The nonmember spouse who is awarded a separate account shall have the right to a service retirement allowance and, if applicable, a retirement benefit under this part.

(a) The nonmember spouse shall be eligible to retire for service under this part if the following conditions are satisfied:

(1) The member had at least five years of credited service during the period of marriage, at least one year of which had been performed subsequent to the most recent refund to the member of accumulated retirement contributions. The credited service may include service credited to the account of the member as of the date of the dissolution or legal separation, previously refunded service, out-of-state service, and permissive service credit that the member is eligible to purchase at the time of the dissolution or legal separation.

(2) The nonmember spouse has at least two and one-half years of credited service in his or her separate account.

(3) The nonmember spouse has attained 55 years of age or more.

(b) A service retirement allowance of a nonmember spouse under this part shall become effective upon a date designated by the nonmember spouse, provided:

(1) The requirements of subdivision (a) are satisfied.

(2) The nonmember spouse has filed an application for service retirement on a properly executed form provided by the system, that is executed no earlier than six months before the effective date of the retirement allowance.

(3) The effective date is no earlier than the first day of the month that the application is received at the system’s headquarters office and the effective date is after the date the judgment or court order pursuant to Section 22652 was entered.

(c) (1) Upon service retirement at normal retirement age under this part, the nonmember spouse shall receive a retirement allowance that shall consist of an annual allowance payable in monthly installments equal to 2 percent of final compensation for each year of credited service.

(2) If the nonmember spouse’s retirement is effective at less than normal retirement age and between early retirement age under this part and normal retirement age, the retirement allowance shall be reduced by one-half of 1 percent for each full month, or fraction of a month, that will elapse until the nonmember spouse would have reached normal retirement age.

(3) If the nonmember spouse’s service retirement is effective at an age greater than normal retirement age and is effective on or after January 1, 1999, the percentage of final compensation for each year of credited service shall be determined pursuant to the following table:

Age at Retirement

Percentage

60¼  ........................

2.033

60½  ........................

2.067

60¾  ........................

2.10

61  ........................

2.133

61¼  ........................

2.167

61½  ........................

2.20

61¾  ........................

2.233

62  ........................

2.267

62¼  ........................

2.30

62½  ........................

2.333

62¾  ........................

2.367

63 and over  ........................

2.40

(4) In computing the retirement allowance of the nonmember spouse, the age of the nonmember spouse on the last day of the month that the retirement allowance begins to accrue shall be used.

(5) Final compensation, for purposes of calculating the service retirement allowance of the nonmember spouse under this subdivision, shall be calculated according to the definition of final compensation in Section 22134, 22134.5, or 22135, whichever is applicable, and shall be based on the member’s compensation earnable up to the date the parties separated, as established in the judgment or court order pursuant to Section 22652. The nonmember spouse shall not be entitled to use any other calculation of final compensation.

(d) Upon service retirement under this part, the nonmember spouse shall receive a retirement benefit based on an amount equal to the balance of credits in the nonmember spouse’s Defined Benefit Supplement account on the date the retirement benefit becomes payable.

(1) A retirement benefit shall be a lump-sum payment, or an annuity payable in monthly installments, or a combination of both a lump-sum payment and an annuity, as elected by the nonmember spouse on the application for a retirement benefit. A retirement benefit paid as an annuity under this chapter shall be subject to Sections 22660, 25011, and 25011.1.

(2) Upon distribution of the entire retirement benefit in a lump-sum payment, no other benefit shall be payable to the nonmember spouse or the nonmember spouse’s beneficiary under the Defined Benefit Supplement Program.

(e) If the member is or was receiving a disability allowance under this part with an effective date before or on the date the parties separated as established in the judgment or court order pursuant to Section 22652, or at any time applies for and receives a disability allowance with an effective date that is before or coincides with the date the parties separated as established in the judgment or court order pursuant to Section 22652, the nonmember spouse shall not be eligible to retire until after the disability allowance of the member terminates. If the member who is or was receiving a disability allowance returns to employment to perform creditable service subject to coverage under the Defined Benefit Program or has his or her allowance terminated under Section 24015, the nonmember spouse may not be paid a retirement allowance until at least six months after termination of the disability allowance and the return of the member to employment to perform creditable service subject to coverage under the Defined Benefit Program, or the termination of the disability allowance and the employment or self-employment of the member in any capacity, notwithstanding Section 22132. If at the end of the six-month period, the member has not had a recurrence of the original disability or has not had his or her earnings fall below the amounts described in Section 24015, the nonmember spouse may be paid a retirement allowance if all other eligibility requirements are met.

(1) The retirement allowance of the nonmember spouse under this subdivision shall be calculated as follows: the disability allowance the member was receiving, exclusive of the portion for dependent children, shall be divided between the share of the member and the share of the nonmember spouse. The share of the nonmember spouse shall be the amount obtained by multiplying the disability allowance, exclusive of the portion for dependent children, by the years of service credited to the separate account of the nonmember spouse, including service projected to the date of separation, and dividing by the projected service of the member. The nonmember spouse’s retirement allowance shall be the lesser of the share of the nonmember spouse under this subdivision or the retirement allowance under subdivision (c).

(2) The share of the member shall be the total disability allowance reduced by the share of the nonmember spouse. The share of the member shall be considered the disability allowance of the member for purposes of Section 24213.

(f) The nonmember spouse who receives a retirement allowance is not a retired member under this part. However, the allowance of the nonmember spouse shall be increased by application of the improvement factor and shall be eligible for the application of supplemental increases and other benefit maintenance provisions under this part, including, but not limited to, Sections 24412 and 24415 based on the same criteria used for the application of these benefit maintenance increases to the service retirement allowances of members.

(g) Paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of subdivision (c) shall not apply to a nonmember spouse of a member subject to the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013. For a person who is a nonmember spouse of a member subject to the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013 and is awarded a separate account, the retirement allowance shall equal the percentage of final compensation for each year of credited service that is equal to the percentage specified in Section 24202.6 based on the age of the nonmember spouse on the effective date of the allowance.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 218, Sec. 15. (SB 1352) Effective January 1, 2017.)