lifetime. Upon the member’s death no further payments shall be made.
2. In lieu of the normal annuity otherwise payable to a member, the member may elect in the member’s application for retirement to receive the actuarial equivalent of the member’s normal annuity in reduced monthly payments for life during retirement with the provision that upon the member’s death, either one hundred percent, seventy-five percent or fifty percent of the reduced normal annuity, as elected by the member, shall be continued throughout the life of and paid to the member’s beneficiary.
Terms Used In Missouri Laws 50.1110
- 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.
- 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
- following: when used by way of reference to any section of the statutes, mean the section next preceding or next following that in which the reference is made, unless some other section is expressly designated in the reference. See Missouri Laws 1.020
- Month: means a calendar month, and "year" means a calendar year unless otherwise expressed, and is equivalent to the words year of our Lord. See Missouri Laws 1.020
3. The election may be made only in the application for retirement and such application shall be filed prior to the date on which the retirement of the member is to be effective. A member shall not be permitted to change the form of benefit elected or the designated beneficiary after benefits commence to him, even if the designated beneficiary dies before the member.
4. If a member dies after completing eight or more years of creditable service, the surviving spouse shall be entitled to survivorship benefits under the fifty-percent annuity option as set forth in this section. If the member was age sixty-two or older at death, the surviving spouse’s benefit will commence the first day of the month following the member’s death. If the member was under age sixty-two at death, the surviving spouse’s benefits will commence on the first day of the month following the date the member would have attained age sixty-two had the member lived. Alternatively, the surviving spouse may elect to receive the actuarial equivalent benefit payable on the first day of any month following the date of the member’s death and prior to the date the member would have attained age sixty-two, reduced for early commencement.
5. Actuarial equivalence shall be determined in accordance with assumptions adopted by the board after consulting with the actuary of the retirement system.
6. If a member dies prior to retirement and after completing eight or more years of* service and there is no surviving spouse, the member’s designated beneficiary shall be entitled to receive a refund of the member’s contributions under section 50.1040. If there is no designated beneficiary, the contributions shall be paid to the member’s estate.