1.    The board shall pay retirement benefits in accordance with the applicable requirements of any qualified domestic relations order. The board shall review a domestic relations order submitted to it to determine if the domestic relations order is qualified under this section and under rules established by the board for determining the qualified status of domestic relations orders and administering distributions under the qualified orders. Upon determination that a domestic relations order is qualified, the board shall notify the teacher and the named alternate payee of its receipt of the qualified domestic relations order.

2.    A “qualified domestic relations order” for purposes of this section means any judgment, decree, or order, including approval of a property settlement agreement, which relates to the provision of child support, spousal support, or marital property rights to a spouse, former spouse, child, or other dependent of the teacher, which is made pursuant to a North Dakota domestic relations law, and which creates or recognizes the existence of an alternate payee’s right to, or assigns to an alternate payee the right to, receive all or a part of the benefits payable to the teacher. A qualified domestic relations order may not require the board to provide any type or form of benefit, or any option, not otherwise provided under the fund, or to provide increased benefits as determined on the basis of actuarial value. However, a qualified domestic relations order may require the payment of benefits at the early retirement date notwithstanding that the teacher has not terminated eligible employment.