Terms Used In New Jersey Statutes 53:5A-12

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • 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
  • person: includes corporations, companies, associations, societies, firms, partnerships and joint stock companies as well as individuals, unless restricted by the context to an individual as distinguished from a corporate entity or specifically restricted to one or some of the above enumerated synonyms and, when used to designate the owner of property which may be the subject of an offense, includes this State, the United States, any other State of the United States as defined infra and any foreign country or government lawfully owning or possessing property within this State. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
12. a. Upon the receipt of proper proofs of the death in active service of a member of the retirement system on account of which no accidental death benefit is payable, there shall be paid to the surviving spouse a pension of 50% of final compensation for the use of that spouse and children of the deceased, to continue for so long as the person qualifies as a “surviving spouse” for the purposes of this act; if there is no surviving spouse or in case the spouse dies or remarries, 50% of final compensation shall be payable to one surviving child or, if there are two or more children, 50% of final compensation shall be payable to such children in equal shares.

In the event of death occurring in the first year of creditable service, the benefits, payable pursuant to this subsection, shall be computed at the annual rate of compensation.

If there is no surviving spouse or child, 25% of final compensation will be payable to one surviving parent or 40% of final compensation will be payable to two surviving parents in equal shares.

b. If there is no surviving spouse, child or parent, there shall be paid to any other beneficiary of the deceased member his aggregate contributions at the time of death.

c. In no case shall the death benefit provided in subsection a. be less than that provided under subsection b.

d. In addition to the foregoing benefits payable under subsection a. or b., there shall also be paid in one sum to the member’s beneficiary, an amount equal to 3 1/2 times final compensation.

e. (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1971, c.181.)

f. (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1971, c.181.)

L.1965, c.89, s.12; amended 1966, c.153, s.4; 1971, c.181, s.10; 1980, c.55, s.2; 1985, c.355, s.2; 2019, c.305, s.2.