(a) A member who qualifies to apply for retirement under Section 24201 or 24203 may make a preretirement election of an option, as provided in Section 24300.1 without right of revocation or change after the benefit effective date, except as provided in this part. The preretirement election of an option shall become effective as of the date of the member’s signature on a properly executed form prescribed by the system, subject to the following requirements:

(1) The form includes the signature of the member’s spouse or registered domestic partner, if applicable, and the signature is dated.

(2) The date the form is received at the system’s headquarters office is within 30 days after the date of the member’s signature and, if applicable, the spouse’s or registered domestic partner’s signature.

(b) A member who makes a preretirement election of an Option 2, Option 3, Option 4, Option 5, Option 6, or Option 7 pursuant to Section 24300, or an election as described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of Section 24300.1 may subsequently make a preretirement election of the compound option described in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 24300.1. The member may retain the same option and the same option beneficiary as named in the prior preretirement election for a designated percentage within the compound option.

(c) Upon the member’s death prior to the benefit effective date, the beneficiary who was designated under the option elected and who survives shall receive an allowance calculated under the option, under the assumption that the member retired for service pursuant to Chapter 27 (commencing with Section 24201) on the date of death. The payment of the allowance to the option beneficiary shall be in lieu of the family allowance provided in Section 23804, the payment provided in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 23802, the survivor benefit allowance provided in Section 23854, and the payment provided in subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 23852, except that if the beneficiary dies before all of the member’s accumulated retirement contributions are paid, the balance, if any, shall be paid to the estate of the person last receiving or entitled to receive the allowance. The accumulated annuity deposit contributions and the death payment provided in Sections 23801 and 23851 shall be paid to the beneficiary in a lump sum.

(d) If the member subsequently retires for service, and the elected option has not been canceled pursuant to Section 24309, a modified service retirement allowance computed under Section 24300 or 24300.1 and the option elected shall be paid.

(e) The amount of the service retirement allowance prior to applying the option factor shall be calculated as of the earlier of the member’s age at death before retirement or age on the last day of the month in which the member requested service retirement be effective. The modification of the service retirement allowance by the option elected shall be based on the ages of the member and the beneficiary designated under the option, as of the date the election was signed.

(f) A member who terminates the service retirement allowance pursuant to Section 24208 shall not be eligible to file a preretirement election of an option until one calendar year elapses from the date the allowance is terminated. If the member retires again within one calendar year of the termination of their benefit pursuant to Section 24208, the retired member shall keep, upon subsequent retirement, the option and beneficiary or the unmodified election in place upon the date the termination of the benefits became effective.

(1) If the member’s option beneficiary or beneficiaries predecease the member within one calendar year of the termination of benefits and before the member has retired again, upon notification to the system, the system shall cancel the option and beneficiary from that portion of the benefit with reduction pursuant to Section 24309. The member shall not elect a new option or beneficiary pursuant to Section 24310 until one calendar year from the termination effective date has elapsed.

(2) If a final decree of dissolution of marriage or a judgment of nullity has been entered or an order of separate maintenance has been made within one calendar year of the termination of benefits and the member has not retired again, upon notification to the system, the system shall cancel or change the option election in accordance with the court order with reduction pursuant to Section 24309. Any additional changes shall not be made until one calendar year from the termination effective date has elapsed.

(g) (1) A member may change the beneficiary designated pursuant to this section without penalty by designating a trust as beneficiary if all of the following requirements are met:

(A) The trust conforms to the definition of trust in Section 22149.

(B) The beneficiary of the trust is the same person as the previously named option beneficiary.

(C) The member files an application and any required documents in a form prescribed by the system.

(2) If a trust is determined to be invalid or terminates after the system commences payment to the trust, beginning on the effective date of termination of the trust, the benefit shall be paid to, and all associated rights and responsibilities shall accrue to, the beneficiary of the trust so long as that beneficiary is eligible to receive a benefit pursuant to this section.

(h) The system shall inform members who are qualified to make a preretirement election of an option, through the annual statements of account, that the election of an option can be made.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 559, Sec. 8. (AB 1875) Effective January 1, 2017.)